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(January 28, 2025; NEW YORK, NY)—Carnegie Hall today announced a schedule of 100+ partner events presented by leading cultural and academic institutions across New York City and beyond as part of the Hall’s season-long Nuestros sonidos (Our Sounds) festival that shines a light on the vibrant sounds, diverse traditions, and enormous influence of Latin culture in the US. From February through May 2025, the Nuestros sonidos celebration extends beyond the walls of Carnegie Hall to include events hosted by 50+ festival partners citywide. For highlights of festival partner events, please see below.
Nuestros sonidos festival performances at the Hall this season feature musical styles that range from salsa, bachata, and Latin jazz to reggaeton, hip-hop, classical, and more. The festival has highlighted the game-changing contributions and constant evolution of Latin music from the 1930s to today with a special focus on genres that have developed and thrived in the US, including vital contributions from the Caribbean.
At Carnegie Hall, concerts feature some of Latin America’s most iconic artists while also placing the spotlight on a prolific new generation of musicians. The upcoming performances from February through May 2025 include a Well-Being Concert with Omar Sosa and Seckou Keita (Feb. 1); Claudia Acuña (Feb. 7); Monsieur Periné (Feb. 22); American Composers Orchestra under the baton of Tito Muñoz (Mar. 6); Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (Apr. 11); Grupo Niche (Apr. 17); soprano Gabriella Reyes (Apr. 29); a Well-Being Concert with Magos Herrera (May 4); and Cimafunk and La Tribu (May 22), plus free concerts presented in New York City neighborhoods as part of the Carnegie Hall Citywide free concert series and more.
Across New York City, events presented by festival partner organizations range from concerts, exhibitions, workshops, and talks to dance, theater performances, film screenings, and more. Festival programming includes the new Broadway musical Buena Vista Social Club™, as well as Wim Wenders’s groundbreaking music documentary film of the same title during which the director and musician Ry Cooder accompanied the famed group of Cuban musicians from their home in Havana to their triumphal 1998 concert at Carnegie Hall, presented by New Film Academy Theater; a special tour as part of the Behind the Screen exhibit at the Museum of the Moving Image that explores the artistry and talent of often overlooked Latin American and Caribbean artists in film and television history; a tribute to renowned Cuban guitarist and composer Leo Brouwer performed by leading contemporary classical musicians including the Toomai String Quartet, presented by the Cuban Cultural Center of New York; a range of in-gallery activities at The Metropolitan Museum of Art with Latine Visions in Art and Music exploring the influence of Latin American artists on New York visual art and music movements; the theatrical presentation Los Niños Perdidos (Lost Children) at ID Studio Theater Performance and Research Center that features video interviews with young migrants from Unidad Latina en Acción (ULA), who share their experiences as unaccompanied minors, and explores the complexities of the US immigration system; and Our Future Voices: Music and Technology of the Americas presented by The Juilliard School which explores instrumental and vocal solos sonically enhanced with electronics, including works by Tania León and Angélica Negrón.
“With the Nuestros sonidos festival, we are taking audiences on an artistic journey that highlights the breadth and constant evolution of Latin culture, exploring the tremendous contribution that it has made throughout the history of the US in helping to shape this country today,” said Clive Gillinson, Carnegie Hall’s Executive and Artistic Director. “We are grateful to our many partners at leading organizations across New York City who have joined with us to create this fascinating celebration across so many important art forms. After months of planning, it will be exciting to experience these festival events as integral parts of one thrilling story.”
HIGHLIGHTS OF NUESTROS SONIDOS FESTIVAL
EVENTS AT CARNEGIE HALL FROM
FEBRUARY THROUGH MAY 2025
Nine upcoming Nuestros sonidos festival concerts will be presented from February through May across the Hall’s venues—Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage, Zankel Hall, Weill Recital Hall, and the Resnick Education Wing.
Festival concerts at Carnegie Hall in February and March include:
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A Well-Being Concert featuring pianist Omar Sosa and kora player Seckou Keita, along with percussionist Gustavo Ovalles, hosted by Krista Tippett, National Humanities Medal recipient and Peabody Award–winning journalist, author, and radio host (Feb. 1, Zankel Hall Center Stage);
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Chilean jazz vocalist and Latin Grammy® Award nominee Claudia Acuña in a program of treasures from the Latin American songbook (Feb. 7, Zankel Hall);
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One of the most exciting rising artists in Latin music today, Bogotá’s colorful Monsieur Periné makes their Zankel Hall debut with a program featuring an upbeat, swinging blend of Latin American and European flavors. These Colombian stars won the Latin Grammy® 2023 Award for Best Alternative Album. Their smart, irresistible sound has struck a chord with diverse audiences worldwide (Feb. 22, Zankel Hall);
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American Composers Orchestra, under the baton of Tito Muñoz, in a program featuring music from various parts of Latin America highlighting its influence on jazz and classical music in the US, including a world premiere by Colombian harpist and composer Edmar Castañeda as well as a new work by Brazilian composer and singer Clarice Assad with interludes by Brazilian percussion ensemble Harlem Samba ( Mar. 6, Zankel Hall).
Festival concerts at Carnegie Hall in April and May include:
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Celebrated Mexican pianist and composer Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra in a special performance featuring genre-blending Afro-Cuban jazz singer Daymé Arocena; Cuban rapper, poet, and singer Telmary; and internationally renowned Haitian songstress and dancer Emeline Michel. (Apr. 11, Zankel Hall);
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Colombia's legendary Grupo Niche in its Carnegie Hall debut. Based in Cali, Colombia, often called the "Salsa Capital of the World,'' this band has been creating genuine classics since the late 1970s. Songs like “Cali Pachanguero,” “Una Aventura,” and “Gotas de Lluvia” are enduring staples on today's concert stages, and the group's most recent successes—including Latin Grammy® Awards for Best Salsa Album (2020 and 2023) and Best Latin Tropical Album (2021)—show their remarkable evolution and vitality (Apr. 17, Stern Auditorium / Perlman Stage);
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Nicaraguan-American soprano Gabriella Reyes in recital with pianist Andrés Sarre featuring works for voice and piano by various Latin American composers, including Alberto Ginastera, Carlos Guastavino, Ernani Braga, as well as arrangements of traditional Nicaraguan folk songs (Apr. 29, Weill Recital Hall);
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An intimate Well-Being Concert by Magos Herrera—hosted bilingually in Spanish and English—that invites audiences to experience the nurturing power of music and mindfulness in a unique communal setting (May 4, Resnick Education Wing);
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Grammy® Award-winning Cuban sensations Cimafunk and La Tribu in the festival culminating performance at the Hall by the veritable Afro-Cuban rockstar ( May 22, Zankel Hall).
Nuestros sonidos Festival Exhibition in the Rose Museum at Carnegie Hall:
Coinciding with Nuestros sonidos and running through May 2025, a festival-themed exhibition in the Rose Museum at Carnegie Hall features a selection of artifacts that represent some of the Latin American artists whose careers have included performances at Carnegie Hall, consequently impacting the cultural landscape of the world.
Highlights of items on display include: a flyer and autographed photo from a 1916 recital by Venezuelan pianist, singer, and composer Teresa Carreño—one of the most famous pianists of her time; an autographed photo from 1937 of Carlos Chávez—one of Mexico’s most important composers; a photo of Brazilians Antônio Carlos Jobim, Carlos Lyra, João Gilberto, Normando Santos, and Milton Banana whose 1962 concert is one of the most often asked-about events in the Hall’s history; a 1988 concert flyer of Argentine folk singer Mercedes Sosa—one of the most prominent folks singers from Latin America of her day—known as “the voice of the voiceless” who sang for human rights; and a flyer and autographed photo of the incomparable Cuban singer Celia Cruz who made her Carnegie Hall debut in 1963 and was one of the most popular Latin musicians of the 20th century.
HIGHLIGHTS OF NUESTROS SONIDOS FESTIVAL
PARTNER EVENTS FROM
FEBRUARY THROUGH MAY 2025
From February through May, events presented by more than 50 festival partner organizations—ranging from concerts, exhibitions, workshops and talks, to dance, theater performances, and film screenings—extend the scope of the festival. Among the participating partner organizations are: Bronx Music Heritage Center / Bronx Music Hall; CENTRO, The Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College; Colombian Film Festival of New York, Cuban Cultural Center of New York; Five Boroughs Music Festival; The Joyce Theater; The Juilliard School; Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts; The Metropolitan Museum of Art; New York Film Academy; the NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development; Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture; and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. For a full list of festival partners, please see below.
Among the festival partner highlights in February and March include:
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The new Broadway musical Buena Vista Social Club™, inspired by true events, which brings the Grammy Award–winning album to thrilling life—and tells the story of the legends who lived it. A world-class Afro-Cuban band is joined by a sensational cast in this unforgettable tale of survival, second chances, and the extraordinary power of music. (Beginning Feb. 21 at Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, 236 West 45th St., New York, NY);
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Tango After Dark featuring international tango superstars and world champions Germán Cornejo and Gisela Galeassi, along with a cast of eight dancers, in this highly anticipated New York premiere. Featuring live music and set to the revolutionary compositions of Astor Piazzolla, this electrifying production captures the bold, seductive rhythms of Buenos Aires. (Feb. 25–28; Mar. 1 and 2; Mar. 4–9 at The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Ave., New York, NY);
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¡Arsenio!, a tribute to Arsenio Rodríguez, the blind Afro-Cuban musician who revolutionized the son cubano genre and influenced the birth of salsa music in the Bronx. Exploring immigration, heritage, and coming of age,¡Arsenio! celebrates the enduring power of music and cultural legacy. (Feb. 28; Mar. 1 and 2 at ID Studio Theater Performance and Research Center, 311 East 140th St., New York, NY);
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The Toomai String Quintet—an ensemble dedicated to expanding the Latin American chamber music repertoire that appears on multiple Nuestros sonidos performances—presents a family-friendly concert of music from Cuba, Brazil, and Mexico—joined by soprano Maria Brea. (Mar. 2 at Museum of Arts & Design, 2 Columbus Circle, New York, NY);
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Ballet Hispánico—Tango with Alejandro Cervera, Graciela Daniele, and Matthew Neenan as part of Works & Process at the Guggenheim, offering the opportunity to experience the direct connection between works by Orphist artists including Sonia Delaunay, and the circular forms, spirals, arching patterns and constellations of paired bodies moving with the synthesis and electric tension emblematic of tango, followed by an interactive dance lesson with NYCity Tango Collective in the Guggenheim rotunda. (Mar. 3 at Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 1071 Fifth Ave., New York, NY);
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Berimbau Tech, an innovative exhibition that combines Afrofuturism and digital art sound, where ancestral rhythms meet futuristic technologies, creating a space where Afro-Brazilian culture stands out as the protagonist. It features interactive works that reimagine the African diaspora, challenging conventional narratives and celebrating the resilience and creativity of Black culture. (Mar. 10–May 10, Online as of Mar.10: bit.ly/berimbaunuestrossonidos);
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Yiddish Tangos and Klezmer Mambos—a discussion exploring how Latin American music and dance influenced the culture of Yiddish-speaking communities in the US. Ronald Robboy discusses Latin American influences on Yiddish theater composers; Sonia Gollance discusses the popularity of dances such as the tango and mambo in the Borscht Belt; and Josh Kun discusses the influence of Latin American music on postwar Jewish music and the influence of Jewish music on Latin artists. (Mar. 10, Online:yivo.org/Yiddish-Tangos);
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Opening Night of Diasporic Collage: Puerto Rico and the Survival of a People, an exhibition presented by CENTRO, The Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College that celebrates Puerto Rican identities on the archipelago and throughout its diasporas. It frames the Puerto Rican diaspora as a “collage” of intertwined histories shaped by colonialism, resistance, and survival. (Beginning Mar. 13 at Hunter East Harlem, The Silberman School of Social Work, 2180 Third Ave., New York, NY).
Festival partner event highlights in April and May include:
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Havana Film Festival New York which honors Latin music with a cinematic showcase that dives into the diverse musical expressions across Latin America: from tango to Cuban son, reggaeton, rock en español, and Mexican country. As part of the festival’s 25th anniversary, the Immersed in Latin Rhythms program includes documentaries, narrative features, shorts, film premieres, and beloved classics newly remastered, plus panel discussions with special guests and post-screening Q&As with visiting filmmakers. (Apr. 4–10, Quad Cinema, 34 West 13th St., New York, NY and other locations);
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The Juilliard Jazz Orchestra which explores long-form jazz pieces, including Chico O’Farrill's Afro-Cuban Suite No. 1. The concert also features works by Woody Herman, Duke Ellington, and Charles Mingus. Along with Mario Bauza and Gillespie, O’Farrill helped bring together jazz music with Latin rhythms and dances from the Caribbean. (Apr. 5 at Alice Tully Hall, 1941 Broadway, New York, NY);
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Wim Wenders’s groundbreaking music documentary film Buena Vista Social Club during which over the course of several months, the director and musician Ry Cooder accompanied the famed group of Cuban musicians from their home in Havana to their triumphal 1998 concert at Carnegie Hall. The documentary was first released in 1999 and was nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary film. A special Q&A follows the screening. (Apr. 7 at New York Film Academy Theater, 17 Battery Place, New York, NY);
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Sabor y Pasión in the Battery—a captivating evening of music and dance that honors more than 80 years of Latin music and its profound impact on American culture. This vibrant exploration showcases the genre’s evolution from the 1940’s fusion of Latin and jazz to the contemporary sounds of reggaeton and tropical music—all infused with a musical theatre twist! (Apr. 14 at New York Film Academy Theater, 17 Battery Place, New York, NY);
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The New York premiere of La Salsa Vive, celebrating Afro-Cuban music’s journey from New York to Cali, Colombia as part of The Colombian Film Festival. The documentary delves into the lives of passionate salsa dancers, music collectors, and legends like Rubén Blades, Henry Fiol, and Willie Rosario. Following the film, enjoy a live salsa concert that brings this cultural fusion to life. (Apr. 30 at SVA Theatre, 333 West 23rd St., New York, NY);
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Arturo O’Farrill and his Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra perform Falafel, Freilach and Frijoles: From Mambo to Borscht—a concert that explores the relationship between the Latin and Jewish communities. The evening features Jewish and Yiddish classics in Afro-Latin big-band versions, and Latin classics in Klezmer arrangements. The orchestra performs music by special guests who include trumpeter–slide trumpeter and composer Steven Bernstein. (May 1 at YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, 15 West 16th St., New York, NY);
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The Hispanic Republican, a panel discussion that looks at how the 2024 presidential election cycle upended norms and expectations across the American electorate. Reflecting on this unprecedented political moment, historian Geraldo Cadava explores the history of Hispanic American voters from the 1960s to the present, tracing their growth as a key demographic that has been courted across the political spectrum. Their evolution exemplifies the complex intertwining of culture, identity, and political belief that shapes American politics. (May 12 at The New York Historical (The Robert H. Smith Auditorium), 170 Central Park West, New York, NY);
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Crossover Dreams—a screening and talkback celebrating the Grammy Award–winning musician, activist, and actor Rubén Blades which was his 1985 acting debut in Leon Ichaso’s film. Blades stars as an up-and-coming salsa singer with dreams of hitting the big time in this much-adored musical comedy. The screening will be introduced by Blades and followed by an artist talkback with the audience. (May 14 at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Walter Reade Theater, 165 West 65th St., New York, NY);
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Casita Maria’s South Bronx Culture Festival 2025 (SBCF), which has celebrated the vibrant cultures and communities of the South Bronx through its annual performance series since 2011, showcasing the work Casita Maria does throughout the year teaching and inspiring young artists and partnering with local artists and organizations. The festival lineup includes music, art, and dance from the diasporas of Brazil, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the confluence of cultures that is New York City. (May 30 and 31 at Father Gigante Plaza, 878 Tiffany St., New York, NY).
NUESTROS SONIDOS ON CARNEGIE HALL+
On-demand streaming on Carnegie Hall+—Carnegie Hall’s premium video-on-demand channel—adds another dimension to the Nuestros sonidos festival, bringing curated programming from the world’s greatest stages directly to viewers at home or wherever they may be. Music lovers can experience celebrated opera productions featuring tenor Juan Diego Flórez, such as Guillaume Tell and Matilde di Shabran, directed by Graham Vick at the Rossini Opera Festival; the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, led by Gustavo Dudamel and joined by renowned artists Martha Argerich, Renaud Capuçon, and Gautier Capuçon; and a star-studded duo by Buenos Aires–born legends Daniel Barenboim and Martha Argerich at the iconic Teatro Colón. Music lovers can also discover the music of Astor Piazzolla through Hilary Hahn’s moving interpretation of “Oblivion” at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, as well as Joshua Bell’s captivating imagining of “The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires” at the BBC Proms, seamlessly intertwined with movements from Vivaldi’sFour Seasons—the very piece that inspired Piazzolla’s work. For more information, visit carnegiehallplus.com.
ABOUT THE NUESTROS SONIDOS FESTIVAL
Throughout Carnegie Hall’s history an extraordinary range of Latin artists have showcased their talents on its stages through performances and live recordings, demonstrating the vital role of Latin music has played in shaping the cultural fabric of the US. Latin jazz and classical music found a home at Carnegie Hall as did mambo, bossa nova, salsa, and more—representing the complexity and diversity of Latin music and showcasing the intersection of the Americas, Europe, Africa, and the Indigenous worlds.
For the Nuestros sonidos festival, Carnegie Hall brought together a Curatorial Council of four Latin music experts to help share their passion and knowledge, working with the Hall’s programming team to create its season-long extraordinary celebration. Members of the Curatorial Council are Marisol Berríos-Miranda; Leila Cobo; Josh Kun; and Dr. Chris Washburne. The festival’s Curatorial Council discusses the history of Latin music in the United States and at Carnegie Hall in this video.
The festival—which features more than 20 concerts throughout Carnegie Hall’s 2024–2025 season—kicked off in October 2024 with three performances by Gustavo Dudamel leading the Los Angeles Philharmonic including a concert with Natalia Lafourcade as special guest. Additional highlights have included performances by soprano Lisette Oropesa, the Carnegie Hall debut of reggaeton superstar Ivy Queen, and Quetzal and La Santa Cecilia.
Continuing its tradition of commissioning artwork for its citywide festivals, Carnegie Hall engaged award-winning illustrator Sol Cotti from Buenos Aires as the third visual artist to create a new work inspired by the festival theme. To learn more about the festival’s artist and her signature artwork Fiesta tempo, click here.
Nuestros sonidos (Our Sounds) Festival Event Listings & Video
Click here for the Nuestros sonidos festival event schedule from February through May 2025 (as of January 28, 2025).
Click here to view the Nuestros sonidos festival video.
For the most up-to-date information on festival performances and events at Carnegie Hall and partner institutions, visit carnegiehall.org/NuestrosSonidos over the coming months.
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Nuestros sonidos (Our Sounds) Festival Partners:
1580 Enterprises
Abrams ComicArts / Megascope
Afrofuturism Art and STEM
Americas Society
Association of Dominican Classical Artists (ADCA)
BAAD! Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance
Belongó
Black Speculative Arts Movement
Bronx Music Heritage Center / Bronx Music Hall
Buena Vista Social Club™ – A New Broadway Musical
Casita Maria Center for Arts & Education
CENTRO, The Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College
The Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural & Educational Center
Colombian Film Festival of New York
Cuban Cultural Center of New York
El Taller
The Fantastic Experimental Latino Theater
Five Boroughs Music Festival
Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana
GatherNYC
Harlem Stage
Havana Film Festival New York
ID Studio Theater
Italian Academy for Advanced Studies at Columbia University
Jazzmobile
The Joyce Theater
The Juilliard School
Julie Keyes Art
LaMicro Theater
Latin American Film Center
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Los Pleneros de la 21
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Miss Mason Productions
Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
Museum of the Moving Image
National Queer Theater
National Sawdust
New York City Center
New York Film Academy
The New York Historical
NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development
Roho Artes Studios
Salsa Stories
SambaSalsa Entertainment
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
Society of Illustrators
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Works & Process
Writers Read
YIVO Institute for Jewish Research
Ysolstar & Chicago Review Press
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About Carnegie Hall Festivals
Carnegie Hall’s large-scale, citywide festivals bring together performances and events designed to stimulate the curiosity of audiences, offering them the opportunity to explore compelling and important topics. In partnership with many of the greatest cultural institutions in New York City and beyond, the Hall’s festivals feature programming that creates journeys of discovery across the spectrum of the arts, including music, dance, theater, film, literature, and more.
Carnegie Hall’s first major international festival, Berlin in Lights, was presented in November 2007, exploring the vibrant city that is Berlin today. It was followed by two citywide festivals examining the dynamic culture and distinctive history of American music—Bernstein: The Best of All Possible Worlds in fall 2008 and Honor! A Celebration of the African American Cultural Legacy in spring 2009. Ancient Paths, Modern Voices, exploring Chinese music and culture took place in fall 2009. These were followed by JapanNYC, an ambitious two-part festival in December 2010 and spring 2011; Voices from Latin America in November/December 2012; Vienna: City of Dreams in February/March 2014; Ubuntu: Music and Arts of South Africa in October/November 2014; La Serenissima festival in February 2017, celebrating the music and arts from the Venetian Republic; The ’60s: The Years That Made America in 2018, exploring the turbulent decade that was the 1960s through the lens of arts and culture, including music's role as a meaningful vehicle to inspire social change; Migrations: The Making of America in 2019, tracing the paths of people from different origins and backgrounds who helped to shape and influence the evolution of American culture; Voices of Hope—the Hall’s first-ever online festival in spring 2021; the Afrofuturism festival in February–March 2022; the Fall of the Weimar Republic: Dancing on the Precipice festival from January through May 2024; and the season-long Nuestros sonidos (Our Sounds) festival during the 2024–2025 season
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Carnegie Hall thanks the many supporters of Nuestros sonidos festival events at Carnegie Hall:
Lead support for Nuestros sonidos is provided by the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation and Claure Family Foundation.
Major support is provided by the Hearst Foundations and additional support by The Charles E. Culpeper Fund of the New York Community Trust.
Nuestros sonidos is funded in part by a grant from the New York City Tourism Foundation.
The Well-Being Concert with Omar Sosa and Seckou Keita is sponsored by Northwell Health, Official Healthcare Partner of Carnegie Hall.
Claudia Acuña’s concert is part of The Joyce and George T. Wein Shape of Jazz series, made possible by the Joyce and George Wein Foundation, and is presented by Carnegie Hall in partnership with Absolutely Live Entertainment LLC.
Gabriella Reyes and Andrés Sarre’s recital is made possible by The Ruth Morse Fund for Vocal Excellence.
Cimafunk and La Tribu’s concert is sponsored by Mastercard, Official Payment Partner of Carnegie Hall.
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