WILLEMSTAD – Curaçaoan percussionist Pernell Saturnino will host a benefit concert on Tuesday, February 24 aboard the MS Freewinds, aiming to raise funds for the preservation and digitalization of Curaçao’s musical heritage. Through this initiative, Saturnino seeks to safeguard the island’s rich musical traditions and make them accessible to future generations.
The concert will take place in the Starlight Room and is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. Together with a group of local musicians, Saturnino will present a program designed to reflect the diversity of Curaçao’s musical landscape. Proceeds from the performance will support a project focused on digitizing and archiving historical recordings, with the goal of making them available for education, research, and active use by musicians.
Saturnino is internationally respected for his work as a percussionist and has built an extensive discography since 1995. Over the years, he has collaborated with leading figures in modern and Latin jazz, including Paquito D’Rivera, Chick Corea, David Sánchez, and Danilo Pérez. Several projects he contributed to have received Grammy Awards or nominations. Despite his international career, Saturnino has remained closely connected to Curaçao’s traditional music, including tambú, tumba, seú, waltz, and mazurka.
With this new initiative, Saturnino aims to strengthen the island’s cultural identity by preserving analog recordings, documenting traditional genres, and capturing the stories behind the music. The long-term objective is to create archives that can be used by schools, researchers, and artists.
The benefit concert will last approximately 75 minutes. The lineup includes Herschel Rosario on bass, David “Ronchi” Matthew on piano, Marlon “Lonte” Conradus on drums, and Chris Wallé on keyboards. Vocals will be provided by Ompi Stefania, Stacey Grijt, and Yumaria Grijt.