Peruvian-born, California-grown composer, vocalist, and charango player Anaís Azul (they/them) will bring their debut album, Simp’ashani: Canciones Trenzadas, to life in its first U.S. live performance at The Reef in Downtown Los Angeles (1933 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90007, 12th floor suite 1240). Doors open at 6:30 PM, with the show beginning at 7:00 PM. In addition to marking the beginning of Anaís’ “Culture Braiding Tour” in the US, this performance also marks the conclusion of Anaís’ CalArts @ The Reef Artist Residency.
Simp’ashani: Canciones Trenzadas is a trilingual (Quechua, Spanish, and English) album that braids together Andean heritage, diasporic longing, and experimental soundscapes. Created during Anaís’s Fulbright U.S. Student Scholarship in Perú, the project reinterprets traditional Andean music through experimental production, weaving in field recordings, interviews, and original compositions. The result is a stunningly honest and vulnerable exploration of migration, identity, and reconnection to Indigenous ancestry.
Joining Anaís on stage are two Peruvian musicians who contributed to the album: Luis Ramirez and RENVOLUCIÓN, whose folk compositions under the moniker of Perrxs del Cerro tell stories of love, struggle, and hope. They are both flying in from Perú to join Anaís on this tour. Additionally, Anaís will be supported by Martin Velez (sound engineer) and Dr. Emilia Moscoso-Borja (percussionist), both fellow CalArts alumni from Latin America who contribute to the pan-andean solidarity emphasized in the performance.
This performance is made possible thanks to the support of the Estímulo Económico para la Circulación de las Artes from the Ministry of Culture of Perú.
About Anaís Azul:
Anaís Azul is a composer, vocalist, and charango player whose work is deeply rooted in decolonization and honoring Indigenous practices. They hold a B.M. in Music Composition and Theory from Boston University and an MFA in Vocal Performance and Composition from the California Institute of the Arts. Currently, they are pursuing a Ph.D. in Digital Composition at UC Riverside. More about anaís can be found at https://anaisazul.com
About the CalArts Reef Residency:
THE REEF a creative habitat is located in downtown Los Angeles on Broadway and Washington, close to the Grand/LATTC Metro station. The CalArts REEF Residency offers a transformative opportunity for recent graduates of CalArts to immerse themselves in creative collaboration and production, providing the space, resources, and community needed to bring ambitious projects to life in the heart of downtown Los Angeles.
