From Mexico/the United States, Lila Downs

With “a stunning voice, a confident multicultural vision grounded in her Mixtec Indian roots” (Los Angeles Times), Grammy- and Latin Grammy-winning vocalist Lila Downs is one of the most celebrated artists of her generation. She brings a special night of music to Symphony Center, celebrating Día de los Muertos, Mexico’s Day of the Dead and her latest album, “La Sánchez” (2023), featuring folkloric dancing, a mariachi band, stunning thematic visual projections and more.

Born in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, Downs forged a career bridging cultures and languages, both as a musician and social activist for humanitarian causes. Growing up as the daughter of a Mixtec singer and a renowned American photographer and professor, Downs blends a deep passion for the traditions of her homeland with an ingrained sense of wanderlust.

With guidance from her mother and inspired by Mexican vocal greats Chavela Vargas and Lucha Villa, balanced by the gamut of American music she heard in the States, Downs began singing rancheras at 8 and explored the indigenous music of the Mixtec and Zapotec cultures of Oaxaca. Her contributions to the 2002 Frida Kahlo biopic “Frida” (2002), directed by Julie Taymor, elevated her the status of an international star.

Downs has become recognized worldwide as a global ambassador for Mexico’s folkloric traditions and champion for the preservation of native Mexican culture, recording songs in indigenous Mayan, Nahuatl, Trique and Purépecha languages. Her album “La Sánchez” is influenced by the music of northern Mexico and is a tribute to the maternal influence and the vicissitudes of personal and social relationships.

Lila Downs, accompanied by the Mexican Folkloric Dance Company of Chicago, offers a Día de los Muertos-themed performance in an SCP Special Concert on Oct. 27.