The Neighborhood Concert Hall
Since 1981, SF Live Arts at Cyprian’s (formerly Noe Valley Music Series) has earned a reputation as one of the most diverse and innovative music/performance series in the Bay Area.
The series has garnered praise for its programming of nationally and internationally known musicians (many who’ve won Grammys, Academy Awards, Mac Arthur “Genius” Grants and Guggenheim fellowships) and Bay Area performers of the highest quality. Founded by jazz flutist, Larry Kassin, SF Live Arts depends on grants and donations to bring their special blend of international and local musical talents to San Francisco.
Saturday March 30, 2019
$25 door / $22 advance
We start our second annual Immigrant Voices series with a special evening, featuring Diana Gameros (Mexico) -folk music sin fronteras, Maria Jose Montijo (Puerto Rico) -música esotérica tropical, Jose Lobo (Venezuela) -ethereal storytelling
Diana Gameros, Maria Jose Montijo, and Jose Lobo will take us on a journey through Latin America by way of original music, folk tunes from their native countries, and stories about their own immigrant journeys. The night will consist of three solo sets as well as collaborations between the artists.
Diana Gameros –Folk music sin fronteras | Mexico
“Her voice inhabits that exact place between a dream and reality. It’s like the velvety fog that rolls into San Francisco from the Pacific Ocean with a hint of the emotional power of the best classic Mexican ranchera singers.” — NPR
If difficult times call for extraordinary voices, Berkeley singer-songwriter and guitarist Diana Gameros is the woman for the hour. The Mexican-born songstress draws on her long experience without papers to explore the plight of border crossers of all stripes, bringing luminous humanity to a topic defined by searing heat rather than light. Her latest release, Arrullo (2017), is a beautifully textured acoustic session of Mexican classic songs and an artistic triumph for these ethnophobic times. Gameros has shared the stage with the San Francisco Symphony, Taylor Mac, Bebel Gilberto, Natalia Lafourcade, and her songs and story have been featured on Billboard, Mother Jones, NPR, and PBS, to name a few.
website: www.dianagameros.com
video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3kD4V65S5w
Maria Jose Montijo –Música Esotérica Tropical | Puerto Rico
“[Maria Jose Montijo] creates a novel alchemy of sounds that evoke traditional Caribbean rhythms and experimental folk music…” – East Bay Express
Maria Jose Montijo’s life changed in 2009, on a beach in her native Puerto Rico, when a friend gave
her a used Celtic harp. Since then, the Oakland based healer and musician performs and composes medicinal music inspired by her love for the Caribbean, our cosmic nature, as well as our collective liberation.
website: https://mariajosemontijo.bandcamp.com/
video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxbIuTO0hD0
Jose Lobo –Ethereal storytelling | Venezuela
“His riveting voice immediately grasps you in and catches your attention from beginning to end” – Buzz Music LA
Jose Lobo was born in Venezuela, but it was while living in Brazil that he began playing the guitar. Nowadays he lives in Canada. Influenced by the folklore of the Venezuelan tonada, the rhythms of bossa nova and American folk music, he continues to explore his identity as a Latin American in the diaspora through songwriting. Lobo has performed in streets and stages across Europe, North Africa and the Americas.
website: https://joselobo.bandcamp.com/
Upcoming Shows
Tickets available soon!