VCU Music will be hosting Jane Bunnett and Maqueque on Tuesday, Sept 19!
Five-time Juno Award winner, Jane Bunnett has been nominated for three Grammy Awards, received The Order of Canada, The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, and, most recently, The Premier’s Award for Excellence.
Maqueque began as a project to record and mentor young brilliant Cuban female musicians and has since become one of the top groups on the North American jazz scene. Since 2015, they have played in major jazz festivals such as Newport and Monterey, been featured on NPR’s Jazz Night in America and Tiny Desk Concert, won a Juno Award for their first album, were nominated for a Grammy Award for their second release, and were nominated for a Juno Award for their latest CD, On Firm Ground/Tierra Firme. Most recently, Maqueque were voted as one the top ten jazz groups by the DownBeat Magazine critics poll.
Two documentaries have been made about Bunnett’s work: Spirits of Havana by the National Film Board was presented at numerous film festivals internationally, on television (CBC, PBS), and in Europe. A more recent film, Embracing Voices, has been shown at film festivals and is awaiting commercial release.
Maqueque will be offering a Percussion Masterclass at 3pm and will clinic the VCU Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra from 4-5:50pm. These events will take placein room B40 in the Singleton Center for the Performing Arts and are free and open to any student to attend.