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The University of Colorado's annual Miramontes Music and Arts Festival was developed to celebrate the creativity of women in the arts. The event also honors former Associate Vice Chancellor Ofelia Mirmanotes.
The annual fest returns to CU next week, and the event will be highlighted by Tuesday's concert in the Glenn Miller Ballroom. The free show will feature female performers that range from DJ Rekha to indie rockers Eisley.
Program Council Director Justin Greenstein is excited about bringing the Miramontes Festival back to CU, promoting Tuesday's free concert and tying PC's Poetry Slam into the week's activities.
Q: What is the Miramontes Festival?
A: The Miramontes Festival highlights the diversity and contribution of women in music and the arts. It was started to honor Ofelia Miramontes. She was an associate vice chancellor at CU who passed away. The event is a collaboration of several campus groups, and Program Council was really interested in keeping it going for its fourth year.
Q: Why is this an important event for CU
A: India.Arie played the first Miramontes Festival and it was a really great show. We realized the power behind the festival and what it can do. This festival keeps informing people about women in the arts and the direction female artists are taking these days.
Who: Miramontes Music and Arts Festival Concert, featuring DJ Rekha, Eisley and Daniella Cotton
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Glenn Miller Ballroom, University Memorial Center, CU campus, Boulder
Cost: Free
Q: How do you book the musical acts for Miramontes?
A: Typically, we look for acts that have a strong female presence or music that's driven by women. In past years, we've had India.Arie, Paper Bird and Bela Karoli.
Q: What events will Miramontes host this year?
A: There will be feminist theater with Vox Feminista at Old Main on Monday. There will also be a poetry workshop on Wednesday, and Vietnamese fan dancing on Thursday.
We're also going to tie in PC's seventh annual Poetry Slam next Friday. It's open to everyone, but this is the first year that its part of the Miramontes Festival. It's typically a separate event, but we're bringing them together under one umbrella this year. We thought that would be nice.
Q: What's planned for Tuesday's concert?
A: First and foremost, this is a free event. It will offer good music that's diverse and comes from different musical spectrums. Everybody will find something they like. This year, we're bringing in DJ Rekha. She fuses hip-hop with South Asian music.
We also have Eisley. The band features two sisters that play indie-pop rock. They've opened for bands like Coldplay and The Fray. Then, we have Daniella Cotton who plays blues rock. She's from New York and she has a three-piece band.
And we have a surprise guest. We can't announce that yet, but this act has done very well in the Boulder area.
This whole festival is an opportunity for people to experience things they never have before. We're definitely going to continue it next year.
