The Minnesota Orchestra isn't the only local institution helping thaw U.S.-Cuba relations with an upcoming concert in Havana. Latin dance mainstays Charanga Tropical -- led by native Cubans Damian Rodriguez and Viviana Pintado with renowned jazz flautist Doug Little – have become the first American group invited to perform at the Danzón Festival in Cuba's capital city June 24-28. They hope to make the most of the trip, with several gigs lined up and plans to make a live album out of the performances.
Of course, there are still barriers between the two countries that make traveling to Cuba complicated and expensive, especially with a big 11-piece band like this.
"Even though Obama and Raul are now shaking hands, the economic trade embargo and other challenges remain," explained Little, who has taken prior trips to Cuba as an artist-in-residency.
Toward that end, Charanga Tropical kicked off a Kickstarter fundraising campaign that's scheduled to wind down Thursday. The group has not even reached the halfway point of its goal of $96,000 to fund the trip and live recording.
To help raise interest, the ensemble is playing a special "Kickstarter Closeout Concert" tonight (Wednesday) at 7 p.m. inside the Landmark Center. Price of admission to the show is a suggested donation to the cause.
Click here to visit their Kickstarter page, which includes a video explaining the efforts. Here's another video showing off the talent involved, from TPT's "MN Original" series.
