Helen De La Rosa, an internationally renowned drummer and music director from Santo Domingo, has starred at many prestigious jazz festivals and concert series across the globe, and is now leading the rhythm section of the 4-time Grammy Award and 25-time time Latin Grammy Award winner Alejandro Sanz’s SANZ en Vivo World Tour.
Helen De La Rosa, an internationally renowned drummer and music director from Santo Domingo, has starred at many prestigious jazz festivals and concert series across the globe, and is now leading the rhythm section of the 4-time Grammy Award and 25-time time Latin Grammy Award winner Alejandro Sanz’s SANZ en Vivo World Tour.
Based on Alejandro Sanz’ 2021 Latin Grammy nominated album, SANZ en Vivo had successful runs in Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Puerto Rico. After a resounding success of their grand sold-out show at Madison Square Garden in NY over the last weekend, SANZ en Vivo incredible musicians are heading to Texas and California.
“Performing with Alejandro Sanz who is one of the most successful Latin artists of all times and a singer-songwriter I have been listening to since I was a kid, is definitely a dream come true,” says De La Rosa who arranges music, leads a rhythm section, and performs dazzling solo sections in every SANZ en Vivo tour concert. “His music is truly, truly amazing.”
The 32 year old De La Rosa—the winner and the Hall of Fame inductee of the international Hit Like a Girl drumming contest—is considered the best Dominican jazz drummer of her generation, and one of the most prominent female drummers worldwide. Acclaimed by the industry biggest magazines, including Modern Drummer, De La Rosa was a music prodigy who started performing at the best Dominican venues while still a teenager. In 2006, the then-15 year drumming genius highlighted the sold-out National Book Festival attended by the 50th and 52nd President of the Dominican Republic Leonel Fernández.
After graduating from the National Conservatory of Music of Santo Domingo, De La Rosa became the first and only Dominican to receive the most prestigious scholarship—a Presidential Scholarship – to the best contemporary music school in the world, Berklee College of Music in Boston.
While in the US, De La Rosa performed for Hilary Clinton, starred at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s famous Dizzy’s Club, and gave master classes with five-time Grammy Award winning legendary bassist Victor Wooten.
Invited to arrange and record the drum and percussion parts for The Sócrates García Latin Jazz Orchestra album “Back Home,” De La Rosa’s contribution helped the album to win the Global Music Award Gold medal. The critical success of the album prompted another collaboration between De La Rosa and the Orchestra founder, professor Sócrates García. Together, the two jazz masters are creating a concert program based on the “Back Home” album. Directed by De La Rosa, the “Back Home” concert program is scheduled to be presented at Colorado’s premier live music venues, Moxi Theater Greeley and Dazzle Jazz Club at the Denver Center for Performing Arts.
A Dominican musical treasure and towering figure in the still male-dominated jazz drumming world, De La Rosa was recently hailed as one of the biggest inspirations by a fellow female drummer, the Grammy Award-nominated Israeli Noa Kahn.
“The momentum and creativity that women are bringing to the drums and jazz music in general is amazing,” stresses De La Rosa. “And it needs to continue for generations to come so that hopefully. one day we will have an equal number of women and men in drumming.”
~Elvin Rodriguez
Based on Alejandro Sanz’ 2021 Latin Grammy nominated album, SANZ en Vivo had successful runs in Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Puerto Rico. After a resounding success of their grand sold-out show at Madison Square Garden in NY over the last weekend, SANZ en Vivo incredible musicians are heading to Texas and California.
“Performing with Alejandro Sanz who is one of the most successful Latin artists of all times and a singer-songwriter I have been listening to since I was a kid, is definitely a dream come true,” says De La Rosa who arranges music, leads a rhythm section, and performs dazzling solo sections in every SANZ en Vivo tour concert. “His music is truly, truly amazing.”
The 32 year old De La Rosa—the winner and the Hall of Fame inductee of the international Hit Like a Girl drumming contest—is considered the best Dominican jazz drummer of her generation, and one of the most prominent female drummers worldwide. Acclaimed by the industry biggest magazines, including Modern Drummer, De La Rosa was a music prodigy who started performing at the best Dominican venues while still a teenager. In 2006, the then-15 year drumming genius highlighted the sold-out National Book Festival attended by the 50th and 52nd President of the Dominican Republic Leonel Fernández.
After graduating from the National Conservatory of Music of Santo Domingo, De La Rosa became the first and only Dominican to receive the most prestigious scholarship—a Presidential Scholarship – to the best contemporary music school in the world, Berklee College of Music in Boston.
While in the US, De La Rosa performed for Hilary Clinton, starred at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s famous Dizzy’s Club, and gave master classes with five-time Grammy Award winning legendary bassist Victor Wooten.
Invited to arrange and record the drum and percussion parts for The Sócrates García Latin Jazz Orchestra album “Back Home,” De La Rosa’s contribution helped the album to win the Global Music Award Gold medal. The critical success of the album prompted another collaboration between De La Rosa and the Orchestra founder, professor Sócrates García. Together, the two jazz masters are creating a concert program based on the “Back Home” album. Directed by De La Rosa, the “Back Home” concert program is scheduled to be presented at Colorado’s premier live music venues, Moxi Theater Greeley and Dazzle Jazz Club at the Denver Center for Performing Arts.
A Dominican musical treasure and towering figure in the still male-dominated jazz drumming world, De La Rosa was recently hailed as one of the biggest inspirations by a fellow female drummer, the Grammy Award-nominated Israeli Noa Kahn.
“The momentum and creativity that women are bringing to the drums and jazz music in general is amazing,” stresses De La Rosa. “And it needs to continue for generations to come so that hopefully. one day we will have an equal number of women and men in drumming.”
~Elvin Rodriguez
For more information contact All About Jazz.
