BREVARD -- The concert tour Putumayo Presents Latinas: Women of Latin America will come to Brevard on Thursday, Oct. 28, at the Porter Center for the Performing Arts.

Women have long played an essential role in the music of Latin America. Their voices carry tradition through lullabies sung to sleepy children and tunes brought forth during times of celebration. Now the festivities come to audiences around America as Putumayo World Music stages the diverse music of Latin American women.

The Putumayo Latinas tour will feature three divas representing an exhilarating cross-section of contemporary and traditional Latin American music. Chile's Mariana Montalvo blends her country's traditional music with the lush poetry of nueva cancion, bringing to mind such greats as Victor Jara, Violeta Parra, and Mercedes Sosa.

Toto La Momposina hails from Mompos island in Columbia's Magdalena River, a place where the cultures of Native Indians and escaped African slaves converged.

Belo Velloso comes from Brazil. Growing up in Bahia, where African culture has had a profound impact, Velloso cut her teeth on samba, and bossa nova.

From generation to generation, women have helped serve as the collective memory of Latin American musical culture. While the artists featured on the Putumayo Latinas tour reflect many different styles and histories, they share a connection to local traditions. They all reflect the influences of European, African and Native American cultures that are at the heart of Latin American music. And their voices carry a positive message inspired by the past but grounded in the present.

Putumayo World Music was established in 1993 to introduce people to the music of other cultures.

For more information, visit www.putumayo.com on the Web. For tickets, call the box office at 884-8330.