Featuring Selections from Batalla’s Mestiza Song Cycle,
Leonard Cohen Tribute Album Bird on the Wire,
New Work, and More (In Spanish & English)
o

LOS ANGELES, CA – February 20, 2014 – Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz (TRK), the performance space at Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles, is pleased to present vocalist-composer Perla Batalla In Concert, featuring pianist Karen Hammack and special guest comedy actor-writer Rick Batalla (Perla’s brother, founding member of the Troubadour Theater Company), on Saturday, March 1, 2014. Deftly moving through musical genres, the Grammy-nominated Perla Batalla will perform a variety of classic and original material, in both English and Spanish, including selections from her award-winning Mestiza song cycle; the Grammy-nominated Leonard Cohen tribute album, Bird on the Wire; as well as her own unique take on the Great American Songbook. As an added treat, Batalla will also feature new collaborative compositions and work-in-progress from her upcoming one-woman show inspired by the work and words of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, Blue House. The performance starts at 7:30pm and will take place at Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz, 10361 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90064 (310-286-0553). Admission is $35 for adults and $25 for students. Tickets can be purchased here. For information about Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz, please visit www.theatreraymondkabbaz.com.

Perla Batalla was born in Los Angeles, CA. Her musician father owned a popular Spanish language record store. She first gained international attention as a backup singer for Leonard Cohen, who later encouraged Batalla to embark on a solo career. Batalla released her debut album, Perla Batalla, on the Warner/Discovery label in 1994 to critical success. She released her second album, Mestiza (which translates to mixed blood), in 1998 on her own Mechuda Music label. Heaven and Earth followed in 2000. Mestiza and Heaven and Earth, both co-written with David Batteau, offer a vision of a vibrant culture still nourished and inhabited by mysticism, imagery, magic, and myth.

Discoteca Batalla (2002), an homage to her parents’ record shop of the same name, is a compilation of original compositions interspersed with traditional Spanish language classics, arranged to reflect Batalla’s rich bi-cultural personal and musical heritage. Since its release, the album appeared on a number of “best of” lists throughout the U.S. In 2004, Batalla was invited by The Kennedy Center to perform songs from the album as an artist in residence. Batalla’s 2007 Grammy-nominated tribute to Cohen, Bird on the Wire, features a number of world class musicians, including David Hidalgo of Los Lobos, Bill Gable, Vinnie Colaiuta, and Greg Leisz. Sold out performances at UCLA’s Royce Hall marked the album’s release.

Batalla also appeared in the Cohen tribute, I’m Your Man, a concert film that also featured Rufus Wainwright, Nick Cave, Beth Orton, Antony Hegerty, Teddy and Linda Thompson, and Jarvis Cocker. Her next release, Gracias a la Vida, is an anthology of traditional South American songs inspired by a heart-awakening trip Batalla took to Buenos Aires to meet her Argentine family for the first time. In 2009, she was the recipient of the United Nations Earth Charter Award for extraordinary devotion to social and economic justice. The following year, at the New Mexico Border Book Festival, she was given their Premio Fronterizo Award for “healing work in the world.”

In 2011, Batalla was commissioned by LACMA to compose and perform an original composition to celebrate the opening of In Wonderland: The Adventures of Women Surrealists in Mexico and the U.S. Building on this spark, Batalla has spent the following years working with her songwriting partner, Batteau, developing the idea into a full-length theatrical concert, Blue House. This original song cycle is inspired by the frescos, canvases, and private journals of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. In 2012, Batalla released a piano-vocal duet jazz album, Lazy Afternoon, featuring jazz artist Karen Hammack. She is also currently working in the studio on a new release. Batalla lives near Ojai with her husband Claud Mann (Dinner & a Movie).

Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz –
Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz (TRK) is a non-profit institution dedicated to the promotion of art and culture in the West Los Angeles area. This 220-seat theater welcomes multidisciplinary and multicultural shows. TRK’s mission is to be an open window on French and international cultures and to inspire and sustain a lifelong appreciation for the arts.

Links –
• Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz – http://www.theatreraymondkabbaz.com
• Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz Event Page – http://www.theatreraymondkabbaz.com/2013/04/11/perla-batalla
• Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Theatre-Raymond- Kabbaz/43864706321
• Facebook Event Page – https://www.facebook.com/events/410753865735112

#              #              #

For more information, photos, to schedule an interview, or to request complimentary tickets, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Tejada at 213-840-1201 or lynn@greengalactic.com.

Perla Batalla
(photo courtesy of the artist)