Perla Batalla: Blue House; Hearts on the Outside at CSU Channel Islands

Fri, Apr 29, 2016 at 5:00 PM – Camarillo, CA

Fri, Apr 29, 2016 at 5:00 PM

Event Description

World renowned and Grammy-nominated singer Perla Batalla will be performing on the CSU Channel Islands campus on April 29. Perla is best known for her ten years as a vocalist with Leonard Cohen during which she traveled all over the world while musically supporting Cohen in his concerts.

At 5pm on Friday April 29, Perla Batalla will be leading a performance of Blue House; Hearts on the Outside on the CSU Channel Islands campus. Blue House is a musical dramatic piece that was inspired by the frescos, canvasses and private journals of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Then, after a one-hour break, she will perform an 8pm concert that draws from her Mestiza album and also her work with Leonard Cohen.

In 2011 she was commissioned by LACMA to compose and perform an original composition to celebrate the opening of “In Wonderland: the Adventures of Women Surrealists in Mexico and the U.S.” The following years found her building that spark of an idea into a play, Blue House; Hearts on the Outside, working with David Batteau, her writing partner. This powerful theater piece is inspired by two of the most significant painters of the 20th century: Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.

Critics say:

…Batalla has a glorious, supple voice, with the vocal power to sing the bluesy, Bonnie Raitt-styled „Holy Roses“ and the finesse needed to bring new shadings to Leonard Cohen’s „Bird on a Wire…” – Variety

“…Perla Batalla is the kind of artist Peter Gabriel would fall in love with. Comfortable in both English and Spanish, proud of her mestiza heritage, musically adventurous and accompanied by impeccable performers, Batalla would make a fitting addition to Gabriel’s Real World record label roster…Listen to folky Batalla epics such as „Eternity“ and „Turtle Island“ and you hear a Chicana Joni Mitchell, a gutsier Joan Baez, an idealistic artist…Batalla’s music caresses with its harmonies and gentle rhythms, then draws you in with an unexpected chorus or an unusual melodic resolution. But above all, she is a born storyteller with a rambunctious sense of humor…” – Ernesto Lechner, LA Times

Perla writes, “At a time when art and music are marginalized in the education of youth, I am more than ever committed to educational outreach as I travel throughout the country. Exposing young audiences to the beauty of art, music, and poetry through live theater, may be the only hope we have.”

Following the performance of Blue House, Perla will take an hour break and perform a concert which will feature songs by Leonard Cohen and songs from her Mestiza heritage.

For more information on Perla, please go to www.perla.com

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WhenFriday, April 29, 2016 from 5:00 PM to 6:45 PM (PDT) – Add to CalendarWhere CSU Channel Islands – 1 University Drive Malibu Hall Room 140, Camarillo, CA 93012, United States- View Map