Melvis y La Rumba De Santa

Grammy nominee Melvis Santa presents La Rumba de Santa, an ensemble dedicated to celebrating and preserving Cuban rumba. The project carries the power of rumba into new spaces, blending performance with educational conversation drawn from lived experience, and spotlights female leadership in a tradition long dominated by men.

Born and raised in an eclectic Havana neighborhood, Melvis Santa gained national recognition at just fourteen, when she formed the all-female vocal quartet Sexto Sentido — a group Chucho Valdés called "the best vocal group in the last 30 years." Since then, her creative practice has been shaped by her culture, with each project carrying a deep sense of resilience and cultural lineage.Now based in New York, Santa continues to perform and teach Afro-Cuban music, with faculty positions at NYU, Yale, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, NJPAC, and others. Her honors include the Jazz Leaders Fellowship, the NYC Women's Fund, and the Paul Simon Music Teacher Award. She has collaborated with artists including Susana Baca, Omara Portuondo, Cassandra Wilson, Xiomara Laugart, Chucho Valdés, Kenny Garrett, Arturo O'Farrill, Buena Vista Social Club, Román Díaz, Pedrito Martínez, Rumberos de Cuba, and Los Muñequitos de Matanzas.

To reserve a table email: elbarriosartspace@gmail.com

Subject: Melvis