Outside the Box Festival to Feature Berklee Student, Alumni Acts

Several up-and-coming Berklee College of Music student and alumni acts were selected to perform at Outside the Box, Boston’s new performing arts festival taking place from July 13 to 20. The event will transform public spaces like the Boston Common and City Hall Plaza into performance spaces, with more than 200 events showcasing the best musical acts from Boston and Massachusetts. All events are free and open to the public.

July 13 – Nicolas Castaneda Group, Shakespeare Stage, 2:00 p.m.
Nicolas Castañeda is a harpist from Bogotá, Colombia, currently studying jazz composition at Berklee. Castañeda uses disparate musical elements to build a personal language in both his compositions and in his interpretation of traditional tunes. He will be performing with his quintet.

July 13 – Esther Rojas, Shakespeare Stage, 5:30 p.m.
Currently majoring in Contemporary Writing and Production at Berklee, Esther Roja’s music combines wide variety of influences—Colombian traditional music, R&B, pop, salsa, Cuban timba, Brazilian, and jazz—and she recently performed with Latin superstar Luis Enrique. Her performance at Outside the Box will feature Colombian singer Maria Mulata, the 2008 winner of the Chile’s Viña del Mar Festival. Rojas and Mulata have been performing together over the past four years, and they also collaborated on Mulata's 2013 album, Cantos y Vuelos.

July 14 – Brite Lite Brite, Museum of Fine Arts, 2:00 p.m.
Composed of award-winning singer-songwriter Andrea Stankevitch and electronic musician Luke Johnson—both Berklee alumni—Brite Lite Brite has taken live electronic music performance to new levels by creating innovative techniques for live sound design and production. No strangers to the festival curcuit, Brite Lite Brite was selected to perform at Lollapalooza this summer. The group also played Virgin Mobile FreeFest in 2010, after receiving the nod from thousands of voters and Virgin Mobile's panel of judges. Brite Lite Brite is currently in the studio recording its second album, Stalker. For more, visit Brite Lite Brite’s website.

July 14 – Isis Lune, the Speigeltent, 5:30 p.m.
Isis Lune, led by Israeli vocalist Ella Joy Meir, creates a unique musical soundscape that juxtapozes electronic textures with a raw human element. The band’s music reflects its members' eclectic musical backgrounds, ranging from classical and jazz to rock and R&B.

July 16 – KeL, Shakespeare Stage, 3:00 p.m.
With jazz piano, rock solos, pop grooves, and hints of Brazilian melodies, vocalist Kel do Nascimento studied at Souza Lima Conservatory for three years before she transferred to Berklee College of Music in 2011. While in Brazil, she toured the country as the background and lead vocalist for several bands, and she recorded and performed regularly with her trio.

July 17 – Juana Aquerreta y Amigos, Shakespeare Stage, 2:30 p.m.
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Juana Aquerreta blends her musical roots with contemporary styles. She will be performing a set of original tunes, joined by her friends Jacinta Clusellas (guitar), Tomas Latorre (bass), Tiago Michelin (drums), and Eleni Arapoglou (vocals). Listen to Aquerreta's music on SoundCloud here. 

July 17 – Amethyst, Shakespeare Stage, 4:00 p.m.
Amethyst, created in 2012 by vocalist and composer Raquel Rivera, delivers an eclectic mix of originals and new arrangements of covers from artists such as Kimbra and Taylor Eigsti. The group effortlessly combines pop, jazz, and Latin influences to create a magnetic sound. Amethyst released its EP Something About Evergreens in February. Check out the band's website here.

July 20 – Gabriela Lencka, the Speigeltent, 2:00 p.m.
Gabriela Lencka is an actress, singer-songwriter, and videographer who incorporates all her passions and influences in her performances. Her music blends a wide variety of styles with introspective lyrics.

July 21 – Alex Gable and Pasado de Moda, City Hall Plaza, 1:00 p.m.
Led by Alex Gable, Pasado de Moda brings together regional folk music from South America, the Middle East, and the Balkans, to create a unique fusion of contemporary pop and acoustic jazz.