Yuja Wang, piano
People of Earth
Ahmed Alom
Yuja Wang & People Of Earth
Featuring Ahmed Alom Yuja Wang, pianoVirtuoso pianist Yuja Wang joins forces with Gabriel Globus-Hoenich—founder and percussionist of the dynamic Latin-Caribbean jazz collective People of Earth—for an electrifying new collaboration- composed and music directed by Cuban piano phenom Ahmed Alom.
The members of People of Earth are:
- Raul Rios, Trumpet and Vocals
- Jesus Ricardo, Trumpet and Vocals
- Ruben Rengel, Violin and Vocals
- Ivan Llanes, Percussion and Vocals
- Gabriel Globus-Hoenich, Percussion and Bandleader
People of Earth (PoE) is a global music collective that has emerged as one of the United States' most exciting Latin and tropical bands. With an electrifying blend of music from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Brazil, and beyond, PoE delivers a high-energy experience that transcends borders. This 13-piece supergroup features a dynamic lineup of world-class musicians hailing from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Canada, Switzerland, Haiti, Greece, and more. Together, they create a sound that is as diverse as it is powerful.
Since its formation in 2016, PoE has graced prestigious stages such as Carnegie Hall in New York, Disney Hall in Los Angeles, The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., The Kimmel Center and Mann Center in Philadelphia, and the New World Center in Miami.
PoE’s signature setup includes a frontline of three powerhouse vocalists, supported by four horns, three percussionists, two keyboards, and electric bass. Their original music is a vibrant fusion of Cuban timba and rumba, Puerto Rican bomba and plena, Haitian kompa, Brazilian MPB, and American soul, R&B, and hip-hop. With songs performed in Spanish, English, Portuguese, and Kreyol, the band’s sound reflects a truly global ethos.
In 2019, PoE collaborated with Musical America’s Conductor of the Year, Teddy Abrams, and received a grant from New Music USA to commission MacArthur Fellow Dafnis Prieto. The result was Tentación, a groundbreaking concerto for PoE and string orchestra. Premiered in 2022 under Abrams' baton, the piece was performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Louisville Orchestra, New World Symphony, and Britt Festival Orchestra.
The band's self-titled debut album, released in May 2023 on Truth Revolution Records, showcases their artistry with nine tracks, including seven original compositions and reimagined covers of Djavan’s Te Devoro and Leonard Bernstein’s Mambo. The album also features a guest appearance by acclaimed Brazilian singer Marcos Costa.
Beyond its thrilling performances, People of Earth is deeply committed to education. Its members are veteran teaching artists who have led workshops and residencies at venues such as Carnegie Hall,The Kimmel Center, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Detroit Symphony. The band has also presented family-friendly concerts for organizations including The Mann Center, 92nd Street Y, and the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance.
Guided by a mission to use music as a vehicle for social change, PoE aims to foster dialogue, build cultural connections, and spread joy. Through their passion for groove-driven, heartfelt music, they strive to make the world a more connected and harmonious place.
PoE is managed by Hazard Productions - www.HazardProductions.com
Program Highlights
Yuja Wang, Piano
People of Earth
Ahmed Alom, Musical Direction
This collaboration is being produced by Hazard Productions and Gabriel Globus-Hoenich
All artists, programs, and pricing subject to change.
Program Notes
Blending the rigor and structure
of Western classical traditions
with the rhythmic and harmonic
richness of Afro-Latin and
Caribbean music, this vibrant program
features original compositions, bold
new arrangements, and electrifying
collaborations. Virtuoso pianist Yuja
Wang joins forces with the dynamic
Latin-Caribbean jazz collective People
of Earth, with musical direction by
pianist, composer, and conductor
Ahmed Alom, “one of the most versatile
artists in the Western Hemisphere”
(Diario de Mallorca).
Selections include Alom’s
Displaced Études, which combine
Cuban polyrhythms with elements
inspired by particular classical
composers, and an arrangement of
Danzon No. 2 by Arturo Márquez,
celebrated as a symbol of Mexican
music and culture. Alom and Wang join
forces for a Dizzy Gillespie-inspired work
by Soviet composer Nikolai Kapustin,
and a stunning set of variations on a
chart-topping musical love letter to
Cuba. Finally, La Diaspora Concerto
explores themes of displacement,
nostalgia, and cultural complexity with a
high-energy, global ethos.
Artist Biographies
Yuja Wang
Yuja Wang
Photo Credit: Julia Wesley
Artistic Partner, Mahler Chamber Orchestra
Pianist Yuja Wang is celebrated for her charismatic artistry, emotional honesty and captivating stage presence. She has performed with the world’s most venerated conductors, musicians and ensembles, and is renowned not only for her virtuosity, but her spontaneous and lively performances, famously telling the New York Times “I firmly believe every program should have its own life, and be a representation of how I feel at the moment.”
Yuja was born into a musical family and began studying the piano at the age of six. She received advanced training in Canada and at the Curtis Institute of Music under Gary Graffman. Her international breakthrough came in 2007, when she replaced Martha Argerich as soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Two years later, she signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon and has since established her place among the world’s leading artists, with a succession of critically acclaimed performances and albums. Her recordings have garnered multiple awards, including five Grammy nominations and her first Grammy win for Best Classical Instrumental Solo with her 2023 release of “The American Project”. For this she also won an Opus Klassik award in the Concerto category.
Recent projects include a collaborative project with David Hockney at London’s Lightroom, play-direct tours with the Mahler Chamber to Europe and South America, an international duo recital tour with pianist Vikingur Olafsson and a residency with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.
The 2025/26 season will see Yuja open the seasons of many major US Orchestras including the San Francisco Symphony, The Philadelphia Orchestra and at Carnegie Hall where she will play direct the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1. Among her orchestral performances, she will embark on a major European tour with the Swedish Radio Orchestra. Other orchestral appearances this season include performances with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra, and the Rotterdam Philharmonic. Her play directing continues with tours with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra to Spain and the US and she will give a recital tour throughout Asia. In November 2025, Playing with Fire: An immersive odyssey with Yuja Wang will open at the Paris Philharmonie. This groundbreaking, multi-sensory installation will take visitors behind the scenes and offer a rare perspective on the emotion and artistry behind Yuja’s performances.
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