KCLJO Women in Salsa & Latin Jazz: featuring Genesis Mercado

The Kansas City Latin Jazz Orchestra (KCLJO) has a team of women who prioritize music in their own lives and in the global community. Join us for Women in Salsa & Latin Jazz, where we will celebrate and honor the contributions of women in the arts, past, present, and future. All ages!

Kansas City-based Genesis Mercado is from Wichita, Kansas. She joined the Kansas City Latin Jazz Orchestra in April of 2023. Born to parents from El Salvador, she was raised in a home that celebrated musical expression, which was shaped by her participation as a vocalist in church services and community events. Offstage, Genesis is an attorney and the founder of the Ella Initiative, an organization dedicated to increasing access to education through scholarships and mentorship for young women.

KCLJO is a professional performance ensemble. It integrates graduates from our Latin Jazz Studies Program and established professionals, master musicians, and visiting artists. The Latin Jazz Institute is a bilingual (Spanish and English) private, non-profit conservatory. The apprenticeship and workforce development program focuses on training the next generation of musicians.

Founded by master percussionist Pablo Sanhueza and historian Cynthia Ammerman, KCLJO represents the culmination of over three decades of artistic leadership, education, and production in the Midwest. While formally incorporated in 2018, the organization launched its official programming in 2014 with our KC-Chile jazz exchange, which coincided with International Jazz Day and Jazz Appreciation Month. Since its inception, KCLJO has served as a vital conduit between the historic foundations of Kansas City jazz and the traditions of Latin American music.

This event is produced by Cynthia Ammerman.

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Host or Publisher Latin Jazz Institute