Famed Jazz Vocalist Magos Herrera and Brooklyn Rider Quartet Perform Latin Classics

Famed Mexican-born jazz vocalist Magos Herrera joins the genre-defying string quartet Brooklyn Rider (Johnny Gandelsman, violin; Colin Jacobsen, violin; Nicholas Cords, viola; and Michael Nicolas, cello), hailed as “the future of chamber music” (Strings), for an unforgettable musical journey reinterpreting Latin classics from their 2018 recording, Dreamers, on Wednesday, October 10, 2019, in the Bram Goldsmith Theater at The Wallis. The album, on Sony Music Masterworks, features a collection of works from the Ibero-American songbook as well as pieces written to texts by Octavio Paz, Rubén Darío and Federico García Lorca and reimagined by such noted arrangers as Jaques Morelenbaum, Gonzalo Grau, Diego Schissi, Guillermo Klein and Brooklyn Rider’s own Colin Jacobsen. These compelling works from Mexico, Cuba, Peru, Chile, Brazil, Argentina and Spain illuminate the essential role poets and songwriters play as dreamers, sharing their faith in humanity and generating hope. NPR hails Dreamers as “a vocally resplendent album, one for the head and the heart.” A Preludes @ The Wallis pre-concert conversation moderated by Classical KUSC’s Brian Lauritzen will be held before the concert with the artists along with a complimentary glass of wine.

Brooklyn Rider, “four classical musicians performing with the energy of young rock stars” (Pittsburg Post-Gazette) showcases its broad and unusual repertoire in gripping performances that attract legions of fans and draw rave reviews from classical, world music and rock critics alike. Founded in 2005, the group has released multiple albums, including Brooklyn Rider Almanac, Spontaneous Symbols, The Fiction Issue, The Impostor with Béla Fleck, and So Many Things with soprano Anne Sofie von Otter, featuring the music of Colin Jacobsen, Caroline Shaw, John Adams, Nico Muhly, Björk, Sting, Kate Bush and Elvis Costello, among others.

Hererra, applauded for her “smoky single-malt voice” (The Boston Globe), is regarded as one of the most expressive singers on the contemporary Latin American jazz scene. Her eloquent vocal improvisation and bold style elegantly transcend cultural boundaries. “Herrera is stretching the very notion of jazz singing, pushing past the diva pleasantries into a sound that’s bold, thrilling and effortlessly global” (NPR).

Dreamers was released by Sony Music in September 2018. Highly acclaimed by critics and audiences, the album rapidly rose to the #1 position on Amazon, the #2 position on iTunes, and the top lists of The New York Times, Billboard Classical, NPR Music, NPR Alt Latino, PRI’s The World, KPCC-FM, and KPFK’s Global Village; the album has been nominated for the international Grammys for Best Arrangement with the song “Niña.”

Tickets, $29 to $59, are on sale now. The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is located at 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills. To purchase tickets and for more information, please call 310-746-4000 or visit TheWallis.org/BR.

About the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts: 

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is a dynamic cultural hub and community resource where local, national and international artists share their artistry with ever-expanding audiences. The campus, located in the heart of Beverly Hills, CA, is committed to robust and distinctive presentations and education programs curated with both creativity and social impact in mind. Distinguished by its eclectic programming that mirrors the diverse landscape of Los Angeles and its location in the entertainment capital of the world, The Wallis has produced and presented more than 275 dance, theater, opera, classical music, cinema and family programs since its doors opened in October 2013. Hailed as “au courant” (LaLa Magazine), The Wallis was lauded by Culture Vulture, which proclaims, “If you love expecting the unexpected in the performing arts, you have to love The Wallis.” Its programming has been nominated for 48 Ovation Awards and seven L.A. Drama Critic's Circle Awards. The campus itself, a breathtaking 70,000-square-foot facility, celebrating the classic and the modern, has garnered six architectural awards. Designed by acclaimed architect Zoltan E. Pali (SPF:architects), the restored building features the original 1933 Beverly Hills Post Office (on the National Register of Historic Places), which serves as the theater's dramatic yet welcoming lobby, and includes the contemporary 500-seat, state-of-the-art Bram Goldsmith Theater; the 150-seat Lovelace Studio Theater; an inviting open-air plaza for family, community and other performances; and GRoW @ The Wallis: A Space for Arts Education, where learning opportunities for all ages and backgrounds abound. Together, these elements embrace the city's history and its future, creating a performing arts destination for L.A.-area visitors and residents alike. The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is led by Chairman of the Board Michael Nemeroff, Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer Rachel Fine and Artistic Director Paul Crewes.