CAP UCLA and KCRW Present MEKLIT HADERO'S MOVEMENT LIVE at The Nimoy: A Transcendent Fusion of Music and Migration Stories

UCLA's Center for the Art of Performance (CAP UCLA) and KCRW present an evening-length performance featuring Meklit Hadero's Movement LIVE at The Nimoy on Saturday, October 28 at 8 pm. Movement LIVE combines the energy of a concert with the intimacy of storytelling, in a podcast come to life.

As the live component of a transmedia storytelling initiative, the project lives at the crossroads of migration and music, exploring a world in motion, redefining identity and what it takes to call a place home. Tickets start at $32 and are available now at cap.ucla.edu or 310-825-2101.

Directed by acclaimed Indian theater director Sophiyaa Nayar, Movement LIVE hits listeners at the level of the hips, the heart and the head. The performance is led by Ethiopian-American musician and cultural strategist Meklit Hadero, who is joined by three Los Angeles-based guest artists: Mexican-American songwriter and performance artist San Cha, Palestinian-American oud virtuoso Clarissa Bitar and Cambodian vocalist and Songwriter Chhom Nimol (of Dengue Fever). Movement LIVE initially captivated audiences as a nationally syndicated radio series in 2020, airing on PRX's The World. Today, it resonates with over 300 radio stations across the United States, reaching an astonishing 2.5 million listeners every month. The project has since evolved into a powerful podcast, available on streaming platforms since April 2023.

Meklit Hadero is an award-winning Ethio-American vocalist, composer, cultural strategist and former refugee. Known for her electrifying stage presence and deeply personal Ethio-Jazz compositions, Hadero's talents have carried her to four continents, where her music has captured the hearts of audiences and critics alike. She has been featured in esteemed publications such as The New York Times, NPR, BBC and CNN. Hadero's magnetic presence has even made her a star in her homeland, Ethiopia. Her extensive career includes roles such as the former Head of Creativity and Impact at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, National Geographic Explorer, TED Senior Fellow, and former Mellon Fellow at the University of Washington. She has been an artist-in-residence at prestigious institutions like Harvard and NYU, and her work has inspired cultural strategies at iconic performing arts centers such as NYU Abu Dhabi and the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center. Hadero has collaborated with musical legends like Kronos Quartet, Andrew Bird, Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the funk pioneer Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis. She is also the co-founder of the Nile Project and a featured voice in UN Women's theme song.

Joining Hadero for Movement LIVE, is Global sensation, Chhom Nimol, known as the lead singer of Dengue Fever, an iconic Los Angeles-based band that fuses diverse musical genres, including psychedelic rock from Nimol's homeland, Cambodia. Vocalist San Cha will also hit the stage for the performance, drawing on her Mexican-American heritage she masterfully channels a kaleidoscope of cultures, creating a musical experience as diverse and emotionally rich as her storytelling. Lastly, Clarissa Bitar who will also be performing is an award-winning Palestinian oud musician and composer born, raised and based in Los Angeles, California.

The Movement LIVE project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

The CAP UCLA 2023 spring programs continue on October 29 with Pat Metheny at Royce Hall.

ARTISTS: 
Meklit Hadero - Vocalist
Chhom Nimol - Vocalist
Clarissa Bitar - Oud
San Cha - Vocalist

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