++ THIS EVENT WILL TAKE PLACE AT HOLYOKE MEDIA ++

++ There will be an additional screening at BOMBYX on 10/21 ++

GRAMMY-nominated pianist and composer Omar Sosa’s body of work as a composer, bandleader, and recording artist is a rich tapestry of styles and cultures, from solo piano to big band, from Mother Africa to Cuba – and the descendant communities of the Diaspora – and from jazz, Afro-Cuban, and an array of folkloric traditions to Western classical music. Sosa often performs and records with synthesizers, samplers, and electronic effects, making it challenging to categorize his music, while adding to its originality and allure.

Omar Sosa’s 88 Well-Tuned Drums, directed by Soren Sorensen, captures much of Sosa’s oeuvre. The film is a frenetic and nonlinear narrative that follows Sosa’s sinuous trajectory from his birth and upbringing in Camagüey, Cuba’s third-largest city, his education at the prestigious Escuela Nacional de Música in Havana, military service in Angola during that country’s long civil war, and subsequent relocation to Ecuador where, for a time, he wrote, arranged, and performed commercial jingles.

For Sosa, whose prolific career began nearly 30 years ago, looking back at his own life has been a profound – if unusual – experience. “Whatever I did before, it’s already in the past,” Sosa said. “Personally, I’m always paying attention to what I’m working on in the moment and looking for what comes next. I’m always so focused on what I’m doing now, trying to create. Sometimes I don’t even listen to what I do. So it’s gratifying to hear how other people feel about my music.”

The screening will be followed by a talkback with Omar Sosa and Soren Sorensen moderated by Iohann Rashi Vega of Holyoke Media. 

Space is limited. PRE-REGISTRATION IS FREE AND STRONGLY ENCOURAGED. Donations gratefully accepted but not expected.

Funded in part by the New England States Touring program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program and the six New England state arts agencies.