ABOUT KIRA
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Kira Daglio Fine is an award-winning Uruguayan-American composer based in Boston, MA, whose work represents a new generation of arrangers for big band.
This emerging young composer has an unusual style that blends flowing, jazz-influenced melodies with driving Afro-Latin rhythms reimagined through unique rhythmic grooves, amplifying cultural sounds not commonly heard in the US. Her writing reflects a diverse range of cultural and musical influences, frequently drawing from her Latin roots to offer a rare juxtaposition of Big Band Jazz and Afro-Uruguayan Candombe tradition. Kira won the 2022 Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Award for her big band piece "The Towers," which she wrote while studying Studio Jazz Writing at the Frost School of Music in Miami. She has been performing in Boston and New York for nearly 10 years, establishing herself as a highly acclaimed and sought-after big band leader in the Northeast while earning her Masters degree in Jazz Composition from the New England Conservatory in Boston. This past March (2025), Kira recorded her debut studio album with the KDF Big Band, which includes her original compositions as well as arrangements of popular Uruguayan tunes. Kira is the founder and former director of the student big band at Columbia University, as well as the leader of the KDF Big Band. She has studied under and received mentorship from esteemed musicians such as Maria Schneider, Miguel Zenon, Jason Moran, Guillermo Klein, John Lockwood, and Frank Carlberg. |
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THE KDF BIG BAND
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Under Kira's direction, the KDF Big Band (formerly the Young Lions Jazz Orchestra) is a 16-piece jazz ensemble comprised of some of the best young emerging artists in the Northeast. The original project stemmed from her student-led big band at Columbia University— upon graduating, Kira began to pursue ways of engaging her peers professionally and performing in venues across the city. She established the Young Lions Jazz Orchestra as a means to develop her unique musical voice; the group balances convention and novelty by placing an emphasis on original compositions and arrangements.
After being forced to disband in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, Kira has now established this second edition ensemble to bring her music back to audiences in the Boston area and beyond. The KDF Big Band offers a fresh and exciting approach to the big band style. Their repertoire draws heavily from the swing tradition and Kira's Latina heritage, as well as a wide selection of influences— from Ellington to D’Angelo to Jorge Drexler and beyond. Captained by their ambitious leader, The KDF Big Band is certainly a group to watch out for; this diverse collective of up-and-coming musicians is dedicated to illuminating musical perspectives previously unheard. |
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