Date(s): August 29, 2026
Type of Show: Llanera Harp & Violin
Showtime(s): 7:30PM
Tickets: $20 adv/25 door + fee
Intertwined
A Journey Through Tradition and the Unexpected — Llanera Harp & Violin
Through an unconventional pairing of Llanera harp and violin, Pilar & Nicolás come together to reveal new sounds within the rich heritage of Colombian and Latin American music. The concert program spans a rich variety of rhythms and styles, blending traditional musical elements with contemporary performance and composition techniques.
The performance unfolds in two acts. The first act is a solo Llanera harp set, featuring Nicolás Castañeda’s original compositions and arrangements, presenting the harp beyond its tradition. The second act presents the duo, where Pilar & Nicolás explore the possibilities on this non-traditional instrumentation, intertwining the contrasting background of each instrument with their cultural musical frame.
Don’t miss this rare encounter between tradition and the unexpected. Whether you’re a longtime lover of Latin American traditions or simply curious to hear something you’ve never heard before, Intertwined promises a night of discovery.
Pilar Zorro
Violinist Pilar Zorro has built a career that moves fluidly between continents, genres, and traditions, carrying the sound of the violin into unexpected territory. Born in Bogotá, Colombia, she began performing at a young age and, as a member of the Unimúsica Quartet, earned multiple awards at festivals and competitions across Colombia and the United States — early recognition of a musical voice already reaching beyond convention. That restless curiosity led her to Boston, where she earned a Master’s degree in Contemporary Improvisation from the New England Conservatory, and since then she has devoted herself to expanding the language of the violin within traditional Latin American folk music, drawing on the sounds, rhythms, and idioms of the region’s native instruments and genres to create a style entirely her own.
Her music has traveled with her, with performances in Finland, Spain, Brazil, Armenia, and Georgia, among other countries. Today, Pilar Zorro stands as a distinctive voice in contemporary folk and improvised music — an artist whose international career reflects not just where she has played, but how deeply her music travels.
Nicolás Castañeda Lozano
Award-winning Colombian harpist and composer Nicolás Castañeda Lozano represents a new wave of Latin American musicians who have masterfully balanced and blended innovation and tradition, exploring a wide range of possibilities for the Llanera harp to develop a contemporary identity through genre-crossing composition and improvisation. His recent engagements include the Banff Centre for the Arts and Creativity, the Somerset Folk Harp Festival, the Nomads Festival in Helsinki, “Sonamos Latinoamerica” in Copenhagen, Globalfest Uniarts, and theMaestros del Arpa Music Festival in Bogotá, alongside a European tour with jazz cuatro player Carlos Capacho. A multiple prize-winner at the Torneo Internacional del Joropo, he performs as both soloist and ensemble leader, drawing on his versatility as a multi-instrumentalist and free jazz performer.
Following a successful performing career in Latin America, Castañeda became the first Colombian harpist to attend Berklee College of Music, where he began shaping a unique compositional approach to the Llanera harp — one showcased on his debut EP Renacer and now continuing into a second album for solo harp and small ensembles. He has since pursued research at the Sibelius Academy Uniarts Helsinki, developing an intercultural music notation proposal aimed at expanding possibilities for cross-cultural collaboration, and was invited as a House Wright Scholar guest artist at Florida State University, where he combined performance with academic research in musicology and ethnomusicology.
Born in Bogotá, Colombia, Castañeda is now based in the United States, where he continues to contribute to the living tradition of Llanera harp playing through performance, scholarship, and innovative musical projects.
The ArtsCenter Gallery shows are (almost always) seated. We have a nice bar with wine, beer, cider, soft drinks, snacks and always free water. If you need special assistance, please do contact us at boxoffice@artscenterlive.org or 919.929.2787 and we’ll be sure to accommodate you as best as we can.