CAP UCLA Presents Double Bill Of Los Angeles Artists Perla Batalla & Quetzal

UCLA's Center for the Art of Performance (CAP UCLA) presents two essential voices of Los Angeles, the spellbinding singer-songwriter Perla Batalla and the wildly innovative East LA Chicano rock group, Quetzal in Royce Hall on Saturday, April 29 at 8 pm. Ticket prices start at $39 and are available now at cap.ucla.edu, 310-825-2101 and the Royce Hall box office. Become captivated as they share the stage in a rare collaboration, celebrating multiethnic LatinX culture through the unifying power of art and music.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Grammy-nominated Perla Batalla was immersed in music at an early age through her family. Batalla's Mexican father was a mariachi singer and D.J. while her Argentine mother ran the family's bustling record shop, "Discoteca Batalla," where she was exposed to non-stop musical education. Batalla gained international recognition as a back-up singer for Leonard Cohen. She emerged as a powerful solo performer in her own right and is known for her distinctive voice, emotional honesty and culture-merging compositions. Batalla will draw from her vast body of work, including selections from her original, bilingual song cycle, Mestiza, plus inspired arrangements of Spanish language classics and personal favorites from her long-time mentor Leonard Cohen.

Batalla has recorded seven albums, staged two one-woman shows and performed in prestigious venues throughout Europe and North America, including The Sydney Opera House, The Kennedy Center, The Brighton Dome, The Getty Center and hundreds more. Her mission of exposing youth to the beauty of music and Spanish language is ongoing through outreach in under served communities. Perla has been honored with two U.N. awards: The Earth Charter Award for extraordinary devotion to social and economic justice and The Environmental Peace Building Award, advancing social justice through music.

Described as "one of L.A.'s most important bands," by the Los Angeles Times, Grammy Award-winning ensemble Quetzal was founded by Chicano rock guitarist Quetzal Flores and joined by lead singer, percussionist and songwriter Martha Gonzalez. Forging a distinctive, multi-ethnic sound that blends Mexican, Afro-Cuban, rock and jazz influences, Quetzal creates songs that tell musical stories rooted in the complex cultural currents of life in the barrio, social activism and a strong feminist stance. Quetzal will perform songs from their latest album, Puentes Sonoros, an ode to their Jarocho music roots.

Quetzal has graced stages across the US, Canada, Asia and Mexico for nearly 26 years. Recognized by notable institutions such as the Library of Congress and The Kennedy Center, the traveling exhibit "American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music" sponsored by the Smithsonian Institute, featured Quetzal as leaders and innovators of Chicano music. Quetzal continues to model how music, culture, and sociopolitical ideology come together on and off the stage.

The CAP UCLA 2023 spring programs continue on Sunday, April 30 with Dream House Quartet.