Nothing says "Happy Holidays, LA-style!" like the annual celebration Nochebuena with the sound of mariachi and the swirling of folklorico dancers. Ballet Folklórico de Los Ángeles takes center stage at The Soraya, with Eugenia León, La Diva de México, who brings her elegant, powerful vocals. She will be backed by LA's own Mariachi Garibaldi. Nochebuena continues The Soraya's tradition of celebrating the holidays, Mexican-style with two performances on Saturday, December 14 at 3:00pm and 8:00pm.
Eugenia Leon is one of the most well-respected singers in Mexico's contemporary music scene. She got her start in the nueva canción ("new song") folk music movement, dedicated to social change, which played a role in the social upheavals in Portugal, Spain, and Latin America in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1985, just days after an earthquake devastated her hometown of Mexico City, Ms. León earned the top prize at the OTI International Song Festival in Spain.
With over 25 recordings and a repertoire that ranges from contemporary composers to traditional Mexican and Latin American music and an interest in incorporating elements of theater, cabaret, and opera into her performances, Ms. León is not locked into any one genre. Her association with actors, poets, painters, and writers imparts a distinct and rich dimension to her music. Ms. León has appeared in prestigious events around the world such as the Pan Pacific Music Festival in Japan, the Kennedy Center's AmericArtes Festival in Washington, DC, Expo Seville in Spain, and the Americas Summit in Cartagena, Colombia.
Mariachi Garibaldi de Jimmy Cuellar has delighted audiences with dynamic musicianship and live stage presence for the past twenty years. Founded in 1994 by Cuellar, Mariachi Garibaldi began as a privately-run community youth organization. Over the years, Mariachi Garibaldi has evolved into one of California's premier mariachi ensembles, led by Jimmy "El Pollo" Cuellar. Garibaldi has accompanied Yolanda del Rio, Pablo Montero, Mercedes Castro, Humberto Herrera, Beatriz Adriana, Alejandro Fernandez, and Juan Gabriel, among many others. They have shared the stage with Mariachi Los Camperos de Jesus Guzman, Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, Mariachi Nuevo Tecalitlán, and Mariachi Imperial de Mexico.
Founded in 2011 by Kareli Montoya, the dance company has distinguished itself as the nation's premier Mexican folk dance company. They have performed in world-class venues such as the Nokia Theater, Greek Theater, John Anson Ford Amphitheatre and the Staples Center. The dance company has accompanied Grammy Award-winning Mariachi Los Camperos, Mariachi Nuevo Tecalitlán, world famous Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, and Mariachi Divas. Ballet Folklórico de Los Ángeles has shared the stage with Lila Downs, Beatriz Adriana, Paquita la del Barrio and Armenian pop star Lilit Hovhannisyan. This amazing dance troop is the first folklórico company in the country to accompany symphonies: such as the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra and the Marina del Rey Symphony Orchestra, both conducted by
Frank Fetta.
Eugenia León began her musical career in the 1970's. From the start, Eugenia defined herself as a singer committed to the people and their causes.
1985 was a banner year for both for Eugenia and her audiences. She won the Festival OTI in Seville, Spain, with the song "The Fandango Here" by Marcial Alejandro, as Mexico was getting back on its feet following the September 19 earthquake that destroyed much of Mexico City.
Eugenia continues to enrich her expressive capabilities by exploring such genres such as the tango, norteño, bolero, Hispanic, and ranchero genres; she has also recorded works by contemporary songwriters, music by
Silvestre Revueltas, and children's composer Cri-Cri. She's performed over 40 duets, including one with tenor Ramón Vargas and the Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra. She was the presenter for three years in the television show
Acoustic aired on Mexico's cultural stream, Channel 22 and she's the host of the radio program
Eugenia and the Music.
During her 30-year long singing career, Eugenia León has recorded 30 albums. Her working capability, imagination and interpretative quality have delivered memorable concerts at iconic venues in Mexico such as Palacio de Bellas Artes, the National Auditorium, Nezahualcoyotl Concert Hall, the City Theatre, the Metropolitan Theatre and the Cervantino International Festival, among others.
Internationally, Eugenia León's performances have been enjoyed by audiences at the Concert Center Hall in Shanghai, China; the Opera Theatre of Cairo and Alexandria, in Egypt; the Marrakech Palace in Morocco ; Universal Forum of Culture in Barcelona, Spain; the European Parliament in Brussels; the Colon Theatre in Bogota Colombia; the Orient Theatre in Santiago de Chile; the Festival Mexico Now in the Lincoln Center, in the Latin Festival of Central Park and at
Joe's Pub, and the
Carnegie Hall in Nueva York City; at the Jazz Club of the Kennedy Center, in Washington D.C.; The Harold M. Williams Auditorium of the Getty Museum, and the
Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles; the Coolidge Auditorium of The Library of Congress, in Washington, D.C.; and more recently at the Jackson Hall in the Mondavi Center in Davis; the Millennium Park in Chicago; the Tucson Convention Center in Tucson; Discovery Green, in Houston; and the Sports Palace, in Bogota, Colombia.
Eugenia is the only Singer that has represented Mexico in four World Fairs consecutively: Seville, Spain; Lisbon, Portugal; Hannover, Germany; and Aichi, Japan.
Eugenia León is both nationally and internationally acclaimed for the strength, versatility and quality of her voice as well as for the elaborated cultural offer in her proposals. This is why she's identified as one of the best known leading representatives among Spanish-speaking singers.
Without a doubt the project
Touching Ground with Eugenia León has been one of the most important experiences of her artistic life. This intense journey through unknown paths of Mexican music made this program a compulsory reference in cultural television context.
Calendar Listing for Nochebuena
Date:
Saturday, December 14 at 3:00pm and 8:00pm
Venue:
Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya)
18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA 91330
Ticket Prices:
Starting at $34. Prices subject to change.
By Phone: (818) 677-3000 Online: TheSoraya.org
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