Spanish Harlem Orchestra to Perform at 56th annual LA County Holiday Celebration

The Los Angeles County Arts Commission has announced that two-time Grammy Award-winning salsa and Latin jazz band Spanish Harlem Orchestra will be this year's special guest at the L.A. County Holiday Celebration, opening the Emmy Award-winning, 56th annual free 3-hour seasonal spectacular at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at The Music Center on Thursday, December 24 at 3 p.m.

Led by renowned Latin jazz pianist and arranger Oscar Hernández, Spanish Harlem Orchestra is dedicated to sharing the vibrant sounds of New York City Latinos, representing their namesake in NYC's Spanish Harlem. The 13-member band is known for authentic, New York-style salsa and the raw, organic and vintage sounds that define the genre. Spanish Harlem Orchestra's mission is to keep the musical legacy of salsa dura ("hard salsa") alive and to share it with those who love great music. To date, Spanish Harlem Orchestra has produced five albums-their fifth self-titled album was released in 2014.

Other highlights of this year's Holiday Celebration, which will feature 20 music ensembles, choirs and dance companies from the many neighborhoods and cultures of the region, include choral music ensemble Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers performing Negro spirituals a cappella; Invertigo Dance Theatre with a remixed version of "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies"; the 40-member choral group Colburn Children's Choir and Young Men's Ensemble singing "Eatnemen Vuelie" (made famous as the opening song from Frozen); Pacifico Dance Company, performing a folklorico piece from the Chihuahua region of Mexico; Korean-American indie folk-rock band Run River North; Grammy-nominated all-female ensemble Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles; MôForró, which will perform a medley of holiday songs in the style of Brazilian forró; and klezmer revival band Mostly Kosher, marking their first appearance on the program.

PBS SoCal will broadcast Holiday Celebration live on Dec. 24 from 3 p.m. - 6 p.m., and the event will be streamed live at pbssocal.org. The PBS SoCal broadcast repeats on Dec. 24 from 9 p.m. - midnight, and again on Dec. 25 at noon; and on PBS SoCal Plus on Dec. 25 at 3 a.m., 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. and Dec. 26 at 11 a.m.

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