Chilean-born saxophonist Melissa Aldana has taken the jazz world by storm. Aldana was awarded first prize in 2013 by the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz in its annual competition for young musicians. She was the first female instrumentalist to take the prize in the event's history.
In 2018, she premiered Visions for Frida Kahlo for The Jazz Gallery in New York. Aldana explores the moods of Frida Kahlo's life and lasting influence on Mexican and global cultures. "Frida Kahlo is a painter that I have looked up to since I was very young," Aldana told The Jazz Gallery. "I wrote each movement of the suite relating to a different anecdote of her life. The last two are inspired by two of my favorite paintings of hers: Roots and Love Embrace of the Universe, the Earth, Myself, Diego, and Señor Xolotl."