Grupo Riken

Schedule

Sun Sep 08 2024 at 02:00 pm to 04:00 pm

Location

First United Methodist Church of Phoenix | Phoenix, AZ

The Phoenix Guitar Society announces our new venue and will be starting our Fall 2024 schedule Sunday, September 8th.
PGS will now be hosting our Guest Artist Series at the
First United Methodist Church, 5510 N, Central Ave.
The Northwest corner of Central and Missouri Avenues.
We will host our Guest Artist Series in the Wesley Lounge.
We think you will find it very accommodating and comfortable for listening to classical guitar.
For all Guest Artist Series Concerts we will open the doors at 1:30pm and start at 2:00.
The PGS Fall 2024 schedule will start with a very talented trio from Tucson, Grupo Riken.
Jose Luis Puerta, Alexis Rivers, and David Perez perform folkloric music from the Caribbean and Latin America.
They will perform an assortment of jazz, salsa, bolero, bossa nova compositions.
The PGS Guest Artist is open to the public.
PGS asks for a $10 donation at the door.
Biography
Grupo Riken has been performing in Arizona since 2009.
They specialize in folkloric music from the Caribbean and Latin America. Genres like the Cuban bolero, Puerto Rican jibaro music, llanero, Latin jazz, salsa, and bossa nova.
The group’s unique sounds come from folk instruments like the Puerto Rican cuatro, guitar, Peruvian Cajon, Afro-Caribbean percussion bongos, and congas, accompanied by the guitar.
The name Riken derives from the name given by the indigenous Tainos in Puerto Rico, which is called the island Boriken.
Grupo Riken has participated in local music festivals such as the Tucson Meet Yourself and has participated in Tohono Chul’s Sunday in the Garden concert series since 2015, as well as many collaborations with the University of Arizona and the Tucson Guitar Society.
They released their first CD titled De Aqui pa’ allá in 2016. In Spring 2019 they won second place at the SAACA Folk Music Festival in Oro Valley.
José Luis Puerta (guitar), a native of Puerto Rico, has been an active Board Member of the Tucson Guitar Society since 2009.
He is the Director of Education and the conductor for the Tucson Guitar Society Orchestra since 2013.
As a soloist and ensemble artist, he has performed in Canada, Spain, the United States, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.
He currently holds the position of Associate Professor of Music at the School of Music at the University of Arizona.
Alexis Rivera (cuatro) native of Puerto Rico, has been performing with different instruments, such as the bass, drums, guitar, and cuatro, with different groups throughout the Tucson area.
Most recently with the LFP Project, Tradiciones, and Grupo Riken. He also records, composes, and edits some of the music for the group.
David Pérez (percussion) originally from Mexico City, studied congas with a Cuban teacher which gave him a deep understanding of Caribbean music such as the salsa, boleros, and guaguancó.
He has performed with multiple groups and is an active member of Vox Urbana. Vox Urbana is a seven-piece band that combines Latin-based sounds with stories and experiences that occur in the Arizona/Sonora border region.
The bi-national band is based in Tucson, Arizona, and has been creatively narrating stories of the border community since 2010.
Enjoy the youtube video below of Grupo Riken.

The PGS Fall 2024 schedule of concerts
Sunday, September 8, Grupo Riken, a trio who will delight us with an array of latin music.
Sunday, October 13, Yifan Zhang. A DMA student of Martha Masters.
Sunday, November 10, Glendale Guitar Orchestra from Glendale Community College.

Where is it happening?

First United Methodist Church of Phoenix, 5510 N Central Ave,Phoenix,AZ,United States

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

Host or Publisher Phoenix Guitar Society

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