Songwriting Workshop with Taisha Estrada

Meet the Instructor

• Taisha Estrada

  Rooted in the traditions of Latin and American jazz, with an innovative, contemporary, multi-genre sound, Puerto Rican-born Taisha Estrada is a compelling songwriter and storyteller. Taisha engages audiences through her lyrics and dynamic stage performance. Her musical projects have been featured in the Washington Post and NPR’s Tiny Desk show, and she has performed at such venues as Blues Alley, Strathmore, Songbyrd and Union Stage.

  Taisha is releasing her debut album of original songs, Nostalgia Ajena (Foreign Nostalgia) in April 2023, reflecting her roots in Latin and Caribbean jazz. The songs are influenced by her upbringing with grandparents who felt a strong devotion to la patria, their homeland and the sounds of bomba and plena which coursed through Estrada’s veins from a young age. Inspired by her own experiences and the stories of the women she grew up around, Estrada’s tone, though tinged with melancholy, evokes hope and strength. Having developed a deep appreciation for nature and the sensory experience of the Caribbean, Estrada’s music and lyrics are colored with imagery of the islands. Her work strives to explore life, love and the beautiful yet mystifying relationship between humanity and the earth.

  Estrada is strongly integrated into the various music scenes of the Washington DC area, where she is currently based. In addition to her solo project, Estrada creates and performs with two other bands. Outerloop is a post-punk art rock band and Attic Sessions is a jazz, nu-soul and blues band. She has released albums with both bands. As well as earning honors in the international Ella Fitzgerald vocal competition, and Downbeat magazine poll, Taisha was selected for the prestigious Strathmore Artist in Residence program after graduating from George Mason University.