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Musician Juan Díes to speak on Mexican-American culture March 17 at CSB
March 4, 2010
Juan Díes, director of the Grammy-nominated Chicago folk music group Sones de México Ensemble, speaks at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 17 at Alumnae Hall, Haehn Campus Center, College of Saint Benedict.
He will speak on "Sones de México Ensemble and the Politics of Representation." In his presentation, Díes will discuss how Sones de México Ensemble represents Mexican culture, and their relationship to ever-evolving U.S./Latino musical traditions and mainstream U.S. identity. He will also describe the struggle for Mexican-Americans and Mexican-American culture to define the legitimacy and richness of their contributions to life in the United States.
The speech, which will be presented in English and some Spanish (Díes will translate himself), is free and open to the public.
Sones de México Ensemble was nominated for a Latin Grammy for Best Folk Album of 2007 for its disc, Esta Tierra Es Tuya (This Land is Your Land). It was also nominated for a Grammy for Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album of the year.
The ensemble was formed in 1994 by Díes and Victor Pichardo to keep the tradition of Mexican son alive in its many regional forms - true to its roots and old masters, yet current and fresh at the same time. In Mexico, son is a term used to define a large family of regional music and dance styles. Each region has its own brand of son, each with its own repertoire, instruments and dancing and singing style.
Sones de México Ensemble moves "seamlessly between styles and instruments, playing with rock-n-roll energy without sacrificing cultural authenticity," the Chicago Tribune newspaper wrote in a review.
The ensemble is also committed to teaching, reaching out to young and old with many of its educational programs nationwide.
Díes' presentation is part of the Latino/Latin America Studies spring semester series at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University on Latino popular culture and identity in the United States. Díes will serve as artist in residence from March 16-18 while at CSB and SJU.