Irka Mateo

DOMINICAN SINGER-SONGRWITER-FOLKLORIST, IRKA MATEO ANNOUNCES CONCERT
AND VIDEO PREMIER IN TRENDY LATIN MUSIC VENUE “SUBROSA” OF NEW YORK.

THE ARTIST WILL BE PROMOTING A PATHBREAKING NEW REPERTOIRE, INSPIRED BY THE DOMINICAN ACCORDION AND EMBRACING WIDER LATIN AMERICAN ACCORDION DANCE MUSIC AND LAUNCHING THE MUSIC VIDEO OF THE SINGLE “VAMO A GOZA”

Irka Mateo is one of the best composer/arranger/vocalist of the Dominican Republic. — Angelina Tallaj, PhD Ethnomusicologist at iTunes

Irka is entwined into our essence, mixing past and present she is showing the future the essence of our identity —Avelino Stanley, Deputy Minister of Culture of the Dominican Republic, El Caribe

New York, September 15, 2015— The Dominican cultural icon, singer, songwriter, arranger and folklorist Irka Mateo will be performing her newest musical repertoire and launching the music video of her single “Vamo a Goza” at Subrosa on Thursday, October 1 at 8:00 PM.

After two years of composing and arranging, the artist brings an innovative musical project created for the dance floor. Using accordion as the key element and brilliantly fusing styles from Latin America, the Caribbean, and the world, the artist successfully recreates the joy of Latin American celebration; all for the enjoyment of an audience that follows her assiduously and others just discovering her.

The video, “Vamo a Goza”, will premier the evening of the concert. Filmed on location in the Dominican countryside, amid the bounty of musical tradition held onto by those living in Bani in the southwest — the video will bring to New York the warmth and exquisite beauty of the ancestral and vibrant Caribbean.

The new repertoire is at the heart of an album to be released in 2016, titled Vamo a Gozá. The
production is lead by the American producer Danny Blume, a Grammy and JUNO award winner (The Klezmatics). In discussing Irka, Blume says, “When I met Irka I was very impressed by the way she incorporated Dominican folk music into her compositions. Irka has a great knowledge and musical skill, her work has a unique brilliance, and her art is inspiring and timeless.”

Another key element to the project is the rising star Dominican musician, Yasser Tejeda who has been working closely with Irka as co-producer, co-arranger, and recording director. Tejeda also is the lead guitar player and musical director of the new band.

Irka sings and writes songs inspired by the Taino/Afro/European folk traditions of her native Dominican Republic – all while incorporating the wider influences of her multicultural background. Her love of the Dominican rural population, the bearers of an ancient, and largely overlooked culture, led her to travel ten years in the rural areas of her country documenting more than thirteen genres of varied musical styles, including many steeped in the ancient Taino culture. This extensive research was recognized by the Grammy Foundation in 2012 and brought to life in her critically acclaimed record, Anacaona – an album listed by World Music Charts Europe as one of the best World Music albums of 2010.

Irka Mateo has performed widely including at the Montreal Jazz Festival, a special performance at the United Nations, the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Joe’s Pub in New York City, and the Festival del Fuego in Santiago, Cuba among others.

For Press Coverage or Interviews, contact Iván Fajardo / 408. 390.3696 / ifevents74@gmail.com

For more information about Irka Mateo: www.irkamateo.com; www.sonicbids.com/band/irka-mateo/

J. Edgar Mozoub

Actor, locutor, fotógrafo y editor de varios medios de comunicación. Antes de cumplir los dieciséis años de edad ya había trabajado en calidad de actor con tres de los directores puertorriqueños más destacados y respetados de teatro; Victoria Espinoza, Pablo Cabrera y el señor Héctor Luis Rivera. Tuvo el honor de trabajar al lado de Ilka Tania Pagan, Virginia Rambal, Teresa Yenque, Ramon Albino y Luis Caballero, recibiendo de todos ellos un sin número de consejos y hermosas experiencias. Aparte de su trabajo actoral, a esa edad ya tenía en su experiencia varias posiciones técnicas entre ellas regidor de escena y asistente de utilería. Cursó sus estudios secundarios en la distinguida escuela de artes escénicas profesionales de NY (Professional Performing Arts School) donde se entrenó en las distintas disciplinas escénicas, actuación, canto y baile; al lado de Alicia Keys, Britney Spears y Claire Daines entre otros.

Durante la escuela secundaria y la universidad también trabajó en una de las más exclusiva y reconocidas escuela de baile latinos y de salon. Ahi tuvo la oportunidad de aprender los diferentes bailes sociales y latinos bajo la tutela de la aclamada coreógrafa, bailarina, actriz y filántropa Maria Torres. Fue en ese momento cuando su carrera como bailarín tomó impulso hasta llegar a bailar y coreografiar para varios artistas nuevos del genero pop. Al igual que impartir clases de Latin Jazz y Hip-Hop/Funk. Culminando en su última presentación bailando en la prestigiosa sala de las artes Lincoln Center. Su tenacidad, talento y amigable personalidad lo llevó a compartir y trabajar en ocasiones con figuras exitosas del medio artístico como los son Jennifer Lopez, Vanessa Williams, Sean Combs y John Leguizamo.

Su fotografía ha sido publicada en varios libros de mesa y sitios de la web. En los últimos cinco años se ha dedicado a la comunicación, participando como reportero de arte y cultura en “Essex Voices” un programa de televisión local de acceso público. También fue co-locutor de “The Morning Wood” un programa radial matutino en ingles, en la cual también era productor de su propio segmento de dos horas llamado “The J. Edgar Chronicles”. En estos días se dedica entre otras cosas a editar su otro blog W5H Media y a manejar su negocio de fotografía, media production y graphic/web design.

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