Brava Presents
Our Anthem: El muro es un tumor y la cura nuestras voces
Diana Gameros & Renee Goust in concert
October 8, 2022 at 8:00pm
on Brava’s Main Stage
*Masks are required at all times.
A performance of songs and stories featuring Diana Gameros (Ciudad Juárez, México/San Francisco Bay Area) and Renee Goust (Nogales, México/New York) and special guests for one night of musical reflections on immigration, love and identity.
United by their cultural backgrounds and experiences, Diana and Renee will take the stage to perform original work and songs of the Latin American tradition. Through song, stories, and visual projections they will embark on a journey that celebrates diversity, identity, their connection to the homeland and the shared yearnings of the heart where humanity finds common ground. Reflective, nostalgic, and festive, “Our Anthem'' will highlight the hopes and joys that uplift us even in trying times.
Featuring
Diana Gameros (voice, guitar, piano)
Renee Goust (voice, guitar, piano)
Ayla Davila (bass)
Liliana Herrera (voice)
Natalie John (voice)
Aaron Kierbel (drums, percussion)
TICKETS
Orchestra $35-$45
Mezzanine $25
VIDEOS
Our Anthem - Diana & Renee
Querida Muerte - Renee Goust
En Juárez - Diana Gameros
ABOUT RENEE GOUST
“Renee Goust is a Mexican-American singer-songwriter who is working hard to reframe traditional Mexican music to be more inclusive… She is redefining how traditional Mexican music is heard.”
Mexican-American singer-songwriter Renee Goust (she/they), who was raised on the US-Mexico border, writes songs about the fight for gender equality, LGBTQIA+ experiences, and other social justice issues. In doing so, she seeks to champion identities that have been historically underrepresented in the musical traditions of the Americas. Her songs “La cumbia feminazi” and “Querida muerte (No nos maten)” have become part of the vibrant soundtrack of the feminist struggles in the streets of Latin America. Renee has performed at renowned venues such as Lincoln Center, New York’s Guggenheim Museum, and Mexico City’s El Cantoral, to name a few. She has been featured on outlets such as Billboard, NPR's Latino USA and Spain's El País. Renee Goust has composed original music for short films produced by Disney & WeTransfer. She is part of the organizing committee for Marcha Lencha CDMX, the first trans-inclusive lesbian march in all of Mexico, and is the founder and curator of @RuidoPrieto, a social media outlet that focuses on showcasing the work of independent black and brown musicians. She has collaborated with The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), New York’s Women’s Strike, ExpoDiversidad in Chile, and Queer Pride Marches in New York City, Mexico City, and La Paz, Bolivia, among others. Renee was a guest panelist at Guadalajara's FIMPRO 2021 (International Music Fair for Professionals), where she spoke about LGBTQIA+ diversity and inclusion in the music industry. She was selected as a US Cultural Ambassador for American Music Abroad’s 2021 - 2022 cycle.
ABOUT DIANA GAMEROS
“Diana Gameros’ steady fingerpicking and elegantly simple melody create a calm within the storm, a safe place for big questions and long-ailing wounds that transcend any news cycle. Her voice has a remarkable expressive range. She’s at once strong and breathy — in an instant, wounded and boldly searching.”
Originally from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Diana Gameros has lived and worked in the Bay Area as a singer, songwriter, composer, music instructor and cultural worker for almost 15 years. As an artist at the borderlands between cultures, languages, and genres, Diana's mission is to use music as a platform to bring light to her Mexican and Latino heritage and to expand the conversation around social justice issues especially those involving the immigrant community. As a formerly undocumented immigrant, Gameros’ music often tells stories of family, migration, and home, and has led her to perform with other prominent performers such as Joan Baez, Taylor Mac, Natalia Lafourcade, and the San Francisco Symphony. Gameros has performed and spoken at rallies, caravans, protests, vigils, universities, county jails, juvenile halls, detention centers, hospitals, city halls, and at events for non-profit organizations committed to promote justice. In 2013 she released her first album "Eterno Retorno", a soulful retrospective of her journey as an immigrant, and in 2014 she received the Emerging Leader Award from the Chicana/Latina Foundation for her work in music and social justice activism. Gameros was named one of YBCA's 100 Artists in 2015, for asking the questions and making the provocations that are shaping the future of American culture. In 2017 Gameros released "Arrullo", an album of classic Mexican songs arranged and produced to pay homage to her heritage and homeland. Her songs and story have been featured on NPR, Billboard, Mother Jones, and the PBS Newshour, among others.
Supporting Musicians
Liliana Herrera: Mexican-American singer, cultural worker, and language justice activist, originally from the border town of Mexicali, México, living in San Francisco. Her musical work tells stories of love and migration.
Ayla Avila: a Bay Area native of Guatemalan descent, bassist, instrumentalist, composer, arranger, and one of the busiest bass players in the Bay Area Latin music scene. Ayla has been a founding member of bands such as La Mixta Criolla, Carne Cruda and of Mexican roots ensemble Los Cenzontles.
Aaron Kierbel: one of the most innovative and in-demand drummers in the San Francisco Bay Area; drum instructor, known for his accessible and engaging approach to teaching all ages and skill levels; founder of RhythmALLogy, an organization which uses facilitated group drumming for building connection, community and celebration.