Our Rhythms, Our Voices Concert

Latin American Musical and Oral History Project

Javier Jara, along with a group of very talented musicians, will present a very special musical project honoring the Latin American immigrant population living in the United States.

WHEN: Saturday, October 15, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.

TICKETS: $20 in advance / $25 at door

Purchase tickets here or call for reservations at 505-424-1601

ABOUT THE SHOW:

For the “Our Rhythms, Our Voices” project, Javier and his team of collaborators interviewed immigrants from all walks of life and from all over Latin America to create songs, using the rhythms from their native lands. The tour celebrates Latin American immigrants’ diversity, cultural heritage, and their contributions to this country.

Interviews include an Otavaleña Indigenous woman who works in IT, a former priest who fought for workers’ rights alongside Oscar Romero in El Salvador, an Argentinian chef, a Dual Language Educator from Mexico, a Guatemalan housekeeper, a Quechua repairman whose family worked in the tin mines in Potosí, Bolivia, and a Guatemalan woman, who has lived for the past five years under sanctuary of a church to escape deportation. Part oral history/part roots music experimentation, the concert provides a unique window into the individual lives of Latin Americans living in the United States. Photographer Alejandro Moreno-Alanis will display his portraits of each person interviewed along with significant quotations in panels at each concert. All music is composed by Javier Jara with lyrics by Yahir Durán. Band members include bassist Janie Cowan, who has played with Bob Dylan, percussionist Michael Longoria, who has toured with Patti Griffin and Bob Schneider, and violinists Abigail Shiman and Camille Scheiss, who have played in orchestras around the world.

Funding for the Commission and its programs is provided by WESTAF (the Western States Arts Federation) and the National Endowment for the Arts.The project is also supported by the Cultural Arts Division of the Economic Development Department of the City of Austin, The Institute for Diversity and Civic Life, and the Henry Luce Foundation.