A concert on Saturday night promises music, religion, art and history all rolled into one. It’s happening at the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, and while performer Azul Barrientos says it will be a night to remember, it’s one you’ll have to experience from home.
“Because of COVID, we want to be safe. So everything is online and on the social platforms. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter,” Barrientos said.
Barrientos is well known for playing and singing songs from Mexico and other Spanish-speaking areas. But she also has a long list of guest players who are also on the bill.
“So Panfilo’s Güera are doing some songs by themselves and I'm also singing with them,” she said. “Texmaniacs, the same thing. And that was really fun.”
“Grupo Tan Tan, they're going to do two songs by themselves as well,” Barrientos said.
In between groups, will be art onscreen by many of the city’s famous artists, and poetry by Amalia Ortiz, Octavio Quintanilla, Carmen Tafolla and others.
“All of them are Tejanos. All of them are from Texas,” Barrientos said. “Most of them are from San Antonio. And we have one artist from El Paso.”
The origins of the night’s music and imagery date back to Mexico’s Indigenous roots, then transcending into its Christian ones.
“It's been an identity image from before the Spanish. So it's powerful and it's everything. It's from motherhood, feminism, social justice. It's a powerful image,” she said.
The 8 p.m. Saturday online performance is free, but donations to the Esperanza are welcome.
“We have poets, we have authors, we have musicians, and it's coming together really nicely,” she said.
