Berta Rojas and Paquito D’Rivera: Following the Steps of Barrios Mangoré
Paquito D’Rivera and Berta Rojas
Image courtesy of Jenny Mottar
In this clinic, Paquito D’Rivera and Berta Rojas share their experience producing, arranging, and playing music by the late Agustin Barrios Mangoré and traveling through 20 countries in the Americas. After retracing his footsteps in the 21st century, the duo is in awe of all that he achieved in the 20th century.
Barrios, a pioneer of classical guitar in the Americas, contributed greatly to the recognition of the guitar as a concert instrument.
Paquito D’Rivera defies categorization. A winner of five Grammy Awards and eight Latin Grammy Awards, he is celebrated for his artistry in Latin jazz and his achievements as a classical composer. His recordings include more than 30 solo albums. Among his accolades, D’Rivera has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Carnegie Hall, the NEA Jazz Masters Award, the National Medal of the Arts, the Living Jazz Legend Award from the Kennedy Center, and an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music. D’Rivera’s acclaimed groups—the Chamber Jazz Ensemble, the Paquito D’Rivera Big Band, and the Paquito D’Rivera Quintet—are in great demand worldwide.
Berta Rojas ranks among today’s foremost classical guitarists, and has been praised as a “guitarist extraordinaire” by the Washington Post. Rojas has been nominated for three Latin Grammy Awards. On 2017’s Felicidade, she pays tribute to Brazilian music with guest artists Gilberto Gil, Toquinho, and Ivan Lins. In addition to international touring and master classes, Rojas is committed to furthering and disseminating the classical guitar, with a focus on promoting the music of Paraguay and Latin America more widely. She recently joined the faculty at Berklee College of Music as an associate professor of guitar.