Wednesday, June 26, 2019 · 8:30 PM CDT
Rio Mira
4545 N Lincoln Ave · The Myron R. Szold Music & Dance Hall · 773.728.6000
Wednesday, June 26, 2019 · 8:30 PM CDT
4545 N Lincoln Ave · The Myron R. Szold Music & Dance Hall · 773.728.6000
A weekly showcase of world music and dance featuring the best local and touring talent! Most shows are Wednesday nights at 8:00 PM.
Most World Music Wednesday concerts are free with a $10 suggested donation. TO GUARANTEE YOUR ENTRY MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS IN ADVANCE EITHER ONLINE OR BY CALLING THE BOX OFFICE AT 773.728.6000. Reservations unclaimed 10 minutes before showtime will be released to waiting patrons.
Fronted by singer Karla Kanora, Rio Mira is an exciting recording collaboration between artists from neighboring Ecuador and Colombia. Their debut album is produced by Iván Benavides (involved in Latin Grammy-winning groups like Choq Quib Town and Los Giateros de San Jacinto) and Ivis Flies (producer of Latin Grammy-winning social heritage project De Taitas y Mamas) and is guided by the distinctive percussive tones of the marimba, an all-important ingredient of this socially conscious project.
Based out of the coastal town of Esmeraldas in Ecuador, the project organizers are also developing a festival aiming to shift the negative attitudes toward Afro-Ecuadorian music, a multi-pronged initiative channeling the region's UNESCO-recognized musical history. A symbol of the border-spanning, Afro-Pacific identity, the marimba's story is closely intertwined with that of the escaped slaves, known as maroons, who made the region their home from the early 16th century onward. Channeling that history of self-realized liberation, there's a celebratory feeling to the music that's tangible. In the carefully preserved tradition of the marimba, there's a joyous feeling that's infectious.