Cuban music adds flavor, culture to Music at Noon

By Nate Seltenrich

Ever get that craving for something a little different?

You're in luck, as Cuban musicians Herman Donatien and Hedeilberto Gonzales will be performing Wed., Feb 19.

The free event, entitled La Musica Cubana and part of the university's Music at Noon series, will take place from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. in the Recital Hall in the Music and Dance Building.

Donatien and Gonzalez are both from Havana, Cuba, and perform authentic, folkloric music in the Son/Guajira genre. Their music is similar to that popularized by the Buena Vista Social Club, and they perform many of the same traditional Cuban songs.

The performance is being included in the university's year-long Institute on Globalization and is sponsored by Igwebuike, Santa Clara's primary black student organization.

Typical Music at Noon attendance is between 50 and 200 people. Program director Robert Bozina expects La Musica Cubana to be especially well attended because of its ties to other campus organizations.

usic at Noon has received tremendous support from students, faculty and staff, says Bozina.

When the program was first introduced at Santa Clara 14 years ago, its intent was to offer more global variety in the arts to students.

Today Music at Noon far exceeds that goal, offering weekly free music performances to both the university and local communities and providing valuable education through experience to music students.

Through the Music at Noon series, Bozina hopes to give audiences a sense of the diverse musical patchwork that the world has to offer.

Bozina helps to bring these incredibly diverse acts to Santa Clara primarily through networking with a wide variety of musicians. Also, many of the performers return to Santa Clara either on a quarterly or yearly basis.

The program has even begun to make a name for itself in some musical circles.

It is not rare for all regions of the world to be represented in one quarter, says Bozina.

But Music at Noon is just as much about quality as it is quantity. The program has brought numerous nationally and internationally renowned musicians to Santa Clara, many of them the best in their field.

For example, the series has featured the living blues legend Joe Luis Walker, the Grammy-nominated Cuban instrumentalist Omar Sosa, the jazz and blues vocalist Kim Nalley and Carmencristina Morena, whom Bozina calls the greatest living Mexican-American vocalist.

Bozina, who frequently travels to Cuba and is passionate about and very familiar with Cuban music, is especially excited about La Musica Cubana.

If you're looking for something different, pick up one of these albums and don't miss Donatien and Gonzales' performance next Wednesday.