Raices and Rhythms: Latin America in Australia

Overview

Raices and Rhythms: Latin America in Australia invites audiences into an intimate world where music meets storytelling. Across the night, celebrated Latin American musicians now living in Australia take to the stage in stripped-back acoustic sets, pairing original songs with favourite covers. Sit down with MC Frank Madrid, Canberra's best-known Latin cultural personality, for candid conversations about their inspirations, journeys and lives as artists in Australia.

This special pre-concert to La Fiesta (Canberra's major Latin American festival held the next day at Latin American Plaza) offers a rare chance to encounter the music of Latin America in close-up, away from the big stages and festival crowds. Here, audiences discover the stories behind the music: personal histories, artistic roots, and the ways culture is carried across oceans and made anew in Canberra and beyond.

The night will be bookended by two special percussion performances - opening with a pre-show outdoor performance by Raio De Sol (Canberra's community samba band) and closing with a special collective moment: Colombian percussion roots with Cumbia Rueda lead by Juan Garces, drawing musicians and audience into one final shared rhythm.