Harpist Edmar Castaneda Performs Tonight at Zankel Hall

Tonight, March 6 at 9:30 p.m., virtuoso harpist Edmar Castañeda taps into his musical influences from his native Colombia as well as musical traditions from Venezuela and Argentina for a performance in Zankel Hall. Castañeda is known to have introduced international audiences to the popular South American musical style joropo to which he distinctively fuses the sounds of contemporary jazz. His remarkable technique on the harp-he plays lead, rhythm, and bass lines all at once-is equaled only by his soulful improvisations.

Castañeda is joined by acclaimed jazz musicians-saxophonist Shlomi Cohen and drummer-percussionist David Silliman, with special guest vocalist Andrea Tierra-for this concert, which is presented by Carnegie Hall in partnership with Absolutely Live Entertainment.

Prior to this performance, starting at 9:00 p.m., ticketholders are invited to enjoy Late Nights at Zankel Hall, a laid-back pre-concert experience. The first 200 ticketholders to arrive will receive a complimentary drink courtesy of Carnegie Hall. For more information, please visit carnegiehall.org/latenights.

Since his move to the United States in 1994, Edmar Castañeda has taken New York and the world stage by storm with the sheer force of his virtuosic command of the harp-revolutionizing the way audiences and critics alike consider an instrument commonly relegated to the "unusual category." A master at realizing beautiful complexities of time while skillfully drawing out lush colors and dynamic spirit, The New York Times characterized Castañeda as "almost a world unto himself."

Not unlike other exceptional musicians who have transformed their lives through art, Castañeda's journey has humble, inspiring beginnings. The son of a musician and a mother who nurtured his obvious natural talents, he embraced the noble folkloric traditions of his native Colombia. The joropo dance classes he attended with his sister were a masterclass in movement, accompanied by the harp. In the mid-1990s, he moved to New York and studied jazz trumpet, before returning to the harp. Today, on stages all over the world, Castañeda engulfs his Colombian harp as he crafts almost unbelievable feats of cross- rhythms, layered with chordal nuances to rival even the most celebrated flamenco guitarists, and an incredible blend of musical influences.

Castañeda's performing career has recently included feature spots at Paquito D'Rivera's Carnegie Hall tribute, the DC Jazz Festival, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Tanglewood Jazz Festival, the 10th World Harp Congress, and numerous other dates with artists such as D'Rivera, Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, John Scofield, Chico O'Farrill's Afro- Cuban Jazz Big Band, John Patitucci, and many more. He has been Marcus Miller's special guest and has also opened for Ricki Lee Jones, Diana Krall, The Yellowjackets, and Paco DeLucia