Los Cenzontles Chosen as Artist-in-Residence

Renowned Mexican-American Musical Group Will Participate in Community Service and Cultural Activities

NEW ORLEANS - Preservation Hall Foundation is proud to announce that Los Cenzontles is the latest musical group to join the Artist-in-Residency program this December. 

Preservation Hall Foundation’s Artist-in-Residence program invites artists who work in a wide variety of media, including music, visual arts and dance, to engage with the dynamic Preservation Hall community, allowing for exchange and collaborative relationships to develop within the artist.

“The Preservation Hall Foundation is excited to work with Los Cenzontles,” said Ashley Shabankareh, director of programs at Preservation Hall Foundation.  “From their educational efforts to performing worldwide, this group is a fantastic example of how artists can play a positive impact in their community while staying true to their cultural traditions.”

Los Cenzontles’s residency will take place from Monday, December 10 through Friday, December 14, 2018. Their residence includes performances at the Mexican Cultural Institute at the Mexican Consulate in New Orleans on Wednesday, December 12 at 6 p.m. and a two-set performance starting at 8 p.m. at Preservation Hall on Thursday, December 13. 

“We are thrilled that our first visit to New Orleans is hosted by Preservation Hall, an organization that shares our passion for heritage and community,” said Eugene Rodriguez of Los Cenzontles. “We can’t wait to hear the sounds, eat the food, feel the energy, and meet the people that we have heard so much about.”

Los Cenzontles (Nahuatl for The Mockingbirds) is a Mexican-American group that promotes Mexican roots music through research, performance, education and media production. They are based in the working-class city of San Pablo, California where they form the core of Los Cenzontles Cultural Arts Academy, where the members of the group were trained. Los Cenzontles have revived and promoted little known styles of Mexican regional music since 1989. The group has collaborated with numerous artists that include David Hidalgo, Linda Ronstadt,  Los Lobos, Ry Cooder, Taj Mahal, Jackson Browne, The Chieftains and Flaco Jimenez, among others. Los Cenzontles has produced 30 tradition-based and cross cultural albums, four documentaries, and hundreds of video shorts available on their YouTube channel.