The 2016 edition of the annual SXSW Festival in San Francisco is all set to host a showcase entirely dedicated to Cuban music, for the first time in their 30-year existence.
While Cuban artists have performed at the festival before, there has never been an all-out extravaganza dedicated only to Cuban music, and SXSW is all set to change that. Via Fox News, showcase organizer Alicia Zertuche had this to say: “This is not the first time we have bands from Cuba showcasing at SXSW, but it is the first time we have a Sounds from Cuba showcase, and an entire night dedicated to bands that currently reside (in) and don’t plan to leave Cuba.”
The showcase is a part of SXAméricas, an initiative by SXSW to propagate Latin America’s progress in technology, music and art.
(Courtesy: sxsw.com)
The lineup for this showcase includes acts of various genres from Cuba. Opening the showcase on March 18 will be a seven-piece band called Telemary, spearheaded by the multi-talented Telmary Díaz. Other notable additions to the lineup are upcoming R&B sensation Daymé Arocena, Afro-Latin jazz quintet Yissy & Bandancha, and well-known composer and singer Kelvis Ochoa.
(Courtesy: festivalsnobs.com)
Via the official SXSW website, Kelvis Ochoa and X Alfonso will also be featured as speakers during the day at the Austin Convention Center, and are expected to talk about the future of the energetic, eclectic, and brilliantly independent Cuban sound.