La Luna Nueva  — Miracle Theatre Group’s festival of Hispanic arts and culture from around the world in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month — opens in just a couple of weeks, and we couldn’t be more excited about the diverse line-up (see the whole schedule in English; vea el horario completo en español).  Our Marketing Assistant Stefanus Gunawan continues his look backstage visits with our guest artists, offering an inside look at their life, their passion, their art.  Here, guest blogger Stefanus Gunawan chats with singer/songwriter Edna Vazquez.

In her Luna Nueva festival show, Edna Vazquez, originally from Colima, Mexico, is a rising star, a remarkable singer/songwriter, guitarist and member of Los Palmeros Mariachi band.  Returning to La Luna Nueva festival for her third year, Edna’s velvety voice, fiery acoustic guitar, and generous spirit will resonate with each new song she plays — all original compositions.  Special guest artists will join Edna onstage for an evening filled with canciones y compañerismo at Milagro on Sept. 27 at 8 p.m.  Disfrute, escuche, y relájese to Edna Vazquez & Friends

What songs will you sing in the show?
The songs are going to be various genres, but all acoustic.  I will have 4 to 5 musicians joining me to sing and play as a jam to decor with arrangements of 3 songs from 3 new and different friends and composers.  Also, there will be covers from Mexican folk music from the 20s, one of those songs will be one that has been used by Chavela Vargas and María Luisa Landín.

What has been your greatest motivation to keep on singing?
My greatest motivation to keep singing is to sing and create music, passionately, all genres that come to me and what I feel at that moment.  A lot of musicians have told me I should choose one single genre to make it big as if they think that something is stopping me for not having the success that I could have; they have a perception of success as singer, musician, or artist.  In my world, all what I do, I respect a lot.  I do it and give it as it comes.  I have multiple faces making music because that is my essence, and I accept it with love and joy, since that’s what makes me so happy every day.  For my experience, every time I do something I don’t want to do in music, I have a feeling of dissatisfaction at the end, hence, my priority is to listen to the voice inside, and indeed, that has given me the happiness and success I NEED from music and my audience.

Speaking of the show, what enables you to connect to the music while you are in front of the audience?  
The connection comes when each word of the lyrics, each note means something, when I give what I’ve been through shamelessly and with love.  More than one in the audience stops to listen because they may identify themselves in that same level of mercy through life.  Basically when we surrender, we listen to ourselves, and notice we have a deeper wisdom in us.

What would you hope for the audience to feel after watching your performance?
I would love for the public to get the message inside the lyrics!  I would love the public to start doing and believing the amazing being we are as humans!  Also, how amazing it is to believe in ourselves, in our positive creations.  I hope the public sees in themselves the need of letting out their creativity and divine to motivate themselves to GIVE and LOVE!  I hope they will feel FREE through my music like I do.

This year’s La Luna Nueva festival is made possible with the support of PGE Foundation, The Oregonian, Oregon Arts Commission, Regional Arts & Culture Council and Work for Art.  Festival events occur September 14-29, 2012 at El Centro Milagro, 525 SE Stark Street, Portland, Oregon 97214; a complete schedule is available here. Admission varies; several events are FREE. Purchase tickets at 503-236-7253 or www.milagro.org (follow links for “La Luna Nueva” in right-hand sidebar).