Memory and Return
Debut Concert and Vinyl Album Release Featuring David Hidalgo (Los Lobos) and Members of Quetzal
A Visions and Voices Signature Event

ADMISSION:
Admission is free. 

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DESCRIPTION:
“Beautifully conceived and masterfully executed.”—George Lipsitz, UCSB professor and author

Produced and curated by Grammy Award–winning artist and producer Quetzal Flores and composed in the heart of East Los Angeles by members of Quetzal and David Hidalgo of Los Lobos, Memory and Return is a groundbreaking new album and stirring tribute to the people and cultures of the historic neighborhood. It features lyrics, music, memories, and observations by four generations of artists sharing their experiences, perceptions, and reflections of growing up in East L.A., spanning from the 1930s to the present.

The debut performance will showcase the melodic, rhythmic, and lyrical brilliance of musicians David Hidalgo (Los Lobos), Martha Gonzalez (Quetzal), Juan Perez (Quetzal), Rocio Marron*, Sandino Gonzalez-Flores (Quetzal), Ofelia Esparza (NEA National Heritage Fellow), Rosanna Esparza Ahrens (Tonalli Studio), Rene Camacho, and Jose Perez, who will weave a testament to East L.A. through live music and projected images and film.

Following the concert, USC Vice Provost for the Arts Josh Kun will moderate an intergenerational dialogue with artists, cultural theorists, and L.A. historians exploring the sonic landscape and memory work that informed the album. The panel is supported in part by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in partnership locally with Great Leap, Inc. 

*Violinist and USC Thornton alum Rocio Marron will substitute for Quetzal’s Tylana Enomoto.

Presented by USC Visions and Voices in partnership with the USC Thornton School of Music, Great Leap, Inc., and the MacArthur Foundation.