Aliana Premieres THE SOUNDS OF THE ARCHIVES in NYC

The Silberman School of Social Work archives are an incredible source of inspiration for scholarly research and for artists of all disciplines.

Aliana de la Guardia and saxophonist Thomas Giles perform the work premiere of a new work for voice and sax duo by Artist in Residence, Gabriel Bouche Caro based on his research. Join us on May 30th for a very special musical performance and witness the rebirth of archived sounds into innovative musical arrangements.

Thursday, May 30, 2024, 7:00PM

The Silberman School of Social Work
Center for Puerto Rican Studies | Hunter College

695 Park Ave, New York, NY 10065

Gabriel Bouche Caro

Bouche Caro’s piece is a new performance for solo instrument and narrator/singer. It resembles a stream-of-consciousness/musical theater monologue with the vocalist representing the complexities of the Puerto Rican identity and current situation. The performance’s narrative is constructed by taking highly specific texts from the collections of Tato Laviera, Victor Hernandez Cruz, Pura Belpre, and more and making them into a dramatic reading that brings forth conflicts within the ‘diasporican’ identity, the duality of being a nationalist living in the colonizer’s land, and the image of an artist who wishes to bring forth the intricacies and beauty of their culture to the world. This is Puerto Rican music, not as folk, but as a synthesis of sound, experience, tradition, difficulties, and successes that come from living life square-rooted in a richly complex and demanding cultural situation.