Daymé Arocena, youngest Latin American artist to participate in Berklee College's Signature Artist Program

November 25, 2021

Cuban Daymé Arocena is the youngest Latin American artist to participate in Berklee College's Signature Artist Program, one of the most prestigious music academies in the United States, located in the city of Boston.

On her social media, Arocena shared the news of participating in this program, designed by the university to offer its students the opportunity to learn from and exchange with internationally renowned artists with proven interpretive virtuosity.

"There was a 15-year-old Daymé who dreamed of studying at the world's most acclaimed contemporary music university. To the Daymé of those days they painted Berklee College as a paradise she would never have access to, because there were insurmountable barriers far beyond music and talent, so that place where she could find answers to her concerns was more than unreachable, simply utopian," said the Cuban singer and composer.

"Daymé was an obvious choice for us. She is an incredible singer and performer who also composes the music she interprets," said Dean Matthew Nicholl, co-producer of the show and co-musical director with Oscar Stagnaro, bass professor.

"Cuba has an incredibly rich musical culture, and its blend of Santería, Afro-Cuban roots music and jazz is unique," he added in the review published on the institution's website.

"My days at Berklee were among the brightest of my life, without fear of being wrong: each one of the teachers and students who were by my side during this week made me feel like the most loved and fortunate woman in the world. And they reaffirmed in my heart and soul that there are no unreachable dreams," Arocena stated in her post.

In the post she also said that now her dreams are bigger and focused on Cuba, on helping the country have a freer and more prosperous future because "for today's Daymé, there are no impossibilities."

At Berklee College, other creators from the island have performed before. Notable names include Chucho Valdés, Gloria Estefan, Issac Delgado and Israel López Valdés (Cachao), among the most recent.

Before the Signature Program, Arocena participated in the series that the World Music Institute dedicated to prominent women. The Cuban shared her jazzy sound, mixed with Afro-Cuban rhythms and the versatility she brings to each of her concerts.

Considered by British newspaper The Guardian as a musical phenomenon, Daymé has also recently performed in different cities in the United States and Canada.

At age 14, the artist debuted as lead singer of the Cuban big band Los Primos. At that time, she managed to attract the attention of great jazz advocates like Wynton Marsalis and Jane Bunnett. Thanks to her talent, she participated in the Havana Cultura initiative, where BBC broadcaster Gilles Peterson also began to support her development.

Her songs are a total display of energy and among them stand out titles like "La rumba me llamo yo" and "Negra Caridad." Among her albums, Nueva Era, One Takes, Cubafonía and SonoCardioGrama stand out, where she delves into the jazz tradition.