The University of Wisconsin–Madison Arts Institute, the School of Music, and the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI) within the Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement welcome legendary Afro-Cuban musician Juan de Marcos González as the interdisciplinary artist in residence for the fall 2015 semester. The UW-Madison Arts Institute’s Interdisciplinary Arts Residency Program brings innovative artists to campus to teach semester-long, interdepartmental courses and to publicly present their work for campus and community audiences.
Photo credit: Tom Erlich
During his residency, notable Cuban artists and groups including Afro-Cuban All Stars, Telmary Diaz, Pellejo Seco, and musical members of his family (who also are part of Afro-Cuban All Stars) will perform in Madison. He will present numerous lectures on the history of Cuban music and teach a lecture course called “Afro-Cuban Music: Roots, Jazz, Hip Hop” and a production course “Music Production: Afro-Cuban and Hip Hop Music.”
Juan de Marcos González was born in Havana, Cuba and grew up surrounded by music. As a musician, composer, and producer, it is his mission to showcase the wealth, diversity, and vitality of Afro-Cuban music to the world. Through his work with the Afro-Cuban All Stars, the Buena Vista Social Club, Rubén González, Ibrahim Ferrer, Sierra Maestra, and others, he has made an extraordinary contribution to raising the profile of Cuban music throughout the world. He has been nominated for a Latin Billboard Award and multiple times for Grammy Awards. During his career, Juan de Marcos has arranged, conducted, produced/co-produced, and/or performed on more than twenty-five albums.
Photo Credit: Michael O’Shea
Juan de Marcos González is teaching an interdisciplinary course called “Afro-Cuban Music: Roots, Jazz, Hip Hop.” This lecture-based course will be a rare opportunity for UW-Madison students to learn about the development of Afro-Cuban music and the emergence of Cuban Hip Hop, and will cover historical and contemporary Afro-Cuban musical and dance styles including the danza, contradanza, jazz, son montuno, changüí, salsa, timba, hip hop, and reggaeton along with contributors to Cuban music such as Machito and Grupo Irakere.
Students interested in recording original music based upon the work presented in his lecture course will also have the chance to learn from Juan de Marcos in a separate course “Music Production: Afro-Cuban and Hip Hop Music.” Dr. Johannes Wallmann, Director of Jazz Studies for UW-Madison School of Music, will be the lead faculty member for the residency. Juan de Marcos González’s residency is presented by the UW-Madison Arts Institute and is hosted by the School of Music and the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI).
OMAI proposed the Juan de Marcos residency to coincide with the program’s 10th anniversary celebrations. His residency is cosponsored by UW-Madison’s Afro–American Studies Department; Department of Art History; Dance Department; Art Department; Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies Program; and A.E. Havens Center for the Study of Social Justice. Additional campus support is provided by the Anonymous Fund, Division of Continuing Studies, and Wisconsin Union Theater. Community partners include the Greater Madison Jazz Consortium, the Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission (Dane Arts), the Madison Arts Commission, 100state, and the Overture Center. The Art Institute’s Interdisciplinary Arts Residency Program is made possible by funding from the UW-Madison Office of the Provost.
For more information, visit: www.go.wisc.edu/juandemarcos
Performance Dates:
Friday, October 2 | 8pm Afro-Cuban All Stars concert www.overturecenter.org | Cost: $25-40
Overture Center | 201 State St
Tuesday, October 6 | 7:30-9pm Lecture: “Africanism in Cuban Music” Fredric March Play Circle, Memorial Union | 800 Langdon St
Tuesday, October 13 | 7:30-9pm Lecture: “The Danzón and Cuban Social Dance” Fredric March Play Circle, Memorial Union | 800 Langdon St
Sunday, October 18 | 5-7pm Performance by students of Gliceria González Abreu’s workshop and by Madison’s Charanga Agozá. Includes lecture by Juan de Marcos.
Immanuel Lutheran Church | 1021 Spaight St
Tuesday, October 20 | 7:30-9pm Lecture featuring Telmary Diaz: “Hip Hop in Cuba” Fredric March Play Circle, Memorial Union | 800 Langdon St
Thursday-Saturday, October 22-24 | TBA
Telmary Diaz featured at Passing the Mic
Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI) | www.omai.wisc.edu
Overture Center, Promenade Hall | 201 State St
Sunday, October 25 | 10am – UPDATED
Performance by the UW-Madison Latin Jazz Ensemble
Wisconsin Science Festival | www.wisconsinsciencefest.org
Discovery Building | 330 N. Orchard St
Tuesday, November 3 | 7:30-9pm Lecture: “European Influence on Cuban Popular Music” Fredric March Play Circle, Memorial Union | 800 Langdon St
Tuesday, November 10 | 7:30-9pm – UPDATED Lecture: “Cuban Composers: 18th Century to Today” Fredric March Play Circle, Memorial Union | 800 Langdon St
Tuesday, December 8 | 7:30-9pm Juan de Marcos students’ performance and lecture: “Afro-Cuban Jazz” Fredric March Play Circle, Memorial Union | 800 Langdon St