Daymé Arocena Meets Berklee Is a Celebration of the Music of Cuba

The award-winning singer, known for her blend of traditional Santerían chant, jazz, contemporary R&B, and Afro-Cuban music, will perform with Berklee students on February 10.

By
Colette Greenstein
January 12, 2022
Daymé Arocena

Daymé Arocena

Berklee College of Music’s Signature Series continues with Daymé Arocena Meets Berklee, featuring Afro-Cuban singer and composer Daymé Arocena, on Thursday, February 10, at 8:00 p.m. at the Berklee Performance Center. In this celebration of the music of Cuba, Arocena will perform with student musicians, with arrangements also written by students. 

“Daymé was an obvious choice for us. She’s an amazing singer and performer who also composes the music she performs," said Dean Matthew Nicholl, the show's coproducer and co–music director with Oscar Stagnaro, professor of bass. "Cuba has an incredibly rich musical culture, and her mixture of Santería, Afro-Cuban roots music, and jazz is unique.”

Berklee's Signature Series has previously featured Latin artists Rosa Passos, Ivan Lins, Paquito D’Rivera, Eva Ayllón, Alejandro Sanz, and Aida Cuevas, to name just a few. “We think it’s important to bring these renowned performers here to work with our students, who perform with and write arrangements for the artists,” said Stagnaro. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for them to work with the most influential and talented musicians in the world of Latin music.” 

The Berklee Performance Center is located at 136 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston. Admission is $15/$20 in advance and $20/$25 day of show, with a discounted admission of $5 in advance, $5/$10 day of show with a Berklee ID. Tickets are available online and at the Berklee Performance Center box office. This is a seated event.

About Daymé Arocena

Drawing inspiration from the intertwining musical legacies of her native Cuba, Daymé Arocena combines her conservatory training with an upbringing grounded in Cuban musical foundations. Accepted at the age of 9 into one of the country’s most prestigious music schools, she took part in a choir directing course rooted in Western classical tradition while simultaneously growing up with a day-to-day schooling in folkloric music that is common to most Cuban households. Connecting jazz, soul, and classical influences with her innate sense of rhythm, Arocena released her second album, Cubafonía, in early 2017. With her native country’s rich musical traditions serving as the album’s springboard, she uses different musical styles as the basis for each of Cubafonía’s tracks, building on them with influences from her tours around the world. 

Berklee's Live Event Attendance Policy

Any member of the public attending a live ticketed event at Berklee will be required to provide a government-issued photo ID and proof of full vaccination.

All ticket holders ages 12 and up are required to provide proof of full COVID-19 vaccination to attend in-person performances. Effective January 15, 2022, due to the City of Boston’s recent vaccine requirements for indoor spaces, negative COVID-19 test results are no longer accepted. Please arrive to the hall with verification of vaccination in the form of:

  • a CDC vaccination card;
  • a digital image of your CDC card;
  • an image of any official immunization record; or
  • a City of Boston app or any other COVID vaccine verification app.

Masks will be required indoors, regardless of vaccination or negative test status. You must bring your own mask and wear it over your nose and mouth; N95, KN95, KF94, 3-ply surgical mask, or a surgical mask doubled with a cloth mask are preferred to keep patrons safe.