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Día de los Muertos Concertfeaturing

Perla Batalla

La Santa Cecilia

Quetzal

Pacifico Dance Company

RENÉE AND HENRY SEGERSTROM CONCERT HALL

November 2, 2016

Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

Out of courtesy to the artists and your fellow patrons, please take a moment to turn

off and refrain from using cellular phones, pagers, watch alarms and similar devices. The use of any audio or videorecording device or the taking of photographs (with or without

flash) is strictly prohibited. Thank you.

The Center applauds:

About the Artists

Perla Batalla Grammy®-nominated vocalist, composer and arranger Perla Batalla was born in Los Angeles, CA. Her father was a musician and owned a popular Spanish language record store. She first gained international attention as a backup singer for Leonard Cohen who later encouraged Perla to embark on a solo career. Batalla released her debut CD, Perla Batalla on the Warner/Discovery label to great critical success. Like many original artists, Perla opted to go independent early on, releasing her sec-ond album, Mestiza (meaning of mixed blood) on her own Mechuda Music label. Heaven and Earth followed, completing the Mestiza song-cycle. Both CDs were co-written with David Batteau. They offer a vision of a vibrant culture still nourished and inhabited by mysticism, imagery, magic and myth. Amazon named Mestiza Best Independent Release of the year. Discoteca Batalla was Batalla’s follow-up album to the Mestiza song cycle. An innovative undertaking of contagious rhythm and pure joy, it was recorded in 2002 as an homage to her parents record shop of the same name. Dis-coteca Batalla is a compilation of new composi-tions interspersed with pristine treatments of traditional Spanish language classics arranged to reflect Batalla’s rich bi-cultural personal and musical heritage. In 2004 Batalla was invited by The Kennedy Center to perform songs from the album as artist in residence. Batalla’s 2007 tribute to Leonard Cohen titled Bird on the Wire (also nominated for a Grammy) has been embraced with open arms by die hard Cohen fans and critics alike. As Sing Out magazine’s Michael Tearson wrote: “Beautifully conceived and executed, Bird on the Wire is a rewarding listening experience I find myself returning to frequently. It is every bit the equal of Jennifer Warnes classic Cohen tribute album Famous Blue Raincoat. For those uninitiated to the glories of the songs of Leon-ard Cohen this is a wonderful introduction. For the rest of us it is simply heavenly.” Batalla’s concert film appearances in Hal Wilner’s Cohen tribute, I’m Your Man and fea-tured a cast that included Rufus Wainwright, Nick Cave, Beth Orton, Antony, and Teddy and Linda Thompson. The Spanish film, Acordes con Leonard Cohen had Perla sharing the stage in Barcelona with Jackson Browne and John Cale. Perla has worked on the other side of the

camera as well, arranging and musical direct-ing comedic vocal scenes for Will Ferrell’s Step-brothers. Batalla has also been brought in as a hired gun by the studios as vocal coach/miracle worker for a various actors, including Jeremy Piven of HBO’s Entourage. Batalla’s next release, Gracias a la Vida in 2008, is her anthology of traditional South American songs inspired by a heart-awakening trip to meet her Argentine family. The results are a great introduction to early Argentine Tango-song. In keeping with the annual tradition of recording a holiday song with her daughter, Batalla released a first collection of favored Holiday songs entitled “We Three Kings.” (Chosen as KCRW’s top tune IN 2011.) In the 2014 release, Love is Everything, Batalla and L.A. piano jazz great Karen Hammack reveal rare mastery of creative tension and breath-defying phrasing ultimately confirming the inexhaust-ible beauty of such great songs as “The Nearness of You,” “The Very Thought of You” and “A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square.” Batalla was recently commissioned by LACMA to compose and perform an original composition to celebrate the opening of “The Adventures of Women Surrealists in Mexico

and the U.S.” Batalla and songwriting partner David Batteau are currently building that spark of an idea into a full-length theatrical concert called “Blue House.” This original song cycle is inspired by the frescos, canvasses and private journals of two of the most important Mexican painters of the twentieth century, Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. The show explores the pas-sion and process of these two rare creative geniuses, framed by a fearless love affair charged with ego, agony, betrayal and devo-tion. “Blue House” is many things, but most of all, a love letter to art itself. Batalla’s mission of honoring her roots and exposing young audiences to the beauty of music and the Spanish language is ongo-ing in her outreach endeavors throughout some of the under-served communities in the United States. She has been the recipient of the United Nations Earth Charter Award for extraordinary devotion to social and economic justice. She is also the recipient of Border Book Festivals’ Premio Fronterizo Award for healing work in the world. For more info, video clips and photos: visit perla.com

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Perla Batalla

La Santa Cecilia La Santa Cecilia started their career by

serenading passers by on the embellished cor-ners of Downtown Los Angeles’ Olvera Street. Th ey are a musical phenomenon that has won a Grammy®, toured from coast to coast, col-laborated with Elvis Costello, appeared on Conan, and most recently shared the stage with Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones. Named aft er the patron saint of music, La Santa Cecilia is composed of accordionist and requinto player Jose ‘Pepe’ Carlos, bassist Alex Bendaña, percussionist Miguel ‘Oso’ Ramirez, and vocalist “La Marisoul.” With captivating voice that sings about love, loss, and disappointment, the band has become the voice of a new bicultural genera-tion in the United States, fully immersed in modern music, but still close to their Latin American infl uences and Mexican heritage. La Santa Cecilia was thrown on the map in 2011 with the release of their debut album Noches y Citas. Th is album gave them their fi rst nomination at the Latin Grammy Awards for the single “La Negra.” It was also with this release that they fi rst voiced their sympathy and support for various human rights move-ments, and have since used their music to openly support these causes. Th ey followed that album with El Valor in 2012, which was named one of the best albums of the year by NPR’s Alt Latino. And then came the big one—Treinta Días. Th e album was recorded in 2013 and showed the band moving in a more sophis-ticated direction, while holding true to themselves. Th ey combined cumbia, reggae, soul, tango, and their L.A. spice to create an album that went on to win the Grammy for “Best Latin Rock Album, Alternative or Urban” in 2014. Th e album featured a song called “ICE (El Hielo),” which was a militant anthem on humanizing the immigration tactics in the USA. Th e song was controversial, and its accompanying video rang true to many who saw it. Th e song received accolades from major media outlets around the country, while the video was nominated for “Video of Th e Year” at Premios Lo Nuestro. In 2014, La Santa Cecilia made their major label debut with Someday New released on Universal. Th e fi rst single, “La

Cumbia Morada,” combined infectious pop melodies with touches of cumbia. On March 27 of that same year, the band did something they never imagined—they per-formed at the legendary Vive Latino in front of thousands of screaming fans. Summer 2014 was a busy season for the band. Th ey presented their politically infused video for “Strawberry Fields Forever” at the LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) luncheon in New York, accompa-nied by none other than First Lady Michelle Obama. La Marisoul had the honor of singing the national anthem to the over 1,500 Latino

leaders in attendance. Later that summer, the band played the sold out Reventón festival for over 20,000 people. As if that wasn’t enough, La Santa Cecilia hit the big screen. Th ey recorded the song “Tu Vida Es Un Escenario,” which was included in the award-winning fi lm Cantinfl as and col-laborated with Gustavo Santaolalla on “Th e Apology Song” for the animated hit fi lm Th e Book of Life, directed by Mexican director Guillermo del Toro. Th e band is also highly synced, with songs appearing in popular TV shows like Weeds, Entourage and Th e Bridge.

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La Santa Cecilia

Marisoul was also featured as a guest per-former on Pepe Aguilar’s MTV Unplugged, which turned out to be the fi rst Unplugged by a Ranchero artist. Pepe Aguilar later invited La Santa Cecilia on stage at the National Auditorium in Mexico. In 2015, the band started dropping hints about a new album. During the summer, they released I Won’t Cry For You, produced by multi Grammy-winning Sebastian Krys. Th e song plays with jazzy nuances, while juxta-posing it with traditional sounding accordion riff s and a tasteful pop melody. Calaverita was released that fall. Th e song is a tribute to the great Latin American tradition of Day of the Dead, in celebration and of those we’ve lost. Th e band ended the year with a momen-tous appearance on Late Night with Conan O’ Brien, where they played the new single “I Won’t Cry For You.” More recently in January of 2016, the band played Jeff Buck’s Todos Santos Festival in Baja California, only to be joined on stage by none other than Led Zeppelin’s own John Paul Jones on electric mandolin for a special rendition of “La Morena.”

Buenaventura, the forthcoming album from La Santa Cecilia, dropped in February 2016. Th ey celebrated by playing the Appel Room at Lincoln Center in New York City, and a homecoming show at the Walt Disney Concert Hall alongside Buika.

Quetzal From the ashes of Los Angeles’ 1992 rebel-lion/riots arose a collective of East Side musi-cians committed to respectfully continuing the legacy of over 70 years of Chicano Rock. Standing on the shoulders of giants like Lalo Guerrero, Ritchie Valens, Cannibal and Th e Headhunters, Th e Brat, Los Lobos, and many others, Quetzal has created a path that has earned them the title of “one of Los Angeles’ most important bands”(LA Times). Quetzal forges a sound that will simul-taneously make you dance and contemplate change, a sound as rich and complex as their pluri-ethnic barrio experience. Th eir unique combination of community activism and creative compositions has allowed them to travel the world using music as a tool for

creating a global network of musicians com-mitted to building community. Since 2002 Quetzal has been part of a transnational dialogue between musicians in California and Veracruz, Mexico known as “Fandango Sin Fronteras.” Many record-ings, performances, and publications have been born from this dialogue. Th eir 5th album, Imaginaries, released by Smithsonian Folkways, received the Grammy Award in 2013 for Best Latin Rock, Urban, or Alternative Album.

Pacifíco Dance Company Pacifíco Dance Company was founded in 1992 as a nonprofi t organization dedicated to the preservation and reconstruction of classical and contemporary Mexican dance forms. Under the artistic direction of Adriana Astorga-Gainey, Pacifíco Dance Company has performed for audiences across the nation and internationally. Comprised of 40 accomplished dancers and musicians, the company prides itself on educating culturally diverse communities as well as providing

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Quetzal

Hispanic audiences with a forum for developing pride in their own heritage. These brilliant artists collaborate to present both traditional and innovative works that combine the essence of traditional styles with modern dance idioms. Some of the most ambitious works include Frida Kahlo, the Legend of La Llorona, Salón México, Mictlan, Calacas Clandestinas, and the Virgin of Guadalupe. Pre-Hispanic works from Concheros and traditional dances from Jalisco, Guerrero, Puebla, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Michoacan, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas and Veracruz round out the repertoire. For six consecutive years the Company performed at the prestigious Dance Kaleidoscope Summer Dance Festival in Los Angeles. They have collaborated with several well-known musicians including Mariachi Sol de Mexico de Jose Hernandez, Pablo Montero, Conjunto Jardin and Pepe Aguilar for live performances. The company has performed at many venues throughout the Southwestern United States including Utah, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico. Pacifico was also honored to perform in residence at the world famous

Kennedy Center in 2007. Local southern California venues include The Carpenter Center in Long Beach, the Cerritos Performing Arts Center, the Redlands Bowl, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the Luckman Fine Arts Complex, The Getty Center, and the Universal Amphitheatre. In 2001, Pacifíco Dance Company along with Mariachi Sol de Mexico made a historic visit to North Korea and the People’s Republic of China as part of a cultural arts exchange. In a conjunction with major partners like The Music Center, The Ford Amphitheatre and most recently Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Pacifico has been educating young children and adults all over the U.S., including the prestigious Kennedy Center. Pacifico’s educational workshops provide the students with an overview and further knowledge of all the rich components that make up the beautiful culture of Mexican Folklore. Pacifíco has twice been recognized as part of the Irvine DanceMaker awards. Throughout its 20 year history, Pacifíco has put much emphasis on collaborations with educational organizations to produce performances for students from K through 12. Pacifíco

is currently one of the artists on the roster of the Music Center’s Education Division and performs at local schools throughout Los Angeles County. This initiative intends to build audiences by engaging students in the arts. For two years, the company was in residence at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts where it taught Mexican Folk Dancing and rehearsed. The company has been prominently featured in a number of publications and TV spots, both locally and nationally, including the L.A. Times, the Oregon Mail Tribune, the Delaware News Journal, Hispanic magazine and the Spanish-language daily La Opinión. Pacífico has been profiled by KCET-TV’s award-winning program Life & Times and the nationally syndicated show American Latino TV, broadcast to over 50 million homes in the U.S. Pacífico Dance Company has the distinct pleasure of offering classes that combine classical ballet technique with the folkloric roots of traditional Mexican dance. The company offers master classes, student shows, and community outreach to people of all ethnicities and ages.

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Pacifico Dance Company