You can safely call singer-songwriter Izaline Calister an ambassador of Curaçao. For 23 years, she has been combining traditional music from her native island with jazz and Afro-Caribbean influences like no one else. The charismatic singer always manages to wow her audience. Her songs – sung in Papiamentu – are sometimes subdued, sometimes electrifying. Her albums have been released worldwide. For Speransa, Calister won an Edison in the World Music category in 2009. Calister performs all over Europe, the United States and South America. She has also played at major festivals in Mexico, Indonesia and South Africa. In 2018, Calister was named a Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau. With Tula Lives! she pays a musical tribute to the national hero and leader of Curaçao’s greatest revolt against slavery: Tula. Calister uses music, stories and archival documents to transport her audience to the Curaçao of the distant past.
