Una Flor, un canto y una poesia
Performance: Friday, December 5, 2008

Nancy y Elizabeth Esteva, are two sisters born in Tehuantepec, Oaxaca. Known as the troubadours of Mission Streets.
Since they arrived to San Francisco they have been singing and saying poetry to the community expressing their feelings and showing their cultural proud.Una flor, un canto y una poesía have participated in important festivals such as Teamjavi, Napa Valley Barbecue Festival, and others.Nancy y Elizabeth are also composers who will sing in Spanish and Zapoteco, one of the Oaxaca indigenous language.

Pasion Habanera
Performance: Friday, December 5, 2008

Thin group promotes the traditional Saloon Music from Cuba from the classical colonial back yard in Havana. They will play traditional songs from the trova cubana and also boleros from the 50’s. Their music reflects the life style of Cuba in that time.
Pasión Habanera members are Antonio Gonzales, Ivan Camblor, Cristopher Kelday y the amazing voice  of Sulkari Valverde.

SuriManta
Performance: Friday, December 5, 2008

Inspiring, innovative high energy music and dance from the Andean super group SuriManta. The power-folk sound of the Bolivian pan-pipes fused with charango, guitar, drums and percussion and the extraordinary dance from Renacer Folklorico Bolivia, trancends cultural barriers.
SuriManta is a collaboration of members of renown Bolivian groups Savia Andina and Sol Simiente Sur, and Sukay, one the most recognized Andean groups in USA. Eddy Navia  is the Artistic Director,  born in Potosí– Bolivia, composer and one of the greatest exponents and master virtuosos of the charango, a traditional Bolivian stringed instrument. He was a founding member of the famous Bolivian group Savia Andina. 
Quentin Howard Navia is the Executive Director. Quentin has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall and The Smithsonian Institute. Gabriel Navia  plays the Charango, guitar, pan-pipes, kena. At just 12 years old, Gabriel began performing professionally the guitar and charango with the maturity and confidence of an experienced master. Fernando de Sanjines plays drum set, bombo, percusión born in La Paz Bolivia, Fernando grew up playing rock, jazz and Bolivian music. In 1976 he recorded “Jazz a 4000 metros de Alturaâ” with Bolivian jazz pioneer Johnny Gonzales. Fernando has also recorded an album with Sol Simiente Sur. Miguel Sisniegas is a Peruvian virtuoso on the indigenous wind instruments including the kena, siku, kenacho, and rondador. He toured the United States for several years with Sukay and brings an Andean folk elegance to SuriManta.

Liliana Herrera
Performance: Saturday, December 6, 2008

Liliana Herrera was born into a musical family lightheartedly referred as, “The Mexican VanTrapps," or “the Latino Partridge Family.”  A native of California’s desert border (and china poblana attire), she conveys her bicultural spirit through song and satire in many idioms.
Her mélange of collaborators include some of the Bay Area’s finest musicians- Ayla Davila, Camilo Landau, and Rafael Herrera.

Futuro Picante
Performance: Saturday, December 6, 2008

Futuro Picante started in 2003 comprised of over 15 members between 9- 17 years old. They play different instruments from the trumpet, to trombone, congas, bass, with some dynamic vocalists. The band directors are Jose León and Miguel Govea with assistant instructor Sergio Durán. They hope to carry on the traditions laid down by the likes of Tito Puente, Pérez Prado, and Willie Colón. The group has become a heartwarming symbol of the positive direction our community's youth can take with the right guidance and support from local elders.

Rupa and the April Fishes
Performance: Saturday, December 6, 2008

Rupa & the April Fishes create music that defies easy categorization. Their debut album, eXtraOrdinary rendition, echoes with influences of French chanson, Argentinean tango, Gypsy swing, American folk, Latin cumbias, and even Indian ragas. Rupa & the April Fishes is led by Rupa a young woman of Indian heritage whose nomadic upbringing and dual life as a musician and doctor has led her to explore issues of identity, borders, and the vagaries of life, love and death. Ed Baskerville (cello) Ed brings his classical chamber music roots and quirky improvisational intuitions into the musico-linguistic stew generated by his fellow players. Marcus Cohen (trumpet) His playing style derives from primarily a jazz background. Marcus attended a magnet school for music and academics in Philadelphia where he began his trumpet adventures. Isabel Douglass (accordion) Isabel Douglass performs on accordion in a variety of styles including tango, French musette, Balkan dance styles, klezmer, early jazz, and experimental music. Aaron Kierbel (drums) enjoys finding music in everyday objects, such as old-fashioned egg-beaters and typewriters and incorporating them into his traditional drum set. This has earned him the title of "contraptionist" in the band.
Safa Shokrai (upright bass) began playing music at the age of 9. Starting out on cello, he soon decided that rock/jazz stardom was for him and switched to the upright bass. Pawel Walerowski (cello) is originally from Poland. He was formally trained in his native country and graduated from the Conservatory in Poznan in Cello Performance.

Donald E. Lacy
Encuentro del Canto Popular Emcee

Donald E. Lacy, Jr. holds a B. A. Degree in Theater
Arts, (with a film minor). Donald Lacy is one of the funniest comedians in the country. He was the first runner-up in the "1993 Bay Area Black Comedy Competition". He tours regularly across the U. S. and around the world as a headliner, from Chicago, to Kaiserslautern in Germany. He
has been seen on BET's "Comic View and on HBO's "Def Comedy Jam". He has 2 comedy CD's Uncensored & Free Speech Costs Plenty. Mr. Lacy spent his Thanksgiving holiday in 2001 entertaining the troops abroad in a Far East tour that included; Japan, Okinawa, Korea, Singapore, & Diego Garcia. He returned on the same tour in 2004.A committed radio broadcaster since 1979, Donald is a weekly announcer on KPOO 89.5 F.M. and on KPFA 94.1 F.M. for 3 years. Mr. Lacy produced, directed and performed segments of Radio Theater for both radio stations. Donald was selected Best of the Bay Area radioTalk Show Host 2003 by The East Bay Express newspaper. Mr. Lacy was the 2003 Magic Award recipient for his work with the LoveLife Foundation. And he was recognized by Congresswoman Barbara Lee from the floor of Congress in 2000. He was also a 2002 nominee for 10 most influential African Americans in The Bay Area by City Flight magazine.