2023 Levitt National Tour
2023 Levitt National Tour
La Santa Cecilia
The 2023 Levitt National Tour presented this exciting GRAMMY-winning band, whose passionate, high-energy blend of cumbia, rock, bolero, bossa nova and more has captivated global audiences.
About the Tour
Reflecting the Foundation’s mission to build community through music, the Levitt National Tour is a collaborative programming effort that celebrates the collective impact of Levitt venues in communities across the country and showcases artists that reflect the diversity of our country. GRAMMY-winning band La Santa Cecilia were this year’s Levitt National Tour headliner. A Los Angeles treasure, they stopped at five Levitt venues throughout the country with their high-energy blend of cumbia, rock, bolero, bossa nova, jazz, tango, and ranchera.
Other Levitt National Tour artists have included the electric blend of pop, soul, and rock and roll from The New Respects (2022), Flor De Toloache (2019) with their dynamic blend of traditional mariachi with elements of jazz, salsa and pop music; Southern rocker Paul Thorn and gospel legends Blind Boys of Alabama (2018); Gulf Coast soul sensation The Suffers (2017); genre-bending violin duo Black Violin (2015) and the world music fusion of Playing For Change (2014).
About La Santa Cecilia
Veterans of stages large and small, GRAMMY-winning La Santa Cecilia fuses elements of cumbia, rock, bolero, bossa nova, jazz, tango, and ranchera into an electrifying and unmistakable signature style.
Named after the patron saint of music, La Santa Cecilia is comprised of singer Marisol “La Marisoul” Hernandez, accordionist and requinto player Jose “Pepe” Carlos, bassist Alex Bendaña, and percussionist Miguel “Oso” Ramirez. Formed 15 years ago, the group got its start performing in public on L.A.’s historic Olvera Street, and soon began turning heads across the city with a soulful, high-energy blend of both Latin and American musical traditions, reflecting its members’ bilingual, multicultural identities.
In 2010, La Santa Cecilia’s debut album Noche y Citas earned a Latin GRAMMY nomination for the single “La Negra,” a lively and playful celebration of Mexico’s Dia de los Muertos tradition. It was soon followed by the group’s mainstream breakthrough, Treinta Dias, which won La Santa Cecilia a GRAMMY Award for Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album in 2014. The album featured the powerful protest anthem, “Ice el Hielo,” which drew widespread attention and praise for its sensitive, nuanced take on the plight of undocumented immigrants.
Quickly establishing a reputation as a colorful, passionate touring act, La Santa Cecilia continued to broaden and diversify its style on follow-up album Someday New. Performances on TBS’ Conan and NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts followed, as did an invitation to perform for an audience including First Lady Michelle Obama at the LULAC Unity Luncheon. 2016’s Buenaventura earned the group yet more GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY nominations, as did 2017’s Amar y Vivir, which saw La Santa Cecilia recording songs in a variety of nontraditional settings across Mexico City, from bars to public parks. The group released its first all-English-language album, the self-titled La Santa Cecilia, in 2019.
Shortly after releasing 2021’s Quiero Verte Feliz, which earned the group its fourth GRAMMY nod, La Santa Cecilia returned to the studio to tackle a two-album project, titled Cuatro Copas: Bohemias en la Finca Altozano, on which the musicians revisit and reinterpret important songs from their youth. Part One of the project was released late last year, including stripped-down, intimate takes on everything from David Bowie to Juan Gabriel. Part Two, featuring a stunning rendition of José José’s “Almohada,” is set for release later this year.
La Santa Cecilia’s songs about love, loss and everyday struggles have sparked collaborations with everyone from Los Lobos and Pepe Aguilar to Elvis Costello and Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones, and the group has recorded songs for films such as Cantinflas, The Book of Life, and Pixar’s Oscar-winning Coco. Having performed at storied venues like the Hollywood Bowl, the Walt Disney Concert Hall and Kennedy Center, as well as major festivals like Los Angeles’ Reventón and Mexico City’s Vive Latino, La Santa Cecilia have also made their name as a fan favorite on Levitt stages, playing unforgettable performances at Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles and dazzling audiences at Levitt Pavilion Arlington and Levitt Pavilion Denver.