Lehman Center for the Performing Arts presents Tito Nieves & Friends, featuring Kevin Ceballo, Rumberos del Callejon [Rumba dancers of Callejon], and special guest star, Daniela Darcourt, under the musical direction of Carlos Padrón and hosted by J.I. Starr, “El Boricua de New York [The Puerto Rican of New York],” on Saturday, Oct. 21, at 8 p.m.

 

Representatives of the Lehman Center said legendary vocalist Nieves, nominated for Ace, Billboard, Latin GRAMMY®, and GRAMMY® Awards, began his career at just 15 years old. They said in 1975, he started a two-year stint as lead singer for Orquesta Cimarrón [Cimarrón Orchestra] and two years later joined the orchestra of his mentor, Hector Lavoe. They said he later earned the nickname “the Pavarotti of Salsa.”

 

According to Lehman representatives, Nieves’ first recording was in 1979 as lead singer of the group Tairbori, and in the early ‘80s, he joined Conjunto Clásico [Classic Conjoined]. Embarking on a solo career in ‘86, they said Nieves distinguished himself by singing salsa in English, bringing crossover appeal to the tropical sound. They said his first solo album, “The Classic” (1988), went gold and included the hit song “Sonámbulo.”

 

They said since then, Nieves has recorded over 30 solo albums. “I Like It Like That” (1996), “Fabricando Fantasias” [Making Fantasies] (2004), and “Hoy, Mañana y Siempre [Today, Tomorrow & Always]” (2006) are among his landmark albums. “Entre Familia” [Between Family] (2010), “Qué Seas Feliz” [May You Be Happy] (2012), “Mis Mejores Recuerdos” [My Best Memories] (2014), and “En Dos Idiomas” [In Two Languages] (2015) all charted on the Tropical Albums List.

 

Lehman officials said that in 2020, Nieves celebrated 45 years in the music business and hosted a series of virtual concerts that lasted until the end of 2021. 2020 also marked the release of “Si Tú Te Atreves” [If You Dare] with Daniela Darcourt. They said most recently, Nieves released a new album, “Legendario” [Legend] (2021), which was nominated for Best Tropical Latin Album at the 65th Grammy Awards.

 

They said it includes new versions of eight of his greatest hits including “Fabricando Fantasías,” “Sonámbulo,” [Sleepwalker] “El Amor Más Bonito,” [The Prettiest Love] “Tuyo, [Yours]” “Mi Eterno Amor Secreto,” [My Secret Eternal Love] “Más Que Tu Amigo,” [More than Your Friend] “De Mí Enamórate,” [Fall in Love with Me] and “Almohada” [Pillow].

 

Lehman officials said Darcourt is a Latin GRAMMY® nominated Peruvian vocalist. The said that at only 17 years of age, Darcourt made it to the semi-finals of Peru’s Got Talent, and in 2016 she joined the female salsa musical group “Son Tentación” [They are Temptation].

 

They said that after two years of being one of the group’s main vocalists, she began her career as a soloist, releasing the hit song “Probablemente” [Probably] (2018). They said that in 2019, Darcourt released her debut album, “Esa Soy Yo,” [That is Me] together with highly accomplished producer, Master Chris.

 

They said having gained the attention of the Latin music community, Darcout’s next few years were marked by an impressive array of collaborations. Darcourt and the Puerto Rican salsa group, N’Klabe, released “Probabilidad De Amor” [Probability of Love] (2020) which garnered them a nomination at the 2020 Heat Latin Music awards and entered the top 5 on Billboard’s Tropical Airplay list.

 

They said a few months later, Darcourt released “Si Tú Te Atreves” with Nieves. With more than 32 million streams, they said Darcourt was 2020’s most listened to salsa artist on Spotify in Peru. In 2021, they said she released a new version of her first song “Probablemente,” followed by her first solo song in nearly two years, “Te equivocaste conmigo” [You made a mistake with me.]

 

They said she also traveled to the United States as part of her “wildly successful” Esa Soy Yo tour. Most recently, Darcourt released “Catarsis” [Catharsis] (2023), which is nominated for Best Salsa Album at the 2023 Latin GRAMMY® Awards.

 

Lehman representatives said Kevin Ceballo rose to fame with the album Mi Primer Amor [My First Love] (2000), which reached the number one position on 103.5FM WKTU in New York. They said that in 2004, Ceballo released his long awaited second album, Yo Soy Ese Hombre [I Am That Man], and performed as the headliner of Baltimore’s “Latino Fest.”

 

They said his 2011 track “Júrame” [Swear to Me] was an international hit. Since then, Ceballo has continued to contribute to his extensive discography with singles like “Hoy Veré su Gloria” [Today, I will see her Glory] and “Necesito Mas de Ti” [I Need More from You], and the 2019 album “Ven Te Estado Esperando,” [Come, I’ve Been Waiting for You]. He has also performed with La India, Eddie Palmieri, and Jimmy Bosch.

 

Lehman representatives said Rumberos del Callejon’s first album is 2008’s “De la Nada” [Of Nothing]. They said since then, Rumberos del Callejon has released two superb albums, Construyendo [Building] (2012) and 10 Aniversario [10th Anniversary], vol. 1 (2018).

 

Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. is supported, in part, by public funds through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the New York City Council and the Bronx Delegation. Additional funding is provided by the New York State Council on the Arts with support from the office of the governor and the New York State Legislature.

 

The center said it is thrilled to share that Goya Foods has agreed to renew their sponsorship for this season which they said will help center expand its reach to the community. In addition, the center’s officials said it have secured funding from the Howard Gillman foundation to help grow its programming. They said the 2023-2024 season is also made possible through sponsorship by Con Edison, Havana Café, Friends of Lehman Center, and its cherished audience members.

 

Lehman Center for the Performing Arts is located on the campus of Lehman College/CUNY at 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx, NY 10468. Tickets for shows can be purchased by calling the Lehman Center box office at (718) 960-8833 or in Spanish on  (718) 960-8835 or online here.