Colombian-born, Pan-Latin pianist, composer, and educator Pablo Mayor and his powerhouse 13-piece Folklore Urbano Orchestra kicks off our new Uptown Nights Latin Music Series!
Upon arriving in New York City in 1999, Mayor began producing modern Latin American music inspired by his native Colombia, combining formal studies in jazz with a passion for folkloric Latin American rhythms. Mayor’s playing and arrangements have been featured in performances and on recordings by GRAMMY winners Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, Colombian singer Totó la Momposina, Puerto Rican pioneers Los Pleneros de la 21, and the legendary Cuban Orquesta Broadway.
Thanks for joining us for a night of music, dancing, and more!
Cover photo by Cynthia Carris AlonzoVocals Jainardo Batista, Deborah Resto, Armando Jiménez, Nick Chavarría (back up vocals and güiro)
Rhythm Section Pablo Mayor, keys/compositions and arrangements, Franco Pinna, drum set, Carly Maldonado and Nestor Gómez, percussion
Horns John Bailey and John Walsh, trumpets, Ivan Renta, sax, Eddie Vanegas, violin and trombone, with Anna Povich de Mayor, flute/percussion
Pablo Mayor established his musical production company Folklore Urbano NYC in 2000, shortly upon arriving to New York City, with a mission of #GlobalMusicToUnify.
Winner of the 2020 Artist Award from ArtsWestchester, Folklore Urbano NYC Artistic Director Pablo Mayor is first and foremost a creator. His compositions and creative concepts forge new territory in the global landscape of contemporary Latin American music as he expresses the nuance of each culture he encounters through both his compositions and his piano.
Pablo’s versatility ranges from his latest Folklore Urbano Orchestra creation: “El Barrio Project-SALSA,” to “Unspoken Tales,” a multidisciplinary work inspired by immigrant stories from around the world, supported by the Culpeper Arts and Culture program of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. His compositions are featured in Berklee City Music’s Pulse Latino software in rhythms from South America and Mexico, and he has traveled throughout Latin America with Berklee’s educational program making connections between music education and the cultural roots of a country.
From Cali, Colombia, Pablo dedicated his first sixteen years in NYC to writing, producing, and promoting Colombian music including three albums with his band the Folklore Urbano Orchestra and an international tour. Mayor’s music has been featured by Arturo
O’Farrill’s Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra (his Colombian porro “Mercado en Domingo” recorded on ALJO’s Grammy award-winning album released 2014 Offense of the Drum), and his arrangements recorded by Totó la Momposina.
He is founder and producer of NYC’s Colombian music festival Encuentro NYC spanning over 16 years. Since 2016, he has been in residence at iD Studio Theater in the South Bronx, and continues in his 18th year as resident composer for the company (featuring over 100 compositions bridging styles and genres).
In addition to his own Folklore Urbano ensembles, Pablo is pianist and the only non-Puerto Rican member of the folkloric Puerto Rican establishment Los Pleneros de la 21, and was for over 15 years pianist with the legendary Cuban Orquesta Broadway (his arrangements can be heard on their recordings).
Pablo Mayor is a contemporary cultural community leader deeply involved in Grassroots initiatives, whose music connects with local neighborhoods in towns and cities, while impacting audiences globally.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in Partnership with the City Council.
Harlem Stage’s Programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Harlem Stage is the performing arts center that bridges Harlem’s cultural legacy to contemporary artists of color and dares to provide the artistic freedom that gives birth to new ideas.
For nearly 40 years our singular mission has been to perpetuate and celebrate the unique and diverse artistic legacy of Harlem and the indelible impression it has made on American culture. We provide opportunity, commissioning, and support for artists of color, make performances easily accessible to all audiences, and introduce children to the rich diversity, excitement, and inspiration of the performing arts.
We fulfill our mission through commissioning, incubating, and presenting innovative and vital work that responds to the historical and contemporary conditions that shape our lives and the communities we serve.
Courtney F. Lee-Mitchell, President
Jamie Cannon, Vice President
Michael Young, Secretary
Mark Thomas, Treasurer
Angela Glover Blackwell
Jenna Bond
Jamila Ponton Bragg
Staff
Patricia Cruz, Artistic Director & CEO
MANAGEMENT
Eric Oberstein, Managing Director
DEVELOPMENT
Shamar Hill, Director of Development
Shanté Skyers, Associate Director of Development
Julianna Friedman, Development Manager
PROGRAMMING
Carl Hancock Rux, Associate Artistic
Director/Curator-in-Residence
Sarah McCaffery, Programming Manager and Associate Curator
Maurice Ivy, Programming Associate
MARKETING
Deirdre May, Senior Director of Digital Content and Marketing
Andre Padayhag, Marketing Manager and Graphic Designer
Jordan Carter, Education & Community Engagement Manager
Amanda K. Ringger, Director of Production
OPERATIONS
Rodney Bissessar, Director of Operations
Lamont Askins, Operations Associate
Acey Anderson Sr., Maintenance
JoAnn K. Chase
LaChanze
Patricia Cruz
Hugh Dancy and Claire Danes
Jenette Kahn
Rebecca Robertson
Tamara Tunie
FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION
NCheng LLC, Accountants/Advisors
Jake Lee, Partner
Aaron Lam, Supervising Senior Accountant
Aon/Albert G. Ruben Company (NY)/ Claudia Kaufman, Insurance
Arts Education Consultants: Sobha Kavanakudiyil, Sierra Ray & Wendy Rojas
Blake Zidell & Associates, Public Relations
Briguel, Digital Video Services
DAS, IT Consultant
Derrick Saint Pierre/Snugg Studios, Digital Video Services
Intrepid Digital, SEO Services
JCA, Inc.: Database Consulting
Jess Medenbach, Digital Video Services
LCM/247, Digital Video Services
Lutz & Carr/Chris Bellando, Accountants
Madison Consulting Group, Matthew Laurence
Manchester Benefits, Greg Martin
Marc Millman, Photography
Robyn L. Stein, Rl Stein Group, Development Consultant
Charles Whelan, The Whelan Group Incorporated