5-6pm: Playlist

6-6:30pm: Lula Lounge Dance Lesson

6:30-8:30pm: Marta Elena y su Orquesta

Marta Elena, Juno winner and Excellence Award winner (Celebration of Latin Culture and Community,) was born into a musical family in Havana, Cuba. She belongs to a younger generation of Cuban musicians who are happy to honour the island nation’s Afro-Latin musical roots while looking for new ways to express the music that courses through the country’s veins. She started to sing at 10, performing in all school events and amateur presentations. At 18, her professional performance was singing as part of the chorus of the Company of Zarzuelas and Operettas of the Teatro Lirico Nacional, one of the most famous theatres in Havana. After many years of performing with different bands in Cuba and worldwide, Marta Elena immigrated to Canada to pursue her musical career. Moving to Toronto in 2011 puts her in demand, performing with the who-is-who in the Canadian scene at various local venues and festivals. She is a Cuban singer, composer and bandleader representing the Cuban beauty “mulata,” performing music influenced by musical genres such as Danzon, Rumba, ChaChaCha, Cuban Salsa, Danzonete and more. In Canada, Marta Elena’s recent highlight performances include her Western Canadian tour in 2022, her Bader Centre appearance as a Guest of Hilario Duran and his Latin Jazz Big Band, and her performance as the special guest of the Ontario Pops Orchestra. Recently, Marta Elena became a former member of the famous Jane Bunnet’s female band Maqueque, with notable performances in Canada and the USA.

For the full Union Summer lineup click here.