Uncharted: Mafer Bandola Pipiris Nights – Mi vida y tiempos

Greenwich House Music School is pleased to present Mafer Bandola in its annual Uncharted Concert Series, part of the Baisley Powell Elebash Artists in Residence Program.

Doors open at 7:30 pm

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Mafer Bandola takes the last name of her alias from her instrument of choice, the heavy-bottomed, four-string bandola llanera, played throughout the African and Latin diasporas but indigenous to Venezuela. In addition to being one of the most active and fluent bandola players in the world, Mafer is also a community organizer, self-taught composer, and educator. She brings a unique perspective and direction to the traditionally male-dominated performance of the bandola llanera, imbuing her playing with fresh energy over original joropos that draw from oral traditions and modern influences, peppered with spirited improvisations in Spanish, English, and Portuguese.

Mafer is a co-founder and performer with the band LADAMA, a collective of four female musicians each from a different Latin and North American country. She currently hosts Pipiris Nights, the first recurring, community-focused series of Venezuelan joropo music and dance in New York.

For this Uncharted Pipiris Nights event, Mafer will transplant this rich cultural export from the Venezuelan llanos to downtown Manhattan for a special gathering and introspective storytelling session that explores her own and other contemporary narratives about Venezuelan immigrant life.