Chile’s Pascuala Ilabaca is considered one of the most prominent talents in Latin America and a leading light in a cohort of exciting young Chilean singer-songwriters who redefined creativity following the dark days of dictator Augusto Pinochet.   An electrifying performer who draws on carnivals and travel as inspiration, Pascuala stands out because of the way she mixes Chilean folk and the spirit of Nueva Canción with jazz, pop, rock and other influences gathered from as far afield as India and Mexico. Nearly always armed with her beloved accordion, and backed by her gifted band Fauna (Juan Nuñez, guitar; Christian Chiang, bass; Jaime Fredes, drums; Klaus Brantmayer, sax and flute), Ilabaca has an incredible voice and a unique stage presence, simultaneously combining sweetness and empowerment; fragility and verve.

Pascuala’s most recent project is “La Curiosidad”: a simple cumbia/salsa style of songwriting that invites us to free ourselves from oppression through drawing upon curiosity as the key to self-determination. With this invitation, she’s hitting the road this summer to tour the United States, Canada (Montreal, London and Kitchener) and Europe. It’s a tenth anniversary celebration of Pascual’s first international tour and a chance for fans to reacquaint themselves with her previous work and discover new material: compositions inspired by popular Latin America festivals with their characteristic accordion and brass sounds, as well as socially committed lyrics championing feminism and social movements.