Edmar Castañeda nominated for a Latin Grammy in the category "Best Latin Jazz Album" with his album Family.

Castañeda's performance is heard in the Disney film, Encanto (Release date: November 24, 2021), which features original songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Castañeda acts on the soundtrack and serves as music consultant on Encanto.

In the same breath as the Yo-Yo Ma’s of the world, Castañeda fearlessly stuns audiences, musicians, and critics alike with his incredible talents as a player and composer. NPR’s “Fresh Air” touts, “...his technique is the real astonishment. Castañeda juggles lead, rhythm and bass lines, using a variety of hard and soft string attacks to keep those voices distinct — all without giving up the groove...His amazing technique...raises the bar for every harpist.” The New York Times notes, “...Castaneda... engage[s] modern jazz in ways that honor...cultural origins, and [he has] the capacity to astonish by virtue of [his] fingerstyle technique.” Moses Sumney highlights his “5 Favorite NPR “Tiny Desk Concerts” and says, “My brain cracked open when I first saw this. Some classical instruments are so ingrained in our heads for sounding one way; Edmar restructures what we know of harp, defiantly expanding the bounds of the instrument.”

Castañeda follows up six acclaimed albums (Cuarto de Colores; Entre Cuerdas; Double Portion; Live at the Jazz Standard; Live In Montreal; Harp vs. Harp) with his latest recording project, Family (Release Date: May 21, 2021), featuring the artist in the trio format with Shlomi Cohen (soprano sax) and Rodrigo Villalon (drums) with special guest vocalist Andrea Tierra.

Castañeda’s renowned albums as a bandleader are interchanged with awe-inspiring symphonic works with the likes of the Orquestra Clássica de Espinho and the São Paulo Jazz Symphony Orchestra, and chamber pieces for the Israel Camerata Jerusalem and the Orquestra Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia.

He was ushered into the jazz community by Paquito D’Rivera, who recognized Castañeda’s passion and took the young harpist under his wing. D’Rivera has called him “an enormous talent... [Edmar] has the versatility and the enchanting charisma of a musician who has taken his harp out of the shadow to become one of the most original musicians from the Big Apple.”

“The Colombian plays the harp like hardly anyone else on earth. His hands, seemingly powered by two different people, produce a totally unique, symphonic fullness of sound, a rapid-fire of chords, balance of melodic figures and drive, served with euphoric Latin American rhythms, and the improvisatory freedom of a trained jazz musician...captivating virtuosity, but in no way only virtuosity for its own sake,” says Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

“I was born to play the harp. It is a gift from God and like every gift from God, it has a purpose. The purpose of my music is to worship Him and bring his presence and unconditional love to people.”

Andrea Tierra:

‍Hailing from Medellín, Colombia, singer-songwriter Andrea Tierra crafts an innovative fusion of popular Latin-American rhythms, seamlessly blending them with the poignant essence of her own poetry. Each performance becomes a stage for her lyrical creations. While her songs often carry progressive themes and political stances against global injustices, Andrea's contralto voice equally resonates in contemporary love ballads and new-age compositions.

In her latest project, "LLuvia de Amores" Andrea introduces a quartet that incorporates exotic instruments, including the Colombian Tiple. This ensemble transports listeners on a poetic journey across Latin American rhythms such as Cumbia, Bambuco, and Joropo from Colombia; Zamba from Argentina; Lando from Peru; Bossa Nova and Samba from Brazil; Flamenco from
Spain. This diverse musical palette is further enriched by the distinct New York style.

Internationally recognized, Andrea Tierra has performed across Europe, the US, and Latin America, championing the rich culture and traditions of her native Colombia. She has graced prominent stages including Jazz at Lincoln Center, Carnegie hall, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Blue Note. Additionally, she has showcased her talent at renowned festivals like Womad in New Zealand and Australia, Rio Loco in France, and the Montreal Jazz Festival, among others.