By Tessa Retterath, The Schubert Club

Theoroi, the Greek word for ambassadors of festivals and celebrations, is a group of 26 young individuals who attend a schedule of events and share about their cultural experiences using social media.

On December 10, the Theoroi group attended their fourth performance, a jazz performance by Cuban Pianist Nachito Herrera at the Dakota Jazz Club and Restaurant. Prior to the performance, Nachito chatted privately with the group and answered their questions. He explained his background in music and painted a picture of himself as a young teenager in Cuba listening to the radio and transcribing all kinds of music in the basement of his house with friends. He gave the group the advice that having a trained ear is invaluable in jazz. He also stressed the importance for pianists to have “your left hand in control” to allow freedom for your right hand when improvising.

The group was served dinner while they enjoyed the performance which as Nachito said featured “a little bit of everything.” There were many holiday pieces played with Nachito’s characteristic Cuban style, and he was joined on stage with bassist Dave Martin and drummer Kevin Washington. He also had his daughter join as a vocalist for several pieces.

The purpose of Theoroi is to expose this young group of individuals to a wide variety of arts, encourage friendships, and ultimately get them talking about their experiences online. To see what the 26 participants had to say about their experience follow the buzz through Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or theoroi.com. This project is being coordinated by The Schubert Club with a grant from Knight Foundation.