Daymé Arocena at Pioneer Works at Pioneer Works

“Ms. Arocena unites cosmopolitan musicianship with deep roots.”
— The New York Times

Daymé Arocena draws inspiration from the intertwining musical legacies of her native Cuba. A singer, composer and choir director, she’s a bright-shining performer carrying the flame for a new generation of Cuban musicians. Born and raised in Havana, her conservatory training was combined with an upbringing grounded in Cuba’s own musical foundations. She was accepted at the age of nine into one of the country’s prestigious music schools and studied a choir-directing course rooted in Western classical tradition. At the same time, she grew up with the day-to-day schooling in folkloric music that’s common in most Cuban households. Emerging from a culture where hybrids and amalgamations are the norm, Daymé embraces that reality. At a time when Cuba’s border opens up, she is an outward-looking artist finding new musical connections....

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“Ms. Arocena unites cosmopolitan musicianship with deep roots.”
— The New York Times

Daymé Arocena draws inspiration from the intertwining musical legacies of her native Cuba. A singer, composer and choir director, she’s a bright-shining performer carrying the flame for a new generation of Cuban musicians. Born and raised in Havana, her conservatory training was combined with an upbringing grounded in Cuba’s own musical foundations. She was accepted at the age of nine into one of the country’s prestigious music schools and studied a choir-directing course rooted in Western classical tradition. At the same time, she grew up with the day-to-day schooling in folkloric music that’s common in most Cuban households. Emerging from a culture where hybrids and amalgamations are the norm, Daymé embraces that reality. At a time when Cuba’s border opens up, she is an outward-looking artist finding new musical connections.

This engagement of Daymé Arocena is funded in part through Southern Exposure: Performing Arts of Latin America, a program of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.

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