The instrument that her grandfather gave her at that time she still plays today. Melissa Aldana was discovered in one of Santiago's jazz clubs by the pianist Danilo Pérez. He took her on stage and all the way to the United States, where she eventually began studying at the famous Berklee College of Music in Boston. Even after her successful graduation, Aldana remains in the USA. She moves to New York and becomes part of the jazz scene there. To this day, she belongs to this select circle and is the leader of the multi-award-winning Crash Trio. She comes to the hr-Bigband to work with another great New Yorker: with the chief conductor of the hr-Bigband, Jim McNeely.
