Doors open at 6:00 pm. Concertgoers should arrive early to eat, drink, shop, and see current exhibitions. While relaxing in the Skirball's hillside courtyard before the concert, enjoy a DJ set.

• 7:00–7:45 pm: La Perla
• 7:45–8:15 pm: Intermission/Changeover
• 8:15–9:30 pm: Meridian Brothers

“La Perla, that powerful ensemble from Bogotá, represent the ultimate Colombian folkloric and contemporary girl power trio.” —Vice 

La Perla is an all-female powerhouse of researchers, singers, and instrumentalists Karen Forero, Giovanna Mogollón, and Diana Sanmiguel, all hailing from Bogotá, Colombia. The group was founded in 2014 after years of individual experience interpreting gaitas, hand drums, and folk singing. In 2015 they won first prize at the Festival de Gaitas de Ovejas—a legendary Gaita contest/festival in Sucre, Colombia—becoming only the second female artists to win in its thirty-year history and the first artists from Bogotá. Two years later they began touring internationally, with a first visit to Mexico and eventually to Chile, the US, and Europe where they have continued to visit with their powerful live show. Inspired by traditional South American folklore and spirituality, La Perla’s sound plays homage to its native roots while challenging the paternalistic status quo. Hypnotic, percussion-forward rhythms are the backdrop for their politically charged lyrics centered on feminism and Indigenous struggles.

Colombian guitarist and composer Eblis Alvarez started Meridian Brothers twenty years ago as a vehicle for his own experimental music. Over the years, the group has evolved into a five-piece band focused on reinterpreting all manners of Latin Tropical styles with a strong psychedelic and experimental sensibility. The Meridian Brothers’ music uses popular Latin American rhythms, augmented by sampling techniques, elaborate effect processing, and Eblis’s quirky and theatrical vocals, which channel imaginary characters with both pathos and humor. Eblis Alvarez has been an intricate part of the new generation of Colombian musicians who have been instrumental in re-inventing Colombia’s rich panoply of tropical styles, bringing them firmly into the twenty-first century, but retaining a sense of fun and celebration that remains essential to the music.

Our popular summertime music series is back for season 28 with more music than ever before! Get together with friends and family to sing and dance to an eclectic lineup of musicians in the Skirball’s picturesque hillside courtyard in the heart of our relaxing, communal oasis.