CROSSINGS/ENCRUCIJADAS: A Hispanic Arts Festival To Begin 9/17 At The Milagro Theatre

CROSSINGS / ENCRUCIJADAS - Poetry & music from Tenochtitlan by Cindy Williams Gutiérrez and Gerardo Calderón and storytelling and music from modern Mexico by Lynn Darroch and Alfredo Muro; Part of LA LUNA NUEVA - a two-week festival of Hispanic arts and culture from around the world.

The festival begins at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009 at the Milagro Theatre, 525 SE Stark Street, Portland, Oregon 97214. Admission is $10 from 503-236-7253, www.pdxtix.net/milagro or the PDX Ticket Network box office at the Hollywood Theatre daily 1-9 p.m.

For more information, please call 503-236-7253 or visit www.milagro.org

Poet-dramatist Cindy Williams Gutiérrez, with pre-Columbian instrumentalist Gerardo Calderón and writer/storyteller Lynn Darroch with Grammy-nominated guitarist Alfredo Muro, present Aztec-styled poetry and contemporary Mexican stories in a lively interplay with music. From the mythic voices of poet-kings in ancient Tenochtitlan to tales of encounters between modern-day Mexicans and North Americans - "Crossings" will transport audiences across history and culture on the wings of words and music. Bilingual.

ABOUT "LA LUNA NUEVA" (The New Moon) FESTIVAL

In September, Miracle Theatre Group is pleased to present "La Luna Nueva", a two-week festival celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. Like the new moon emerging from The Shadows, "La Luna Nueva" shines its light on new artists and new work across a variety of disciplines. Join us for passionate Spanish flamenco dance, jazzy Cuban filin music, bilingual poetry and songs from local authors and musicians, open mic nights and staged readings of plays under consideration for next season. For more information about the festival and a complete schedule of events, visit www.milagro.org.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS FOR THIS EVENT

Cindy Williams Gutiérrez collaborates with artists in music, theatre, and visual art. She has performed her Aztec-styled poetry with pre-Columbian instrumentalist Gerardo Calderón in Washington, Oregon, Texas, Illinois and Maine. Publications include Borderlands: Texas Poetry Review, Calyx, Harvard's Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, Rain Taxi, ZYZZYVA, among others. Productions include the Miracle's El Grincho's El Dorado Escapade and Familia, Food & Fiesta. Cindy earned an MFA from the University of Southern Maine Stonecoast Program with concentrations in ancient Mexican poetics and creative collaboration. Along with consulting for nonprofits, she teaches at the Attic and through Writers in the Schools. www.grito-poetry.com

Gerardo Calderón, from Mexico, is Musical Director of Grupo Condor and Nuestro Canto. He studied classical guitar at the Escuela Superior de Musica in Mexico City and Theory and Composition at the Portland Community College in Oregon. As a professional musician, Gerardo has pursued his interest in traditional Mexican music, Latin American folk music and pre-Colombian music by performing with folk ensembles in Mexico, Canada, New England and the Pacific Northwest. He has also toured with choir and world music ensembles, and composed music and design sound for dance and theater companies. His latest CD is "Inspirational Sounds from Latin America: 1." www.grupo-condor.com

Lynn Darroch is a music journalist and regular contributor to The Oregonian who has lived and taught in Spanish-speaking countries and edited the anthology, Between Fire and Love - Contemporary Peruvian Writing. His musical stories about jazz figures appear on his latest CD, "Local Heroes/American Originals," and he hosts a weekly jazz show on KMHD FM. He has contributed articles on music figures to The Encyclopedia of United States Popular Culture and to the Oregon Encyclopedia. He taught literature and writing at Mt. Hood Community College for 18 years and currently edits the monthly magazine, Jazzscene. www.lynndarroch.com

Alfred Muro is an acclaimed master of Brazilian and other Latin styles, a Peruvian-born guitarist who has performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and in many international guitar festivals, including the Entre Cuerdas International Guitar Festival in Chile and similar festivals in Peru and Chile. His latest CD, "Latin Impressions," was nominated for a Latin Grammy award in 2009. His previous CDs include "Alma Brasiliera" Vols I and II. He and Darroch collaborated on the 2007 CD, "Beyond the Border -Stories of the Latin World." www.alfredomuro.com

ABOUT MIRACLE THEATRE GROUP

For more than 25 years, the Miracle Theatre Group has been dedicated to bringing the vibrancy of Latino theatre to the Northwest community. In addition to its national tours, Miracle provides a home for Spanish and Latin American arts and culture at El Centro Milagro, where it enriches the local community with a variety of community outreach projects and educational programs designed to share the diversity of Latino culture. For more information about the Miracle Theatre Group, visit www.milagro.org or call 503-236-7253.

 

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