Perla Batalla photo courtesy Caltech
Grammy-nominated vocalist Perla Batalla has quite the career, first gaining international attention as a backing singer for Leonard Cohen. CaltechLive! gives attendees the opportunity to take a glimpse into her life from the comfort of your living room, with “An Afternoon with Perla Batalla” on Sunday, October 18, starting at 3:30 p.m.
As a singer and songwriter, Perla Batalla is known for her rich contralto voice and ability to imbue a wide range of songs – including traditional Mexican ballads, jazz standards, and the work of her mentor – with heart-stopping emotional depth.
Since the Los Angeles-born vocalist launched her solo career with Cohen’s encouragement, she has recorded seven albums, been featured in films and television, and taken her unique sound on tour in some of the most prestigious venues around the world.
“Batalla is comfortable in both English and Spanish, proud of her mestiza heritage, musically adventurous and always accompanied by impeccable performers. above all, she is a born storyteller with a rambunctious sense of humor,” the LA Times once wrote about her.
Batalla was born to a family immersed in music: her father, a Mexican singer and radio personality, and an Argentine mother who ran the bustling record store, called Discoteca Batalla. At the record shop, she was exposed to an education of non-stop music that cut across genre and language. While her far-ranging influences are reflected in the eclectic choices of songs she writes, arranges and performs today, it is that voice that brings each song to a new light.
She tells more on her website, www.perla.com.
On Sunday’s Caltech Live!, longtime colleague Michael Alexander will engage Batalla in a conversation about her musical and professional influences, including the bustling Latino music scene at her mother’s West L.A. record store. She’ll surely talk about the pivotal first meeting with Leonard Cohen, in which a wise sartorial decision set off a decades’ long friendship and launched a successful solo career.
Interspersed with concert footage from 2019, recorded on her last tour before the COVID-19 crisis, the hour-long chat offers many things: a deep dive into the trajectory of a renowned performer, a love letter to LA by a true musical omnivore, and a candid discussion with a prolific artist living through a global pandemic.
This event will be streamed live on the Caltech public programming website, http://events.caltech.edu/onlinenow/AfternoonPerla, with a follow-up Q&A accessible to all via Zoom webinar.
For more information, email the Caltech Ticket Office at events@caltech.edu during regular business hours.
Messages may also be left at (626) 395-4652, but please allow 48 hours for your call to be returned.
Advance reservations are not necessary for this event.
