Silvia Parra The art and research of Mexican artist and journalist Silvia Parra are imbued with the social events she reported on as a journalist in the Southwest. Parra began singing and playing the guitar in high school in Mexico. In the 1980s, as a new immigrant to the U.S., she performed with a Latin jazz band in Phoenix, Arizona. Through her journalism work she covered migration effects and violence as a social, cultural, spiritual and health issue. It was only a matter of time before issues of emancipation, transformation, justice seeking and healing began to arise in her music. Parra, whose master thesis from the New College of California in San Francisco analyzed the interconnections between magic, art and activism as a manifestation of women's spirituality, says, "Only through art can we engage the senses, the emotional, the spirit which is what our society is so deprived off. Her first album - "Border Crossing Diosa!" - will debut at the 24th annual Encuentro de Canto Popular on December 9, 2005. The album, which was recorded in San Francisco and Cuernavaca, Mexico, is a statement against the violence against women in Mexico. Asked to comment on migration, Parra said, "When people’s resources are taken by corruption and pollution, people move on, we are eternal walkers. We are meant to defy and redefine borders. There is no police force capable of stopping the free spirit. We must walk in order to learn about ourselves, our capacity to empower our communities. I cross therefore I am!" Parra’s artwork has been displayed at the SomArts Day of the Death exhibitions, where she has utilized the magic traditions of Yoruba, Curanderismo and Wiccan beliefs to honor the female victims of violence in Mexico. She joined with artist Adrian Arias on a video installation that was selected for the First International Art Encuentro Against Femincide that took place in Mexico City last year. :: Performance :: Friday, December 9 :: Website ::

El Sol del Pueblo El Son del Pueblo, established in 2001, is on a mission to spread the traditional music of Veracruz to the widest possible audience, and in so doing spread an awareness and appreciation of the culture of Mexico. The trio, based in Santa Barbara, California, performs son jarocho, a vibrant, regional folk music and dance style from the state of Veracruz, on Mexico's eastern coast. This music emerged during the colonial period as a cultural mixture of Spanish, Indigenous, and African influence in music and dance. The Spanish introduced the indigenous population to stringed and for the next 300 years natives and Mestizos developed their own unique style of stringed instruments and music. African influences are evident in the syncopated rhythmic patterns of the son jarocho and in the choral and individual call and response to a lead singer. The Indian influence is seen in the frequent use of animals as lyrical themes, which symbolized deities and divine forces in indigenous religions. Established by John Robles and Jorge Mijangos, the group now includes Jacob Hernandez. The group produced their first CD "Jarocho de Corazon" in 2001 and they are currently working on a second CD. Born and raised in San Cristobal de Las Cases, Chiapas, Mexico, Jorge Mijangos sings and plays the jarana jarocha as well as percussion. He has performed with groups throughout Mexico and the US, in such venues as SalÛn MÈxico, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Freight & Salvage and the Napa Valley Opera House. In 1997, he moved to California where he studied son jarocho with ethnomusicologist Timothy Harding. Mijangos also plays with Los Angeles-based Conjunto Jardin and is a member of the renowned Bay Area ensemble Cascada de Flores. When he is not making music, his creativity is focused on the construction of quality handmade jaranas and requintos. He recently was awarded a grant from the Fund for Folk Culture to expand his luthiery (guitar making) workshop. John Robles sings and plays the arpa jarocha (Veracruz folk harp), jarana and requinto jarocho. Originally from Santa Paula, California, Robles became interested in the harp at the age of 10, having heard it used during Ballet Folklorico performances in which his cousin was a dancer. Someone brought a small harp home from Mexico when Robles was 12 and that was the beginning of his enduring relationship with the instrument. Robles began teaching himself to play the harp, learning by ear. He later took master classes with musicians such as the famous Veracruz harpist Mario Barradas Murcia, Ruben Vasquez Dominguez and Alberto De La Rosa. At age 16 he was regularly performing in local restaurants. Since that time, Robles has performed at venues such as the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles; the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts; the University of California at Santa Barbara; Stanford University and the Santa Barbara Bowl. Robles’ work has been featured in movies, television, print and radio. Jacob Hernandez’s family roots in East Los Angeles span more than a hundred years. He began studying music at the age of fifteen, highly influenced by the music he heard on the streets of his neighborhood. He is a self-taught percussionist who has spent time in Veracruz, Mexico studying the marimbol, an instrument of African origin. Hernandez has performed throughout Europe, and has appeared on live television and radio in Mexico and in the United States. He has performed at many of the major venues in Los Angeles including the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the California Plaza and has participated in countless fundraisers and community events. He is proud to be part of the community of Chicano musicians and artists in East Los Angeles. :: Performance :: Friday, December 9 :: Website :: http://www.sevensouth.com/recordshop/ElSonDel/bio.php

Meli Rivera Melissa Rivera Mercado. Melissa Rivera Mercado was born in Aibonito, Puerto Rico where she began learning the guitar and composition when she was 7 years old. Mentored in the womb of her mother and under the wings of her musician father and grandfather in the tradition of generations of family, Meli was soon performing. "I sang before I talked and I still prefer to sing," said Meli. After studying classical guitar at the Music Conservatory and Puerto Rico University, Meli arrived in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2002. Along the way, as a performer and a teacher, she discovered how music can help people find themselves. One outcome of this is that Meli regularly travels back to Puerto Rico to teach children how to play guitar, cuatro and mandolin. Her music, nurtured by the cool breezes of the highlands of Puerto Rico, is an eclectic mix of new and old trova, rumba, flamenco, music from Los Andes, Celtic and hard rock from the sixties. Her influences are nuevo canciÛn pioneers: Silvio Rodriguez, Mercedes Sosa, Joan Manuel Serrat, Milanes, and Violeta Parra. Her original songs feature her own harmonies and her multi-instrument musicianship on nylon-string, six-string steel and twelve-string guitars, as well as, mandolin and the Puerto Rican cuatro. Meli also plays the badurria, lute, castanets, flute, keyboard and drums. She has recorded three Trova-Rock CDs and is currently working on a rock and electronic music CD project in San Francisco. Through her songs Meli expresses her wish for happiness and progress for Latin America. "People end up talking the same language when it comes to music. Music is the "diplomat" that unites cultures, and I am here to serve the cause as well," said Meli. :: Performance :: Saturday, December 10 :: Website :: www.melirivera.com/

Rennea Couttenye Bay Area vocalist Rennea has delighted audiences with songs from her Venezuelan homeland and other Latin American countries on the guitar, cuatro - a small Venezuelan 4-stringed instrument - as well as with her candide voice. She performs to full houses of people who are reconnecting with Latin music and offering a window to Venezuelan folkloric songs. She states that the music she will sing at El Encuentro is a vehicle to express the conditions of "the working people and their hard subsistence in a changing world." Rennea grew up in a family who loved to sing and dance. Family gatherings often were characterized by hours of music and song ranging from her tio Alfredo’s romantic valses merideÒos to her tia Johanna playing saucy cumbias and sones with double entendres. When she felt the desire to learn the guitar her uncle taught her Guantanamera. Those 3 guitar chords started her and from then on she began playing more, figuring out dozens of songs by ear. Years later when Rennea moved to the U.S. to attend college she brought her cuatro with her and Venezuelan music, which provided a cultural anchor to her homeland. Playing in San Francisco at house parties and with friends helped her manage the distance away from her family. Her repertoire now includes tangos, boleros, rumbas and sones in addition to the Venezuelan array of tonadas, joropos, merengue venezolano, and gaitas. From her dear friend and sister Venezuelan musician, Jackie Rago, Rennea is learning the intricate polyrhythms of the Afro-venezuelan percussion and more.† According to Rennea, "Music indeed changes the world. It unites us all. If we all play music, or sing or participate, there is truly no language barrier. The connection we feel when we play is undeniable. It is a transmitter of what needs to be heard. In a non- confrontational way you put your word and your feelings out there. People will listen and perhaps even unconsciously they will hear something. The wheels are turning, the ground is being prepared, your song is a message to all humanity." On migration, Rennea says, "Migration is something that you either want to do or have to do, and each case is completely different. I came to study in the US. But a large amount of people have come because they are hungry, they are looking for a better life or they arrive as refugees. Otherwise they'd stay home and avoid the hardship and the pain of being separated from their land, their roots and their family. Migration has existed since the beginning of humanity but we have now the added elements of the political borders which prohibits us to move freely" :: Performance :: Saturday, December 10 :: Website ::

Juan Carlos y Jeana Ureña Juan Carlos and Jeana Ureña are a musical duo from Costa Rica who have combined their musical influences to create a unique blend of Caribbean rhythms, and poetic lyrics that talk about love, live, the human condition, and ecological messages. Born in San Jose, Costa Rica, Juan Carlos Ureña began playing music as a child and started his artistic career during his college years. At the age of 17 he traveled to Havana, Cuba, where he represented Costa Rica in his first international concert with nueva canciÛn pioneers Silvio RodrÌguez, Pablo Milanes, Mercedes Sosa and Chico Buarque among others. In 1985, Juan Carlos founded Oveja Negra, which would become one of Costa Rica's most well known bands. Jeana Paul began her studies in art and music as a child. In addition to Costa Rica, she has lived in the United States and Brazil stating that all three cultures have significantly influenced her musical style. The most evident is that of Central America, characterized by a unique combination of Afro-Caribbean rhythms and traditional folk melodies. In 1994 she began to work with Juan Carlos. In 1999 she earned a Ph.D. in Spanish Literature from Texas Tech University. Juan Carlos’ music was included on the Putumayo World Music collection "Music from the Coffee Lands." In all, Juan Carlos has recorded nine albums, four of those with Jeana. They have represented Costa Rica in many music festivals, including Himene Patitifa, the International Music Festival of the Pacific Rim Countries. They have performed their music throughout Latin America, Europe, Russia, Canada, and the United States. Well known in Central America, the Ureñas have created a contemporary and energetic musical style that combines subtle influences from the places they have lived -Costa Rica, the United States and Brazil with Afro-Caribbean rhythms and traditional folk melodies of Central America. With the aim to improve the world through their music, the Urenas' music features lyrics with positive social messages of love, defense of human rights, social justice and ecological protection. Juan Carlos and Jeana share a common goal of making the world a better place with their songs. Their lyrics consist of positive messages from love songs to the defense of human rights, social justice, and the protection of the ecology. Another priority they share is their family. :: Performance :: Saturday, December 10 :: Website :: www.juancarlos.urena.com/