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Oscar Peñas

Jazz Road Tours Grant Recipient

Oscar Penas

Recipient Information

Location

New York, New York

Year of Award

2021

Grant or Fellowship

Jazz Road Tours Grant

Grant Amount

$15,000

Performances

Tour postponed until 2022.

About the Artist

Oscar Peñas, guitar and compositions, will be accompanied by Sara Caswell, violin, Dan Loomis, upright bass, and Rodrigo Recabarren, drums/percussion. They began recording and touring together in 2014. They sold out a month before their performances at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The Side Door, BAMcafé Live at Peter Jay Sharp Building, The Mansion at Strathmore, and City Hall Stage at the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival.  

Oscar Peñas uses his unique skills to arrange, produce, and perform his compositions in many of the best venues in the US. His unique blending of two genres that seem antagonistic, jazz and classical, along with the usage of non-traditional instrumentation in either style, outlines the sounds of the history that inspires his work. Traditional popular folk music from different cultures and sounds from his Iberian heritage meld with an American jazz base. Peñas most often performs his work as the leader of different small jazz ensembles. He’s also performed on International European tours. In Spain, he’s played at Jamboree, Jimmy Glass, Sunset, Jazz Cava Terrassa, Casino Granollers. In Paris, at Duc del Lombard. In South America, he’s performed in Colombia at Universidad de Los Andes, and Universidad Javeriana and jazz Club Matik Matik.