Ivy Queen to Make Carnegie Hall Debut as Part of the Iconic Venue’s Nuestros Sonidos Festival

Posted on June 18, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Ivy Queen is preparing to make her Carnegie Hall debut…

The 52-year-old Puerto Rican singer, rapper, songwriter and actress, whose real name is Martha Ivelisse Pesante Rodríguez, has been added to the roster for Carnegie Hall’s Nuestros Sonidos festival.

Ivy Queen, considered one of the pioneers of the reggaeton genre and commonly referred to as the Queen of Reggaeton, will be joined by fellow debutantes Monsieur Periné and Grupo Niche.

They will join Natalia Lafourcade, Cimafunk, Gustavo Dudamel, Quetzal and others for the concert series.

Nuestros Sonidos — which kicks off on October 8 with the festive Opening Night Gala featuring Dudamel leading the Los Angeles Philharmonic and concludes with Cimafunk and La Tribu on May 22, 2025 — will see the three newly announced performers make their debut at the prestigious Manhattan venue.

Ivy Queen, who was honored with the Icon Award at the 2023 Billboard Women in Music event, earned her name as the Queen of Reggaetón for her formidable contributions to the Puerto Rican genre. With hits such as “Quiero Bailar,” “La Vida Es Así” and more recently, “Toma,” her contributions extend beyond the genre she helped pioneer, making a mark in salsa, hip-hop and bachata. She’s scheduled to perform on November 20 at Stern Auditorium’s Perelman Stage, Carnegie’s main hall, which seats more than 2,800 people.

Meanwhile, Bogota-based group Monsieur Periné has been bringing boleros, swing and indie music to the Latin scene. Their most recent album, Bolero Apocalíptico (2023), earned them a Latin Grammy for best alternative album. They are set to perform at Zankel Hall, a smaller venue that seats about 600 people, on February 22.

Grupo Niche will also make its Carnegie Hall debut on April 17 next year on the Stern Auditorium’s Perelman Stage. Hailing from Cali, Colombia, the legendary group founded by Jairo Varela and Alexis Lozano has kept salsa alive and thriving since the late ’70s, releasing iconic songs such as “Cali Pachanguero,” “Una Aventura” and “Gotas de Lluvia.” A Grammy Award-winning band, they are considered one of the most influential and respected bands in the salsa genre.

Carnegie Hall’s Nuestros Sonidos celebrates the “vibrant sounds, pioneering rhythms, diverse traditions, and enormous influence of Latin culture in the United States,” says the press release.

For more information, visit the Carnegie Hall website.

Bianca Del Rio Signs with Creative Artists Agency (CAA)

Posted on May 8, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Bianca Del Rio has new representation…

The 47-year-old Cuban & Honduran American drag queen, comedian, actor and former RuPaul’s Drag Race winner, whose real name is Roy Haylock, has signed with CAA for representation.

Named on New York Magazine’s list of “most powerful drag queens in America,” Del Rio is best known as the winner of Season 6 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, when she was crowned America’s Next Drag Superstar.

As an actor, Del Rio starred in Matt Kugelman’s 2016 feature film Hurricane Bianca, and its sequel, 2018’s, Hurricane Bianca: From Russia With Hate. That same year, she published her first book, Blame It On Bianca Del Rio: The Expert on Nothing With An Opinion on Everything.

In 2019, she made her West End debut in the hit musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, where she played the role of Hugo/Loco Chanelle.

Del Rio made history during her 2019 “It’s a Jester Joke” tour, becoming the first drag queen to ever headline sold-out shows at both Wembley Arena in London and Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Last fall, she completed her fifth global stand-up comedy tour, Unsanitized, performing in 99 cities and 27 countries across five continents.

Andrés Cepeda Bringing His La Ruta Púrpura Tour to the U.S. This Fall

Posted on June 27, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Andrés Cepeda is hitting the road…

The 48-year-old Colombian singer-songwriter is taking his La Ruta Púrpura Tour on the road this fall.

The trek, a celebration of his more than 20 years as an artist, will be a trip down memory lane as the Latin Grammy-winning musician sings “some of the most important songs of his career that have turned him into one of the most important pop artists of his country,” according to a press release.

The La Ruta Púrpura Tour stint is set to kick off on October 6 at New York’s Carnegie Hall, and will make stops in major cities like Atlanta, Miami and Washington, D.C.

Cepeda will wrap up the tour at Boston’s Berklee College of Music in November.

“La Ruta Púrpura is a dream for me,” Cepeda said in a statement. “It’s marvelous to be able to visit some of the most prestigious stages with my music. We start this October in the U.S. and Canada and will then go to other countries with a very special repertoire, at the level of all these cultural temples.”

During Billboard’s last interview with Cepeda in 2020, the “Lo Que Había Olvidado” singer reflected on the importance of touring for him and his team. When the pandemic shut down the live industry, “I worried most about my team because we canceled so many shows and it really impacted my time,” he said then. “From my privileged position, I understand that there are people who are in a more difficult position. When I started my career, I used to survive because of my shows so I know the type of impact that can have on an artist.”

Here’s the complete list of Cepeda’s U.S. and Canada tour dates and venues:

Oct. 6 – New York – Carnegie Hall
Oct. 8 – Toronto – Meridian Arts Center
Oct. 9 – Montreal – L´Olympia
Oct. 10 – Atlanta – Variety Playhouse
Oct. 12 – Vancouver – Vancouver Playhouse
Oct. 13 – Calgary – Bella Concert Hall
Oct. 18 – Orlando – Plaza Live
Oct. 19 – Tampa, Fla. – Ferguson Hall
Oct. 20 – Miami – Adrienne Arsht Center
Nov. 3 – Washington, D.C. – Sixth & I
Nov. 4 – Philadelphia – City Winery
Nov. 5 – Boston – City Winery
Nov. 6-10 – Boston – Berklee College of Music

Santa Rosa to Perform at Carnegie Hall for the First Time in 21 Years

Posted on April 1, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Gilberto Santa Rosa is heading back to one of New York’s iconic music venues…

The 53-year-old Puerto Rican Salsa singer will return to the iconic Carnegie Hall in New York City for a special performance on Friday, June 3.

The concert, titled The Man & His Music II, will celebrate the brightest moments of Santa Rosa’s musical repertoire, including songs from his latest Latin Grammy-winning album, Necesito Un Bolero.

Twenty one years ago, Santa Rosa, known as “El Caballero de la Salsa,” debuted in Carnegie Hall where he recorded one of his most memorable albums, En Vivo Desde El Carnegie Hall.

Tickets for The Man & His Music II go on sale on Friday, April 1 at 10:00 a.m. through carnegiehall.org.

Santa Rosa currently holds the record for the most number-ones on Billboard’s Tropical Albums chart with 10.

Spalding to Perform at David Bowie Tribute Concerts

Posted on March 29, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Esperanza Spalding is paying tribute to a legend…

The 31-year-old part-Mexican singer and multi-Grammy winner has been added to the list of artists set to perform at the David Bowie tribute concerts at Carnegie Hall and Radio City Music Hall, happening on March 31 and April 1, respectively.

Spalding joins a new round of performers that includes J Mascis, Patti Smith, TV on the Radio’s Kyp Malone, Gogol Bordello’s Eugene Hutz, Kronos Quartet, Bilal and Tariq.

They join an already stacked lineup that features Blondie, Laurie Anderson, The Roots, The Flaming Lips, and many others.

Both concert dates are sold out, but Radio City Music Hall has partnered with Skype to stream the latter date for a donation to the event’s charity partners.

de la Renta to Receive the Carnegie Hall Medal of Excellence

Posted on November 19, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Oscar de la Renta is being heralded for his leadership in business and philanthropy…

The 81-year-old Dominican American fashion designer has been named as the recipient of the Carnegie Hall Medal of Excellence.

de la Renta will receive the award from Carnegie Hall‘s Board of Trustees Chairman Sanford Weill at a gala benefit on April 24, 2014.

“As a beloved and dedicated trustee, Oscar has lent his creative talent to furthering Carnegie Hall’s mission since 1987. He is a true visionary who has made incomparable contributions to society and has altered countless lives around the world,” Weill said in a statement.

The award ceremony will be followed by a performance by Julio Iglesias, his first at Carnegie Hall in 25 years.

“Julio is like a brother to me. I am unbelievably honored that he will be joining me at Carnegie Hall, a place with an extraordinary soul, that for me holds a very special meaning,” said de la Renta of the gala’s lineup.

de la Renta became internationally known in the 1960s as one of the couturiers to dress Jacqueline Kennedy. His eponymous fashion house continues to dress leading figures, from film stars to royalty. He’s particularly known for his red carpet gowns and evening wear.

Bisbal to Launch North American Tour at Carnegie Hall

Posted on September 14, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

David Bisbal preparing to trek across the pond in the near future…

The 33-year-old Spanish singer has announced plans to return to North America for a series of shows in several U.S. and Canadian cities.

The Grammy-winning pop singer, who has sold more than 5 million records in Spain and America, will kick off his concert tour on October 16 at New York’s legendary Carnegie Hall, according to a Bisbal representative.

Bisbal, who scored two No. 1 songs on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs Chart (“Quien Me Iba A Decir” and “Esclavo de sus besos”) will perform in Boston, Washington, Toronto, Montreal, Chicago, Houston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Orlando.

The David Bisbal Tour Acustico 2012, which has already made its way through Spain, Latin America and Europe, will wrap in Miami on November 4.

On this tour, the singer will perform the numbers from his most recent album, “Una noche en el Teatro Real,” accompanied by a band of musicians that play acoustic guitar, mandolin, piano, keyboard, bass, double bass, trombone, percussion and strings.

Bisbal, who will serve on the panel of judges on the Spanish television talent show La Voz, is one of the Latino artists with the largest following on the social networks. He recently reached four million followers on Twitter, according to his record company Universal Music.

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