LADAMA

In the fall of 2014, members of LADAMA met at OneBeat — an initiative of the U.S. State Department’s  Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and curated by Found Sound Nation — a fellowship and residency where musicians from around the world can come together to focus on social engagement, sound production, and composition in a collaboration-based setting. Initially conceived by Lara Klaus, Daniela Serna, and Maria Gonzalez (LA-DA-MA) with the aim of working within countries in South America, LADAMA grew to include Sara Lucas in an effort to reach communities in North America as well. Out of this experience, their project developed as a way to continue together as an active music ensemble that creates original work and socially engages communities on a global level.

In the spring of 2015, LADAMA received an AEIF (Alumni Exchange International Fund) grant to give public performances and hold residencies and workshops in our respective countries of Venezuela, Colombia, and Brazil. With the additional help of a Performing Americas grant and a partnership with Paco do Frevo, LADAMA was able to tour Recife, Bogotá, Barquisimeto, and Guanare in February and March of 2016. In May, they traveled to Brooklyn, New York for a residency as part of Found Sound Nation’s curated programming in partnership with National Sawdust and El Puente. Thanks in part to support from the Augustine Foundation and the Brooklyn Arts council, they were also able to work with students at La Casita Comunal in Sunset Park.

Learn more about the members of the group here.