Cuban Women in Jazz and Fusion

A musical evening unfolds at the Otto G. Richter Library’s Roberto C. Goizueta Pavilion with a performance and conversation spotlighting the Afro-Cuban jazz duo OKAN. Framing the program through themes of immigration, justice and love, the event brings together artistry and scholarship in an intimate setting.

The discussion is led by Roberto C. Goizueta Distinguished Presidential Fellow Ruthie Meadows, joined by Marysol Quevedo, associate professor of musicology at the Frost School of Music. Their dialogue surrounds a live performance by OKAN, the ensemble whose name comes from the word for “heart” in Santería. Led by Havana-born violinist and vocalist Elizabeth Rodríguez and percussionist and vocalist Magdelys Savigne of Santiago de Cuba, the duo blends Spanish, Yoruba and Spanglish vocals with jazz, fusion and Afro-Cuban traditions.

Presented by University of Miami Libraries as the culminating program of Meadows’ semester-long fellowship with the Cuban Heritage Collection, the evening offers an engaging look at contemporary Cuban diasporic music and the stories that shape it.

This event takes place Wednesday, December 10 at the Roberto C. Goizueta Pavilion inside the Otto G. Richter Library. Admission is free.