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Edwin Colón Zayas (The Kennedy Center)

Edwin Colón Zayas

Edwin Colón Zayas is known internationally as the master of the cuatro, the national instrument of Puerto Rico. The cuatro, shaped like a small guitar with five double-coursed strings, became the preferred instrument for performing música jíbara (music of the peasants), heard in the small central-island towns of Puerto Rico. Colón Zayas began playing cuatro at the age of five, learning from his father. He in turn tutored his brother and two sisters in several jíbaro instruments, and they often join him in his group Edwin Colón y su Taller Campesino. Today, Colón Zayas is recognized as an innovative improviser on the cuatro and, in addition to 17 solo albums, has performed on, arranged, or directed more than 250 recordings for Puerto Rican artists.

Watch Past Performances

Edwin Colón Zayas 9/25/09: Edwin Colón Zayas

A 2009 NEA Heritage Award winner, the Puerto Rican composer, arranger, and director is best known as a musician with a passion for the cuatro, a guitar-like instrument with five sets of double strings.

Edwin Colón Zayas

A 2009 NEA Heritage Award winner, the Puerto Rican composer, arranger, and director is best known as a musician with a passion for the cuatro, a guitar-like instrument with five sets of double strings.

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