Perla Batalla to Perform Public Concert, Visit Local Napa Schools

Grammy-nominated vocalist, composer and arranger Perla Batalla has worked with luminaries such as Leonard Cohen, k.d. lang, Nick Cave and Laurie Anderson, among others. It's been said that she has "one of the most breathtaking voices on planet Earth." Since leaving her parents' Spanish language record store in Venice, CA as a teenager, Perla has been enchanting audiences throughout the world in venues like the Kennedy Center, UCLA's Royce Hall and the Sydney Opera House. Returning to the Opera House, Perla and her band will present a compilation of original compositions interspersed with traditional Spanish language classics arranged to reflect her rich bi-cultural personal and musical heritage. Perla takes the timeless songs she heard growing up and molds their rhythmic and melodic forms to create a stunning cross-pollination of trend and tradition.

Thanks to a grant from the California Arts Council, in addition to her public performance, Perla will visit three local schools: McPherson Elementary, Napa Valley Language Academy and Calistoga Elementary School, performing for students in English and Spanish. The grant also subsidizes 100 tickets for students and parents of that school to the public performance.
Perla shares her philosophy on and approach to her school outreach: "Outreach is by broad definition a reaching out to the community. But the outreach that includes live musical performance goes beyond that....way beyond that. There are way too many young people who have never been to a live performance. I have been performing outreach concerts in underserved and mostly Hispanic communities all over the United States for over ten years now. I perfom a mix of bilingual, original songs and traditional Mexican songs with contemporary arrangements. I offer to students a sense of pride in our language and rich tradition of song and poetry. And I offer to the students who are not Hispanic, an eye-opening understanding of their classmates and neighbors. My audience is given the opportunity to get to know all of the musicians and to ask us questions about our lives, careers etc...With prior teacher and class preparation we have had some very lively Q & A sessions."

About 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. Perla released her debut "Perla Batalla" on the Warner/Discovery label in 1994. Not surprisingly, the critics loved it, calling her singing "sublime" and her talent "stunning". Like many original artists, Perla opted to go independent, releasing her second album, "Mestiza" in 1998 on her own Mechuda Music label. An immediate favorite on Public Radio shows throughout the U.S. "Mestiza" was selected as Best Independent Release of the Year by Amazon.com. "Heaven and Earth" followed in 2000, along with a nod to Perla as Amazon's Emerging Artist of the Year. Both "Mestiza" and "Heaven and Earth" celebrate a powerful civilization born from the explosive marriage of separate worlds. A resplendent, vibrant culture nourished by mysticism, imagery, magic and myth.

Perla's eagerly awaited follow-up to the "Mestiza" song cycle was an innovative undertaking of contagious rhythm and pure joy. Named for her parents record shop, the "Discoteca Batalla" project , was a compilation of original compositions interspersed with traditional Spanish language classics arranged to reflect Perla's rich bicultural personal and musical heritage. Perla has taken the timeless songs heard growing up and molded their rhythmic and melodic forms to create a stunning cross-pollination of trend and tradition. "Discoteca Batalla" has appeared on "best of" lists throughout the country.
NAPA VALLEY OPERA HOUSE: The Napa Valley Opera House is located in the heart of downtown Napa. A national historic landmark originally constructed in 1879, NVOH celebrates its 130th anniversary in 2010. NVOH restored its intimate second-floor, 480-seat Margrit Biever Mondavi Theatre in 2002 after 30 years of planning. During the 2009 Season, patrons experience an eclectic array of performing arts including theatre, dance, comedy, jazz, blues, world music, and family programming in a world-class setting.

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