Magela Herrera

Magela Herrera grew up between two worlds: one, her family’s deep ties to a large set of unique traditions influenced mostly by Afrocuban music; the other, the years she spent learning and studying classical music at the Conservatory of Music in her native Havana.

Praised often for her unique background that also includes Latin jazz and Euro jazz, Herrera developed her incredible instincts and keen musical chops from 2004 through 2011 as a member of Mezcla – one of Cuba’s leading jazz and fusion groups. Towards the end of her tenure in 2010, she was nominated for Best Solo Flute from the New York based magazine, Jazz Corner, for the tune “Quien tiene el ritmo” (who’s got the rhythm) on Mezcla’s album I’ll See You in Cuba. The recording was also nominated for Best Album.

Through the years, Herrera has shared the stage with an extensive list of acclaimed international artists including Chucho Valdez, Roberto Garcia, Ruy Lopez Nussa, Barbara Dane, Ralph Alessis, Geir Lysne, Jan Eggum, Sverre Indris Joner and Hovedoen Social Club, Alejandro Vargas, Sanskriti Shrestha, Oslo Chamber Orchestra, Eliel Lazo and The Cuban Funk Machine.

She has also performed at the Oslo Jazz Festival, Oslo World Music Festival, Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Lunatos Festival (Toronto) and at various jazz clubs and venues worldwide.

Herrera’s adventurous, confidence building road from holding court with Mezcla to her emergence as a solo performer and bandleader included living in Norway for a number of years, learning all about jazz improvisation and freer forms of musical expression while gigging there and earning Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Jazz Performance from the Norwegian Academy of Music. This was a major shift in mindset from her early days studying classical music at the Conservatory of Music in her native Havana and earning her first Bachelor’s degree in classical music from the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA).