Daymé Arocena: Field Recordings x Aspen Ideas Festival

Daymé Arocena: Field Recordings x Aspen Ideas Festival with tags npr, npr music, national public radio, live, performance, tiny desk, tiny desk concert, tony desk, tiny concert

Suraya Mohamed | August 26, 2025

The inflatable flowers scattered across Anderson Park on the campus of the Aspen Ideas Festival were part of a zero waste initiative. Created by the Australian artist Cj Hendry, Bloom is a cross-section of Hendry’s ongoing exploration of botanicals and inflatables. Whimsical and naturally beautiful, this landscape is the perfect compliment to the brilliant Afro-Cuban singer Daymé Arocena. A dynamic performer con carisma y fuerza, her ebullient personality and performance shines brightly even under the hot Aspen sun.

Embellished by vocalists Ayme Canto and Hilaria Cacao, who takes a tenacious trombone solo in the first tune, their ensemble is exquisite despite. Arocena then performs three powerful solo arrangements, including two passionate blues compositions: “Mean,” written when she was just 15 years old, followed by “Coda” written earlier this year.

SET LIST

“American Boy”

“Amor de Invierno”

“Mean”

“Coda”

MUSICIANS

Daymé Arocena: vocals, keys

Ayme Canto: background vocals

Hilaria Cacao: trombone, background vocals

PRODUCTION TEAM

Director: Mito Habe-Evans

Editors: Annabel Edwards, Michael Zamora

Videographers: Mito Habe-Evans, Nickolai Hammar, Ryan Lohr, Will Sardinsky

Audio Engineer: Neil Tevault

Post-Production Coordinator: Tsering Bista

Senior Producer, Aspen Institute: Ava Hartmann

Program Associate, Aspen Institute: Jacqueline Olivas-Sison

Festival Director: Graham Veysey

Supervising Editor: Becky Lettenberger

Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed

SPECIAL THANKS

Jaidyn Hurst

Ben James

Sylvie Labalme

Samuel Lasater

Matt Windholz

Keith Jenkins