CULTURA DEL LOBO SERIES Miami Dade College’s (MDC) Cultura del Lobo Performance Series begins the new year with a spectacular concert by Grammy Award-winning jazz master Paquito D’Rivera and musicians. The renowned artist will take center stage on February 2, 2008 at 8 p.m. at the Gusman Theater for the Performing Arts, 174 East Flagler Street, Miami. D’Rivera and his dynamic quintet of musicians will perform selections from his latest recording, Funk Tango. Prior to the Saturday evening performance, the legendary jazz master will lead master classes and lecture demonstrations with music students from Miami Dade College and its New World School of the Arts. "These presentations provide opportunities for MDC students to engage with living jazz legends, thereby cultivating younger audiences for this uniquely American art form," says Gregory Jackson, artistic director for the Cultura del Lobo series. Paquito D’Rivera's first recognition as a solo artist by the Grammy Recording Academy came in 1996 with the highly acclaimed recording Portraits of Cuba. Recently, D’Rivera received his eighth Grammy for Best Classical Recording for Riberas with the Buenos Aires String Quartet. In 2005, President George W. Bush presented him with the National Medal for the Arts. The internationally acclaimed musician has also won a Grammy for Best Instrumental Composition. In 2005, D’Rivera was named a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Jazz Master. As part of the Cultura del Lobo series, the concert marks the continuation of a vibrant season, which began this past fall. In 2008, the series will also feature dance performances by New York's Urban Bush Women and the men of Senegal’s Compagnie Jant-Bi in March, and Belgian-based dance ensemble Compagnie Thor in April. The entire performance series can viewed at www.mdc.edu/culture. WHAT: MDC’s Cultura del Lobo series presents Paquito D’Rivera Quintet WHEN: Saturday, February 2, 2008, 8:00 p.m. WHERE: Gusman Center for the Performing Arts, 174 E. Flagler Street, Miami CONTACT: MDC Cultural Affairs Department at (305) 237-3010 Tickets are $52, $32, $27, students & seniors pay $18. To order online, visit www.mdc.edu/culture. The Cultura del Lobo Performance series is an initiative of Miami Dade College, through the Cultural Affairs Department. Cultura del Lobo (Culture of the Wolf), originally conceived as a play on the name of Miami Dade College’s Wolfson campus and the adventurous spirit of its programs, has a celebrated history of featuring international and culturally specific work, both traditional and contemporary, which would not otherwise be seen in this region. * * * * *