LATINO ARTS NETWORK of California
For Immediate Release March 7, 2012 Media Contact: Rebecca Nevarez (626)692-6560 info@latinoarts.net (Berkeley, CA) Whether she’s teaching at Oakland elementary schools, performing Latin American music for children and families in Berkeley, or traveling internationally with the La Peña Community Chorus, Elizabeth “Lichi” Fuentes continues to make a significant impact on her community through her music. The Chilean-born, Bay Area-based singer, songwriter and activist is one of a small group of Californians recently selected to receive The Maestro Award from the Latino Arts Network of California. The Maestros Award, instigated by the Latino Arts Network (LAN) and supported by the California Arts Council, is an effort to recognize unsung neighborhood heroes--artists and cultural workers who have been working in their communities over years, serving the public through their endeavors in arts and culture. “We hope this modest award helps the California public understand that there are a legion of good people like Lichi who have dedicated their life work to making music, art and culture important in the daily lives of the people they impact and make our state a better place to live,” says Executive Director of LAN, Rebecca Nevarez. Growing up in San Fernando, Chile the youngest of seven children, Elizabeth “Lichi” Fuentes was always surrounded by musicians and first began playing guitar at age five. She attended the University of Chile Music School in Santiago where she studied voice, guitar, and music theory and also formed Conjunto Amanda, the first all-women ensemble in Chile and Conjunto Araucaria, both performing “Nueva Canción” (a Latin American movement and genre of folk-inspired and socially committed music). She came to Berkeley in 1980 and began performing with Grupo Raiz, a Latin American New Song ensemble. The group toured nationally and internationally and produced three recordings (currently available through the Smithsonian). She has since formed the allfemale quartet Altazor and cofounded the duo Colibri that performs Latin American music for children/families. Colibri has recorded two CDs, titled En el Lejano Bosque and Papaloapan (River of Butterflies) and are both available online at CdBaby or www.colibrimusic.com. Fuentes’ most recent CD is titled, Quien Soy (Who I Am), produced by Wayne Wallace and recorded by Hugo Wainzinger. It includes 13 tracks available online at CD Baby or www.lichifuentes.com.
-2“It is so satisfying to me to able to teach music, travel and perform,” admits Fuentes. Besides teaching in the public schools, she also leads La Peña Community Chorus. Under her direction, the group has performed on several international tours to Cuba, Mexico, and Peru, Chile, Uruguay and Argentina. La Peña Community Chorus has also recorded two CDs titled, Recordamos and Siguiendo el Camino, both available at www.lapenachorus.org. Paul Chin of La Peña Cultural Center in Berkeley says, “Lichi has been inspiration to us at La Peña and has especially encouraged women to become more proactive in the music field. Likewise her knowledge of Latin American music has inspired others to learn about the folkloric traditions of Latin America and the New Latin American Song genre that infuses traditional music with contemporary lyrics. Throughout the years, she has provided La Peña with invaluable artistic curatorial advice...” The Latino Arts Network (LAN) is a nonprofit statewide organization that is dedicated to strengthening and promoting California’s Latino Arts. LAN will continue its partnership with both the California Arts Council and SINO Tequila in 2012 to identify and honor individuals who are masters of cultural practice working in communities throughout California. The $500 individual prize was designed to recognize artists and cultural workers who have demonstrated a commitment to community-based work and/or who have distinguished themselves as Masters in their field.
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The LAN MAESTRO Prize is made possible with generous support from the California Arts Council and Sino Tequila.