"Viva Chile"

"Viva Chile"

singer Paula Monsalve with Chilean guitar virtuoso Rodrigo Apablaza
Guest musicians: Nelson Sosa, John Selby, Javier Sausa and Luis Jahn.

FREE ADMISSION

Thursday, May 18 , 7 pm @ Lecture Center B2
750 S. Halsted For more info 312-996-3095

Biography
Paula Monsalve was born and raised in Linares, Chile. Growing up in a family and culture with a strong folk music tradition, she began singing and playing the guitar at age seven. During high school and the university, where she majored in English, she performed alone and in various folk music ensembles. At age twenty-two, she left Chile for Spain to begin her professional singing career.

Performing a Latin American folk and New Song repertoire in the night clubs and coffee houses of Madrid, she captivated the Spanish audiences with her luscious voice and lively, charming style.
While in Europe, she met the Chilean composer and multi-instrumentalist Joakin Bello. During the 1980's Paula became the principal interpreter of his spiritual songs, which are inspired by the world's sacred traditions. During this period they performed scores of concerts in Europe and the Americas. They recorded 3 LP's: Hijo del Planeta (Son of the Planet),1982; Yo Soy (I am),1983; and Se Feliz (Be Happy), 1985.

Since 1984, Paula has lived in Indiana with her North American husband and two children. While balancing the role of mother and singer she has become a true cultural ambassador to the Midwest. Whether performing before elementary school children or university students, or before a church congregation in a small Indiana town or before a sophisticated urban audience, she can transcend any language and cultural barrier. Audiences who have little or no exposure to LatinAmerican music come away delighted by the rich beauty of Paula's voice as she weaves her colorful tapestry of Latin melodies and rhythms. Her 1987 album " Yo Tengo Tantos Hermanos " (I have so many brothers and sisters), is a sampling of her folk repertoire.

During 90's Paula moved into the realm of the bolero- the slow rhythmic and very danceable love song of Afro-Cuban origin. Her album entitled "Solo Boleros" (1994), is the product of a collaboration with her brother Roberto Monsalve, as keyboardist and arranger, and Erich Bulling, as producer, arranger and musician. During 1999 the English version of this album was released under the title "Speak To Me", with Paula interpreting songwriter Brian Braff 's new Bolero-inspired lyrics.
In 1996 Paula took her Latin folk and ballad repertoire to the concert hall venue as guest soloist with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra. This concert was such a hit that Richmond invited her back again to do the Valentine's Day concert in 1998. Both times, Paula was accompanied by her brother, Roberto, at the piano, and by Rodrigo Apablaza on the guitar.

For the year 2000 Paula has taken her career to new heights with the release of her latest album, Concierto, at her highly acclaimed "Latin American Pops" concert with the Anderson Symphony Orchestra. The Concierto album is a recording of the music performed in Paula's symphonic concerts, with Roberto Monsalve, pianist, Rodrigo Apablaza, guitarist/arranger, and musicians from the Santiago (Chile) Symphony Orchestra.


RODRIGO APABLAZA was born in Viña del Mar, Chile. He studied at the music Conservatory of the University of Chile (1970 to 1977), in later at the Berklee School of Music in Boston (1978-1981). Rodrigo is one of the most talented and sought-after guitarist/arrangers in Chile. For the past 20 years he has worked on a wide variety of projects and settings. These include recordings of Raúl de Blasio, Jorge Caraccioli and Cecilia Echeñique. He has been the director, guitarist and arranger for the Viña del Mar Orchestra, and founded the Big Band for the University of Valparaiso. He has been Musical Director in TV productions and composed numerous things for Television. In 1990 he won the prize for "Best Orchestral Arrangements" at the Interamericana Television Organization Festival (OTI). During 1995 Rodrigo acompanied Isabel Parra in the Brunswick Music Festival in Melbourne, Australia. Rodrigo was the person Paula contacted when she needed someone to take on the monumental task of composing and writing the Orchestral arrangements for her first Richmond Shymphony Orchestra Concert in 1996. He then helped give life to these arrangements by working with the conductors and playing the guitar in both RSO concerts. Most recently from his home in Chile, Rodrigo has directed the recording of Paula's "Concierto" Album.