USA: Paquito D’Rivera & The Celia Cruz Bronx High School Of Music Premiere New Music Under The Iconic Blue Whale at American Museum of Natural History

LOS SUEÑOS DEL CARIBE (DREAMS OF THE CARIBBEAN): PEOPLE, LAND, AND PLACE AT THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Paquito D’Rivera And Students From The Celia Cruz Bronx High School Of Music Premiere New Music Under The Iconic Blue Whale Paquito D’Rivera © Lane Pederson

WHEN:                 Saturday, May 13, 11:00am-5pm at the American Museum of Natural History Performance begins at 3 pm Rehearsal: May 7, 1-5 pm at Lehman College                              WHAT:                NEA Jazz Master, Carnegie Hall Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, and 14-time GRAMMY® winner Paquito D’Rivera and students from the Celia Cruz Bronx High School of Music will premiere a new work of poetry and music celebrating the natural and cultural diversity of the Caribbean. This new music is the result of hours spent at the Museum with scientists and educators, exploring the endemic fauna of the Caribbean—both living and extinct, and including bats, birds, reptiles, primates, owls, and sloths. This experience inspired the artists to consider new pathways for connecting nature and culture, and to discover connections to their shared heritage.  This performance will weave together a musical reflection on the natural sights, sounds, and traditions of the Caribbean. A distinctive synthesis of Afro-Cuban chants, sizzling salsa, classical moments, moving mambo, soulful blues, reflective poetry, and spontaneous improvisations celebrates the island nations of Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico, and more.  Pre-concert Q&A with Paquito D’Rivera and Ana Luz Porzecanski, Director, Center for Biodiversity & Conservation and co-curator of ¡Cuba!, moderated by Rafael Pi Roman Host, MetroFocus, Thirteen/WNET.                              Los Sueños del Caribe was inspired in part by the exhibition ¡Cuba!, which is open through August 13. The exhibition explores the extraordinary biodiversity across the Caribbean island’s remote forests, deep caves, expansive wetlands, and dazzling reefs through immersive exhibits that have been developed with colleagues at the Cuban National Museum of Natural History (Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Cuba, MNHN). The bilingual exhibition also highlights Cuba’s culture, its people, and its history. ¡Cuba! was developed in collaboration with the Cuban National Museum of Natural History. Major funding for ¡Cuba! has been provided by the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Endowment Fund. Significant support for ¡Cuba! has been provided by the Ford Foundation. Generous support for ¡Cuba! has been provided by the Dalio Ocean Initiative. ¡Cuba! is proudly supported by JetBlue. Support for Celebrate Culture programs is provided, in part, by the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, Inc., the Sidney, Milton and Leoma Simon Foundation, the family of Frederick H. Leonhardt, and The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation. WHO:                  Paquito D’Rivera, Grammy-winning artist, and international all-star band: Alex Brown (pianist) Eric Doob (drums) Zach Brown (drums) Diego Urcola (trumpet/trombone) Arturo Stable (percussion)   Ana Luz Porzecanski, Director, Center for Biodiversity & Conservation and co-curator of ¡Cuba! Rafael Pi Roman, Host, MetroFocus, Thirteen/WNET WHERE:               Milstein Hall of Ocean Life American Museum of Natural History Media Inquiries:          Julia Kramer Department of Communications      212-496-3306 jkramer@amnh.org www.amnh.org