The group Illapu, along with artists Colombina Parra, Francisca Valenzuela and Ana Tijoux join the tour, "Gracias a la vida: The Rebel Spirit of Chile's Legendary Voice."
The historical tribute to the Chilean singer, folklorist and political figure, Violeta Parra, has had very high attendance on its United States tour of the show "Gracias a la vida: The Rebel Spirit of Chile's Legendary Voice."
The activity, sponsored by the Embassy of Chile in the US, unites four of the most important voices of our country: the singer Colombina Parra, the group Illapu, the singer and multi-instrumentalist, Francisca Valenzuela and Chilean hip hop artist, Ana Tijoux.
Over this past weekend, the concert was presented at a sold out show at the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts in New York City; and on Saturday in Chicago at the Old Town School of Folk Music, with equal success.
On Saturday April 25th, the third and final concert of the tour will take place at the world-famous Walt Disney Concert Hall, home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and will begin at 8:00pm.
The website of the Los Angeles Philharmonic has been central to this activity, highlighting Violeta Parra as a prominent historical figure, emphasizing that she is "revered for her songs of struggle, resistance and triumph, as well as for her role in reviving traditions and Latin American folk instruments. Her work, both as singer and musicologist, promoted the birth of the New Chilean Song."
In addition, it notes that "despite 17 years of brutal repression under the dictatorship of General Pinochet, the musical influence of Violeta Parra remained intact both inside and outside Chile," highlighting her most famous composition "Gracias a la Vida" as a song that has become an international classic, and has been interpreted by a wide range of international artists, including Joan Baez, Mercedes Sosa, and Plácido Domingo.