CANCELLED: UChicago Presents: Plena Libre

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED

Due to concerns over the transmission of the novel Coronavirus and in accordance with University, City, State, and CDC guidance, the University of Chicago Presents has canceled this performance in the interest of public health and safety.

Ticket holders will be contacted by UChicago Presents and the UChicago Arts Box Office regarding refunds.

2:00 PM talk with Jessica Baker

With an aggressive, tight, yet sensitive style that balances the traditional with the contemporary, global and local, Plena Libre creates a brand of music and live performance that is both profoundly Puerto Rican and universally appealing. Filtering the sounds of various Afro-Caribbean forms like merengue, cumbia, mambo and salsa through a unique set of artistic sensibilities, this versatile collection of expert performers creates a celebratory spectacle and engaging sonic ecstasy. Thrilling audiences around the world, from the Fez Festival (in Morocco) to the Playboy Jazz Festival, Plena Libre is a train that just keeps picking up steam as it charges ahead in unexpected and exciting directions.

Plena Libre caps its tenure as the 2019/20 Don Michael Randel Ensemble in Residence with a mainstage performance in UChicago’s Mandel Hall. With its unique, modern blend of a hard-hitting horn section, master hand drummers, and lush three-part vocal harmonies, Plena Libre infuses contemporary Caribbean compositions with a deep sense of indigenous musical traditions, reviving a century-old style for a new generation.

Hear Plena Libre in its final UChicago performance on Sunday, May 3 at 3 pm. Before the concert, the band joins Assistant Professor and ethnomusicologist Jessica Baker from the stage