Continuing with the Levitt VIBE Belmont Cragin Music Series’ inaugural season we are pleased to welcome Cecilia Villar Eljuri to our stage at Riis Park on July 13th.
Eljuri is a Latina singer-songwriter with a powerful fusion of rock, reggae and world rhythms, soaring guitars and relevant lyrics (think Manu Chao and Bob Marley via Carlos Santana). Her musical influences include the traditional Ecuadorian pasillos and boleros that her mother composed at the piano at home, the cha-cha and Afro-Cuban music her father played and danced to, the punk and rock & roll she heard when sneaking into NYC clubs with her siblings, and the reggae she learned from the greats who passed through the halls she frequented. Over time Eljuri has developed her own voice and distinctive sound. Strong melodic and guitar driven anthems and rebel cries are her standard. She is an artivist whose bilingual songs are stories about resilience, resistance, civil rights, and saving the planet.
This performance is part of the Eljuri Concerts for Democracy: Amplifying Voices for Social Change, a live concert and workshop series with a focus on helping audience members find and use their voice towards positive change in their lives. The goal of this project is to attract and unite communities through the power of live music, creating an inclusive soundtrack that inspires and empowers people to recognize and use their voice. Before or after the concert, Eljuri offers the bilingual ‘Amplify Your Voice’ interactive workshop in an intimate and safe space.
ABOUT THE ILCC
The International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago is a pan-Latino, nonprofit, multidisciplinary arts organization dedicated to developing, promoting, and increasing awareness of Latino cultures among Latinos and other communities by presenting a wide variety of art forms and education including film, music, dance, visual arts, comedy, theater and culinary arts. The Center prides itself for its outstanding multidisciplinary local and international cultural programming which spans Latin America, Spain, Portugal, and the United States.
Born out of the Chicago Latino Film Festival, The International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago also produces other programs, including the Chicago Latino Music Series, which is celebrating its 18th edition this year; Film in the Parks, also in its 18th season; the monthly Reel Film Club, already in its 16th year; and many others.
All in all, the audience has grown from 500 people in 1985 for the first Chicago Latino Film Festival to more than 70,000 (Latinos and non-Latinos) who enjoy the year-round multidisciplinary cross-cultural exchanges offered by the Center.
ABOUT THE LEVITT FOUNDATION
The Levitt Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building community through music. They partner with communities to activate underused outdoor spaces, creating welcoming, inclusive destinations where the power of free, live music brings people together and invigorates community life.
By providing free outdoor concerts and revitalizing public spaces, the Foundation seeks to create inclusive, vibrant communities where people of all backgrounds can come together to enjoy live music and cultural experiences. For more information, visit www.levitt.org.
ABOUT THE CHICAGO PARK DISTRICT
The Chicago Park District has served Chicago residents for more than 85 years. It is a Gold Medal Award-winning organization, which recognizes excellence in park and recreation management across the nation. For more information about the Chicago Park District’s more than 8,800 acres of parkland, more than 600 parks, 26 miles of lakefront, 12 museums, two world-class conservatories, 16 historic lagoons, over 75 nature areas, thousands of special events, sports and entertai
