Piano on Park and Carnegie Hill Concerts Present: Future Natives Project

PROGRAM

Immerse yourself in a cinematic atmosphere. With original compositions and celebrating Argentine folk music, Future Natives Project seeks to depict the intricate identity of an upcoming generation without territorial imprint.

"Based in New York City, Future Natives Project, led by Rodrigo Aranjuelo, draws inspiration from a rich array of cultural influences and collaborates with world-class musicians from diverse backgrounds, as well as artists from different areas. These collaborations help to enrich the project's musical offering and add depth to its exploration of modern identity.

Argentinian folklore embraces a diverse tapestry of captivating stories, vibrant music, and lively dances like the tango, zamba, chamamé, and chacarera. With influences from native Latin American, European, and African backgrounds, Future Natives portrays Argentina's history, passion, and deep-rooted connection to its land and people.

Through this exploration of Argentinian folklore in a globalized context, Future Natives Project sets an example for artists and creatives everywhere to proudly honor their heritage while embracing the vast possibilities that the modern world offers. It demonstrates that tradition and innovation can coexist harmoniously, enriching artistic expressions and fostering meaningful connections in an ever-changing global landscape.

One of the highlights of the project has been its collaboration with the American Ballet Theatre (ABT), in which the composition "Erial" was choreographed by the talented Luciana Paris and premiered in August 2021 in NYC. This collaboration has allowed the project to bring its music to a wider audience and to showcase the artistic vision of Future Natives on a global stage.

As we continue to evolve and explore new musical challenges, we look forward to collaborating with partners who share our vision and values." –Future Natives Project

Rodrigo Aranjuelo is a musician (guitarist, singer-songwriter, and composer) born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on March 18, 1977. Raised in a family of musicians, he started playing guitar at the age of 7. At 14, he began performing professionally with "Bongo" Farias Gomez, a leading figure in Argentine folklore. With Farias Gomez, Rodrigo made his debut at large-scale concerts such as the legendary Cosquin festival, which drew more than 10,000 people. He received a degree in contemporary music from the Technological Institute of Contemporary Music in Buenos Aires in 1999, with a focus on jazz, Latin, and rock. As a session musician, he has participated in numerous projects in Argentina and Latin America."

In August 2015, he released his first solo album, "Lost & Found," which he composed, recorded, and mixed in his studio in Argentina. This album is a journey that combines the deep storytelling of folk music, the drama of film scoring, and the emotion of Argentine folklore. In 2016, he moved to NYC, where he currently resides and works as a solo artist and session musician while developing new compositions for his project "Future Natives Project”. rodrigoaranjuelo.com | ​​@rodrigoaranjuelo

Pablo Cafici is an Argentinian pianist, music producer, recording artist, tour artist and composer based in New York City since 2015.

In 2018 he released "Nashville Sessions", an EP recorded at Velvet Studios in Nashville TN with Keith Carlock (Toto, John Mayer, Steely Dan) on Drums and Martin Delahaye (Delahaye, Paulina Rubio) on bass and special guests Rodrigo Aranjuelo on guitar, Machiko Ozawa on violin and Amy Kang on cello. Music producer Michael Whitaker (Dave Mathews band, Lionel Richie...) was the audio engineer and Carli Bueguerie from Mastering Boutique did the mastering.

He's been a member of the JP Jofre Hard Tango Chamber Band since 2015 and has toured extensively in Asia with 16 Grammy Award Winner clarinetist Paquito D' Rivera. With this project he has performed at TED Talks, Google Talks, Lorin Maazel's Castelton Fetsival, Panama, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Carnegie Hall, Lotte Hall,  World music Festival, San Antonio and Boston Festival among many others.

He produced, mixed and performed in the albums "Manifiesto" recorded in 2017 in NYC at Freiberg Studios and "Double Concerto for Bandoneon and violin N.1 " recorded in 2018 at SEAR sound NYC with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Pablo Cafici has also mixed and produced other JP Jofre's works like the duets with Kyung Sun Lee, Ji in Yang, Michael Katz, and also mixed the album "Bandoneon y cuerdas" with the Catalyst String Quartet.

pablocafici.com | @pablocafici

Born in Argentina, Federico Díaz is a versatile musician with a multi-faceted career as guitarist, arranger and composer in the classical and popular music worlds. His performances have taken him to distinguished festivals and concert halls in the US, Europe and Latin America. His passion for chamber music, tango and folklore lead him to collaborate with musicians such as Lionel Cottet, Philippe Quint, Paquito D’Rivera, Daniel Binelli, Juan Falú, among others. The most recent highlights in the include the project with singer Juana Luna and the NY Philharmonic at Lincoln Center, the collaboration with Florencia Iriondo for the musical “South” presented at the O’Neil Theater Center, a concert with Cordeone Trio at Rialto Theatre in Montreal, a concert with Pablo Woiz Tango Quintet at Leiszhalle in Hamburg, as well as a solo tour in Argentina for the Festival Guitarras del Mundo 2022. @federicodiazguitar

Born in Argentina, Santiago Herrera is a versatile musician in genres like Pop music, R&B, Funk, Soul, Hip Hop and Latin American Traditional music with a career as session drummer, producer, musical director and educator.

His performances have taken him to distinguished festivals and concert halls in the US, Europe and Latin America. 

Santiago also has international sponsorships deals as an endorsed artist with Istanbul Agop Cymbals LTD and Wincent Drumsticks.

His passion for music lead him to collaborate with musicians such as lIghtchIld, Rayos Laser, Under Mc, Lito Vitale, Mike Southside, Gon Andrada, among others. 

The most recent highlights include the new Rayos Laser Album, lIghtchIld’s musical direction, Mike Southside Live Session, Lagu live session, Rayos Laser on Tour opening for Gorillaz and many more. @imsantiherrera

Born in Quito, Ecuador, Carlos Mena comes from a family of professional musicians and continues to honor his family tradition to this day. He began playing music professionally as a percussionist when he was seven years old with acclaimed folk musicians from South America. 

He soon discovered his passion for the bass and made it his primary instrument upon which to hone his musicianship and technique. As a teen, he received a scholarship to study in Switzerland at the Zurich University of the Arts, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Music and Pedagogy. He continued his studies in New York City, where he received his Master of Arts in Music at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College. 

Carlos is a multi-instrumentalist who plays electric bass, acoustic bass, guitar, piano, and small percussion. He is an accomplished soloist, arranger, and composer and has become a highly sought-after performer, playing alongside many renowned musicians in NYC and abroad. carlosmenamusic.com | @carlosmenamusic

Host or Publisher Carnegie Hill Concerts