Levitt’s Summer Concert SeriesMiguel Espinoza Fusion with Michele CastroSunday, August 11th, 2024All Ages | Rain or ShineDoors Open: 4:00 PM | Show Start: 5:00 PMTickets on-sale Friday, March 29th at 10am MTMiguel Espinoza FusionMiguel Espinoza Fusion, the collective beating heart of world-class musicians Miguel Espinoza (guitar), Dianne Betkowski (cello), Randy Hoepker (bass), and David Hinojosa (darbuka and percussion) invites the listener into a rich and colorful symposium of musical traditions. Firm roots in flamenco, classical, and jazz are woven through with North African rhythms, Celtic whimsy, and Brazilian expressions for a sound that is transformative, vibrant, and deeply emotive. Their third album, Living in a Daydream (2022), features extensive collaborations with two-time Grammy winner Howard Levy, and their fourth album, Gabriella, again features the collaborative efforts of Howard Levy, as well as fellow two-time Grammy winner David Balakrishnan, of the Turtle Island Quartet. Miguel Espinoza Fusion are the 2019 winners of Denver Westword Magazine’s Best of World Music, and their albums, Turtle Dreams and Veneta, have won Indie Acoustic Project awards...
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Levitt’s Summer Concert SeriesMiguel Espinoza Fusion with Michele CastroSunday, August 11th, 2024All Ages | Rain or ShineDoors Open: 4:00 PM | Show Start: 5:00 PMTickets on-sale Friday, March 29th at 10am MTMiguel Espinoza FusionMiguel Espinoza Fusion, the collective beating heart of world-class musicians Miguel Espinoza (guitar), Dianne Betkowski (cello), Randy Hoepker (bass), and David Hinojosa (darbuka and percussion) invites the listener into a rich and colorful symposium of musical traditions. Firm roots in flamenco, classical, and jazz are woven through with North African rhythms, Celtic whimsy, and Brazilian expressions for a sound that is transformative, vibrant, and deeply emotive. Their third album, Living in a Daydream (2022), features extensive collaborations with two-time Grammy winner Howard Levy, and their fourth album, Gabriella, again features the collaborative efforts of Howard Levy, as well as fellow two-time Grammy winner David Balakrishnan, of the Turtle Island Quartet. Miguel Espinoza Fusion are the 2019 winners of Denver Westword Magazine’s Best of World Music, and their albums, Turtle Dreams and Veneta, have won Indie Acoustic Project awards. Veneta ranks #9 of the Top 200 World Music Albums of 2022 and was #11 on the Top 20 2022 NACC World Charts for 16 weeks. Their third album, Living in a Daydream, has recently been #1 on the Top 50 RMR World Chart for both new albums as well as single tracks. Described by Guitar Player Magazine as “mesmerizing”, Miguel Espinoza has recorded and performed with Bela Fleck, Kai Eckhardt, Kitaro, Tuck and Patti, Rita Moreno, andBen Vareen, among many others. “While the group’s music seems firmly rooted in jazz tradition, their keen (almost telepathic) sense of interaction, openness to eclectic cultural influences, freedom to innovate, and attention to timbral contrast make it into a gorgeous global chamber music performance emphasizing beauty, elegance and intricacy.” ~ Joe Ross, Roots Music ReportMichele CastroMichele Castro hails from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and grew up in Rocinha (one of the favelas) where she cultivated her musical taste and developed her skills. As vocalist and guitarist, she started venturing outside of Brazil when she was invited to tour with a Choro/Samba group as their lead singer in Germany. While she draws inspiration from a number of renowned Brazilian artists, Elis Regina and Rosa Passos have the most influence over her work. Michelle’s vocal repertoire includes Samba, Bossa Nova, Brazilian Pop & Rock, MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira), Choro, and Forró. She also plays a variety of Brazilian percussion instruments. Michele moved to Colorado in 2015 and has since been sharing her love for Brazilian music with the local audience.
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