Spanish Harlem Orchestra to Perform at Eastern

Written by Este Yarmosh

Willimantic, Conn. - The Spanish Harlem Orchestra will perform at Eastern Connecticut State University on April 2 at 7 p.m. in the Shafer Hall Auditorium, located at the corner of Windham and Valley Streets in Willimantic.  The performance is the final event in Eastern's 2008-09 Arts and Lectures Series program. 

Formed in 2000 by producer Aaron Levinson, the Spanish Harlem Orchestra consists of 13 members, including vocalist Ray De La Paz; bassist Maximo Rodriguez; and percussionist George Delgado.  The orchestra is led by Oscar Hernández, noted pianist, arranger and producer.   Its specialty musical style is "salsa dura" or heavy salsa. "We want to keep it alive while educating new generations and music lovers in general on the true musical roots of our culture," said Hernández.

The orchestra has been nominated for Grammys twice - for its 2002 album, "Un Gran Día En El Barrio," and most recently, for its 2008 album, "United We Swing," in the Best Tropical Album category.  The Spanish Harlem Orchestra won a Grammy in 2005 for the album "Across 110th St." 

Tickets to the performance are $10 for the general public and can be reserved at (860) 465-0036 or at tickets@easternct.edu.  For more information about the Orchestra, visit www.spanishharlemorchestra.net.