I attended a wonderful concert at Mel Lastman Square this Sunday to raise money for earthquake relief in Peru. The music ranged from jazz to contemporary, traditional to pop. Many performers were local, others flew into Toronto specifically for the benefit. The concert was arranged by unidos-por-peru.com/. There are articles about the concert in Spanish at Correo Canadiense or Torontohispano (which has photos and a handy translate-to-English button). You can still give International or Canadian relief to the victims of the earthquake.
Mel Lastman square held hundreds of people enjoying the music, dancers and typical Peruvian foods. I enjoyed trying to order in Spanish (even though the volunteers spoke English!). As you can see, my motives were not entirely pure. It was a great chance to combine Spanish immersion with a fun family outing.
Peru, Chile, Mexico, Bolivia were represented by traditional dance troupes. Folklore Inka had the most unusual costumes, with long sleeves that could be waved like flags.
Of the groups listed on the program, I especially enjoyed the Tequila Band, Somos Peru, De Rompe y Raja, Manuel Cardenas, Rosario Arce, Grupo Difusion, Grupo Pisco, Grupo Placaso and Alex Bello, with his hit “Sin Ti.” It was a moving end to a talent-filled concert ‘marathon.’
Sounds like an amazing way to raise money for such a worthwhile cause.
Btw, tagged you for a meme. 🙂 Feel free to ignore if you don’t feel like participating!