Carolina Calvache | Jazz and Commercial Music

 

Colombian pianist and composer Carolina Calvache seamlessly blends sounds influenced by jazz, classical, and Latin American folk and popular music. Winner of the 16th Independent Music Awards for her song, "La Última Vez" featuring Camila Meza, Carolina has been making waves since her selection for the 2011 Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival, where her talent garnered attention at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Legendary pianist and composer Toshiko Akiyoshi has hailed her music as "Extraordinary and Marvelous." Following her debut release, Sotareño, which featured jazz masters Antonio Sanchez, Jaleel Shaw, and Michael Rodriguez and earned a place among the Best 10 Albums of 2014 by Latin Jazz Network, Calvache has continued to establish her voice as a composer, orchestrator, and songwriter. Her album Vida Profunda (Sunnyside, 2020) showcases a range of guest artists, including the legendary singer Rubén Blades, Luba Mason, Claudia Acuña, Aubrey Johnson, Haydee Milanes, and Marta Gomez.

As a performer, Carolina has collaborated with leading voices in the jazz world, including Jaleel Shaw, Thana Alexa, Michael Rodriguez, David Binney, John Ellis, Hans Glawischnig, Ricky Rodriguez, and Ludwig Afonso, among others. She has appeared in a variety of projects at renowned institutions such as The Kennedy Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Walt Disney Hall, SF Jazz, Birdland Jazz Club, and the Jazz Gallery. Her current musical projects include the Carolina Calvache Trio, CC Quartet, and Poems & Strings.

Calvache has an active career as a composer, and her music is performed worldwide. Drawing from diverse influences, her music catalogue includes solo pieces, duets, chamber music, jazz big band, and orchestral compositions. Notable commissions include Trombonsillo, a piece recorded by Canadian Brass trombonist Achilles Liarmakopoulos, currently one of the required pieces for the Associate Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM); Hojarasca, an orchestral piece premiered by the Jackson Symphony Orchestra and co-commissioned by the Salina Symphony and Midland Symphony; and several jazz and classical brass chamber pieces premiered at the Trombone International Festival, Trumpet International Festival, Newport Festival, Seattle Opera, and Jazz Education Network. Her works have been featured on various albums, including Grit and Grace by Jennifer Wharton, Stranger at Home by Shachar Israel, Latin American Portraits by Jaime Morales, Day Break by Vicenzo Paratore, Tendencias e Influencias Volumen 3 by Andres Gomez, and Nostalgia by Miguel Sanchez.

Carolina is a committed educator who has given masterclasses in Colombia, Spain, and the U.S., and has held faculty appointments at esteemed institutions in India and the United States, including LaGuardia Community College (CUNY). She holds a Bachelor of Music from Universidad del Valle in Cali, Colombia, a Master of Music from the University of North Texas, and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Jazz Composition from the University of Miami. Carolina Calvache is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Central Missouri.