Cultural Diplomacy Series: Cumbia and Culture Across the Globe

Luke Wachter

Associate Director for Educational Initiatives

Robert and Judi Newman Center for the Performing Arts, University of Denver

Luke Wachter is the Associate Director for Educational Initiatives at the Robert and Judi Newman Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Denver, where he implements innovative performing arts programming for students from elementary through University levels, including curriculum development, community partnerships, interactive live shows, masterclasses and residencies, and professional development. Previously, he taught music, arts integration, and Career Technical Education in Denver Public Schools with an emphasis on creativity, student choice, and access to underserved communities. Wachter served on the Colorado Academic Standards for Music Review Committee and regularly presents at education conferences across the state. He has also performed extensively as a drummer and percussionist in both the Denver Metro Area and Vancouver, BC, Canada. His current projects include the Playground Ensemble, improvised minimalist percussion group Perc Ens, and new music project Handhold an Android.

Lydia Gil Keff

Professor

Department of Languages and Literatures and the Center for Judaic Studies, University of Denver

Lydia Gil Keff, Ph.D teaches in the Department of Languages and Literatures and the Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Denver. She received a Ph.D. in Spanish form the University of Texas at Austin and M.A. degrees in Comparative Literature and Spanish from the State University of New York in Buffalo. Her recent scholarship focuses on the memorialization of atrocity in the Southern Cone and the implications of memory, trauma, and cultural politics for literary testimony.



Lydia was born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, of Cuban parents. She is the author of the bilingual children’s picture book, Mimí’s Parranda / La parranda de Mimí (Piñata Books, 2007) and the middle-grade novel Letters from Heaven / Cartas del cielo (Piñata Books, 2014).

Gregorio Uribe

Gregorio Uribe is a Latin GRAMMY® nominated Colombian singer-songwriter and accordionist. He graduated from Berklee College of Music and has performed his music at Tiny Desk, Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, and the New Orleans Jazz Fest, among others.



He has collaborated with renowned artists such as Rubén Blades, Carlos Vives, and Paquito D’Rivera, as well as with folklore masters Alfredo Gutiérrez, Carmelo Torres, and Martina Camargo. Gregorio was recognized by the Colombian government as one of “The 100 Most Successful Colombians Abroad” and has received honors from the city of Boston and the state of Massachusetts for his contribution to Latin music.



He’s currently recording his fourth studio album, a groundbreaking collection of songs that will take the Colombian accordion to a new level of versatility.