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Maria Montalvo, who was born and raised in Chile, will begin her first tour of America on Friday night at the Grand Opera House in Wilmington, Del. She’s on the road with Colombia’s Toto La Momposina and Brazil’s Belo Velloso as part of the "Putumayo Presents Latinas: Women of Latin America" tour.
"This will be a new adventure for me," Montalvo said during a phone interview last week from her home in Paris. "I played only once in America - one show in New York in May 2004."
Montalvo, whose work falls into South America’s "Nueva Cancion" ("new song") category, has just released her third album, "Piel de Aceituna" ("Olive-Skinned") on World Village Records.
"I recorded the album in 2003 in Paris," she said. "I composed most of the songs, but it took me a long time to choose which songs I wanted on the record. For me, ‘feeling’ is much more important than ‘marketability.’
"Nueva Cancion is the mixture of a lot of things. All the songs on the new album can be considered nueva cancion. They are mixtures of different cultures. The song ‘Encuentro’ is special for me because it’s a mixture of folkloric instruments with violins."
Montalvo ended up in Europe when her family moved to Paris in 1973 after dictator Augusto Pinochet overthrew Chile’s then-president, Salvador Allende.
"At the time, I was working at the University of Santiago in programs to help poor people," Montalvo said. "In my heart, it was hard to leave. One week after the coup, (popular singer-songwriter) Victor Jara was killed by Pinochet’s men. That was a big factor in my leaving.
"After the coup, Pinochet closed the universities and there wasn’t any liberty at all. People didn’t have the right to say anything against the military government. There was a curfew and no one was allowed out past 8 p.m. I was young - 21 and a rebel - and I wanted liberty."
Montalvo built a solid career in France as a recording artist and top-flight performer. She also was part of the musical group Machucambos, which had 10 best-selling albums in Europe.
"I performed with Machucambos for 20 years. I learned my job with them," she said. "I learned how to perform onstage. But my roots are always in Chile. Even when I sang French songs - ones written by Jacques Brel or Serge Gainsbourg - I sang in Spanish, not French.
"My biggest influence has always been (Chilean singing legend) Violetta Parra. She’s been my idol. She was a wonderful poet and a wonderful composer. Her music is very deep. I sing a lot of her songs even today."
What: Maria Montalvo in concert
When: Oct. 8, 8 p.m.
Where: Grand Opera House, 818 N. Market St., Wilmington, Del.
Tickets: $22, $24 and $26
Information: 302-652-5577 |
