Luis Gamarra and Edmar Colón (Virtual Performance)

The #BerkleeTogether Concert Series features students performing together virtually from different locations around the globe. Whether at home, in a recording studio, on a balcony or a mountaintop, #BerkleeTogether videos will showcase the unique artistry and collaborative spirit of the Berklee community. Join us every other Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. EDT on Berklee’s YouTube, IGTV, and Facebook pages.

 

This week, Luis Gamarra and Edmar Colón will perform an original they cowrote titled “La Paz.”

 

About the Artist

Luis Gamarra B.M. '16 is an independent Latin and pop artist, originally from Bolivia but based in the U.S., whose main goal is to change the world through his music. Gamarra decided to come out publicly as gay before the starting of his career and the release of his first artist project, called “Libre” ("Free"). He moved from Bolivia when he was 18 years old after winning the United States residency lottery. He arrived in Miami and worked three jobs at the same time to pay for college and living expenses.

After appearing on American Idol, he auditioned for Berklee and later attended on scholarship. He's created a foundation that helped young Bolivians get opportunities in music education, and developed Yo Soy Inmigrante (I Am an Immigrant), a music video featuring more than 50 musicians from all over the world. The Bolivian newspaper El Deber named Gamarra a “Bolivian Person of the Year," and the Boston Globe and El Mundo newspapers put him on their “Latino 30 under 30” lists. Gamarra believes that being a successful artist is the best way he can influence the world and change it for the better. 

Edmar Colón B.M. '15, M.M. '16 is a saxophonist, pianist, and composer from Coamo, Puerto Rico, who lives in Boston. He has toured and played in events such as the Detroit Jazz Festival, the Puerto Rico Heineken Jazz Festival, the Toronto Jazz Festival, the Panama Jazz Festival, and the Montreal Jazz Festival, among others. He recently played in the Kennedy Center for the Arts Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival and the Abbey Lincoln tribute tour with Grammy Award recipients Terri Lyne Carrington, Esperanza Spalding, Dianne Reeves, and Dee Dee Bridgewater.

Colón has performed with artists such as Joe Lovano, John Patitucci, Danilo Pérez, Danny Rivera, and Ledisi, among many other notable artists from various musical genres. He has written and arranged music for Carrington, Spalding, Rivera, and the Harvard University Orchestra, among others. In 2016, Colón was awarded the "Latino 30 under 30 Award New England" from the newspaper El Mundo. He was also awarded first prize at the Keep an Eye International Jazz Awards in Amsterdam as a part of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute. In 2017, he was honored in the annual Patron Saint festivities of his hometown of Coamo. He is currently an instructor at Berklee. 

How to Watch

Tune in at 8:00 p.m. on Berklee's YouTube, IGTV, or Facebook pages. If you miss the show, archived performances can be found on our YouTube channel, IGTV channel, or Facebook Videos page.