Las Palomitas Serranas to play son huasteco on May 25 with talk by Alex Chavez, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Notre Dame
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT:
Sheree Scarborough
(512) 922-5483, sheree.scarborough@gmail.com
TEXAS FOLKLIFE ANNOUNCES MAY HOUSE CONCERT
Monthly Roots Music in an Intimate Setting
Las Palomitas Serranas to play son huasteco on May 25
with talk by Alex Chavez, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Notre Dame
In conjunction with the 3rd Annual Huapango Sin Fronteras Festival
Austin, Texas – May 16, 2016 – Texas Folklife’s intimate music series featuring roots music and emphasizing the non-profit’s mission to present the state’s traditional arts and culture, is back up and running for 2016. The May House Concert will be held on Wednesday, May 25, at the Texas Folklife House—1708 Houston Street, Austin, Texas—from 6:30-9:00 p.m. This event will take place outside on Texas Folklife’s back patio.
6:30 p.m. – Presentation by Alex Chavez
7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. Las Palomitas Serranas Performance
The evening promises to be lively and popular—get your tickets early! This month’s concert will feature the unique-all female huasteco trio Las Palomitas Serranas. The group hails from Xichú, Guanajuato, and consists of Patricia González Oviedo on violin, Irais Perez Paz on guitar and vocals, and Tulia González Oviedo on jarana and vocals. Son huasteco is one of Mexico’s most distinctive and uplifting folk music traditions. It is characterized by elaborate violin improvisation, soaring falsetto vocals, and florid poetry, and hails from the Huasteca, one of Mexico’s most celebrated cultural regions.
At 6:30 p.m. Notre Dame professor and festival co-organizer Alex Chávez will lecture briefly on this Mexican folk and dance tradition, lending insight into its long history, practice and performance genres, and growing presence in the U.S. Austin-based huapango arribeño trovador (poet-practitioner), Huapango Sin Fronteras festival founder and co-organizer Raul Orduña will also be on hand to answer questions about the festival. The 3rd Annual Huapango Sin Fronteras festival will be held in Austin on May 28. More information can be found at: http://texasfolklife.org/event/huapangosinfronteras2016
The House Concert will be an intimate experience. Limited tickets are available and can be purchased at http://texasfolklifehouse5.brownpapertickets.com for $10. Proceeds will benefit the artists and Texas Folklife’s statewide public programs. Guests are invited to bring their own Lawn chairs as well as food and drink to enjoy. Bottled water, beer, and wine will be available for a donation.
“We are excited to feature the Mexican roots music of Las Palomitas Serranas in conjunction with the 3rd Annual Huapango Sin Fronteras Festival”, says Acting Director Charlie Lockwood. “This music with its complex musical elements is an integral part of the Huasteca region in Mexico, and has deep social and cultural significance in Mexico and in cities across the United States, where it is rapidly growing in popularity. This event pairs high caliber musicianship of this unique all-female group with a talk about the larger social and cultural significance of the tradition, exactly the kind of experience we strive to offer our audiences.”
Texas Folklife’s House Concert Series is supported by the members and Board of Texas Folklife, the City of Austin’s Cultural Arts Division, and the Texas Commission on the Arts.
About Texas Folklife
Texas Folklife is a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to presenting and preserving the diverse cultures and living heritage of the Lone Star State. For over 30 years, Texas Folklife has honored the cultural traditions passed down within communities, explored their importance in contemporary society, and celebrated them by providing accessible and joyful arts experiences.
1708 Houston St.
Austin, Texas 78756
Media information: Sheree Scarborough (512) 922-5483 / sheree.scarborough@gmail.com
