For Carolina Loyola-Garcia, it’s not everyday that you get to embody one of your icons.
“It’s like somebody asking you to play God,” she says. “It’s like, how do you even start doing that?”
The icon in question is Violeta Parra, a Chilean composer, songwriter, social activist and visual artist known for helping found “Nueva Canción,” or “New Song,” a genre of Latin American music combining the folk genre with socially-conscious lyrics.
Quantum Theatre recounts Parra’s life with “Looking for Violeta,” which runs now until Aug. 25. A sonically colorful retrospective underneath a tent, or peña, in Frick Park — a nod to the singer, who used the traditional gathering place as a place of love and solace for indigenous peoples and the poor — “Looking for Violeta” blurs the lines between play, opera and historical biography. -Amanda Reed, Pittsburgh Current
