¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! (Viva) will open the new year with three free community performances by Grammy-winning band, La Santa Cecilia. The shows will take place on the following dates:
Friday, Jan. 24, 7 p.m. at Isla Vista School, 6875 El Colegio Road, Goleta.
Saturday, Jan. 25, 7 p.m. at Guadalupe City Hall, 918 Obispo St., Guadalupe.
Sunday, Jan. 26, 6 p.m. at Marjorie Luke Theatre, 721 E. Cota St., Santa Barbara.
La Santa Cecilia exemplifies the modern-day creative hybrid of Latin culture, rock and world music. The group draws global inspiration, using Pan-American rhythms including cumbia, bossa-nova, rumba, bolero, tango, jazz and klezmer music.
Named after the patron saint of music, La Santa Cecilia is composed of accordionist and requinto player Jose ‘Pepe’ Carlos, bassist Alex Bendaña, percussionist Miguel ‘Oso’ Ramirez, and vocalist ‘La Marisoul.’
Together, the group sings about love, loss, and everyday struggles, becoming the voice of a new bicultural generation in the United States — immersed in modern music, but always close to their Latin American influences and Mexican heritage.
The Viva program, which highlights Latin America’s cultural heritage, is a collaboration between the Marjorie Luke Theatre, Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center, Isla Vista School Parent Teacher Association, and UCSB Arts & Lectures, serving more than 15,000 students and community members in Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, Goleta, Lompoc, Santa Maria and Guadalupe.
For more about La Santa Cecilia and Viva, visit https://artsandlectures.ucsb.edu/learn/viva-el-arte-de-santa-barbara/.
