Berklee Welcomes Salsa Legend Oscar D’León for Virtual Concert

Legendary salsa artist Oscar D’León will perform in the second Berklee Signature Series virtual concert of the fall 2020 semester. The concert will take place on Thursday, November 12, at 7:30 p.m. EST on Berklee’s YouTube channel. 

D’León is a world-renowned salsa artist with a recording and touring career that spans over 50 years. Known as the “Pharaoh of Salsa,” D’León was named Best Salsa Artist at the Venezuela Music Awards in 2014. D’León will perform one song with a large Berklee student ensemble, and then students will pay tribute to D’León and the music of Venezuela. 

“It is a great honor to welcome Oscar D’León to be a part of the Berklee Signature Series,” said Oscar Stagnaro, professor in the Bass Department. “This concert is dedicated to the music and culture of Venezuela, and will be a celebration of the immense diversity and quality of the Berklee alumni and students involved. This experience will be a landmark for future Latin music events at Berklee.” 

D’León and the students will perform “El Frutero,” joined by acclaimed Venezuelan producer and musician Robert Vilera, along with Berklee students collaborating virtually from Boston, New York, Virginia, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru. The performance will be accompanied by dancers from the Dance Division at Boston Conservatory at Berklee.

The concert is produced by Stagnaro, along with director Matthew Nicholl, dean of the Professional Writing and Music Technology Division, and features choreography by Mila Thigpen, chair of the Dance Division at Boston Conservatory at Berklee.