Major International Cultural Exchange with Mexico Announced – portoluz unveils year-long festival celebrating Son Jarocho culture

 

 

With support from the MacArthur Foundation’s International Connections Fund, portoluz is organizing a year-long series of concert programs, workshops, and community-based exchange activities centered on the Son Jarocho cultural tradition from southern Veracruz, Mexico.

Like other musical genres of Latin America, Son Jarocho is characterized by its Indigenous, Spanish-Arabic and African “roots,” that are credited with developing the style throughout the colonial period, over 350 years ago.  In addition to furthering the quality and knowledge of jarocho music in Chicago, this exchange project encourages examination of the historical interaction among these cultural groups and its significance in furthering cultural dialogue and synergy today. 

Chicago-based musicians and other cultural workers will travel to Veracruz for intensive workshops and immersion in the cultural life that has nurtured the genre over centuries.  Renowned musicians from various communities in Veracruz will visit Chicago for presentations at accessible cultural venues including festivals, schools and community-based organizations. 

Invited musicians from Mexico include members of the Vega and Utrera families who, in 2012, received one of Mexico’s highest honors, the Premio Nacional de Ciencias y Arte – the National Prize in Sciences and the Arts for their collective work in preserving and disseminating the Son Jarocho tradition.    

In total, portoluz expects to bring members from six different families from Veracruz to Chicago – a total of 35 different presenting artists – over the course of 2013.

Following are brief biographies of the performers. A table of proposed festival activities follows and is also included.