Sonia de los Santos, a Parents’ Choice Gold Award winner, brings her national tour to Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 17, for a FREE concert of Latin children’s music. Her songs express her personal journey from Monterrey, Mexico, to the United States, and the experiences of learning a new culture as well as furthering her knowledge of her own heritage. De los Santos is a veteran performer, having kickstarted her career by touring with nationally renown — and frequent Krannert visitor — Dan Zanes. “Back in 2007 the first tour I ever did with Dan was at the Krannert Center,” she said. “It has a very special place in my heart.” Check out some of Sonia’s performances.
Check out our recent conversation with Sonia:
Q: You’ve talked about how your experiences in this country have given you a greater appreciation for your own heritage. Can you speak to that?
A: My whole insight into this part of my culture started when I joined Dan’s band in 2007. He was looking for someone who could sing in English and Spanish but preferably someone whose Spanish was their native language. Soon after I started touring with him, I saw how everyone in the band was sharing a little bit of where they came from. And I realized as much as I thought I knew about Mexican music and how I grew up, I started being more excited about having something more meaningful to share with the rest of my colleagues and ultimately the audience. So I started exploring the Mexican traditions and different kinds of music. I went to Veracruz, Mexico and got a jarana, which is the instrument you’ll see me play. It’s a little Mexican guitar. Once I started seeing that what I was sharing with everybody else, I was like, ‘Wow, maybe this is important.’ I didn’t realize how important it was for me to know something like that and to be able to share it. I always joke that I’m more Mexican here than I am in Mexico. I grew up very close to the border in Texas. Monterrey is a very Americanized city, a big industrial city. I started learning a wider range of Mexican music.
Q: What year did you immigrate to the U.S. and what prompted it?
A: First I came to study musical theater at Circle in the Square Theatre School in the summer of 2005 after graduating from college in Monterrey. I really wanted to experience New York and had been doing musical theater in Monterrey. Then I got some opportunities in a theater company here and they sponsored my artist visa in 2006. Then I met Dan. I got a random call because I was signed up with an organization of Latino actors in New York City. I had listed basic acoustic guitar skills in my resume and someone recommended me to Dan’s manager. I had no idea who Dan Zanes was. He had just won a Grammy.
Q: In what ways are you and Dan kindred spirits in a musical sense?
A: Good question. Everything I’ve learned from music-making, from community music-making, I’ve learned from him, my mentor. I really like the way he sees the world. He’s very open to learning about everyone he encounters — (whether it is) a musical moment or not. He’s the guy who walks down the street and says hi, by being open. I identified with him on that. He’s very curious about music, and the world, and that’s how I feel. I think I learned that from him. The first five or six years of touring with Dan, everywhere he went he made an incredible effort about reaching out to local musicians and bring them in — to see what we could learn from them and what they could learn from us.
Q: Given the political climate we’re in, do you feel your music is especially important right now in terms of understanding and bridging cultures?
A: Of course. Thank you for asking. Everything I do — even if you think there are songs that have no political inclination or hard message — they’re there because they talk about inclusion. Or they might be in Spanish. I want people to know it’s OK to sing in another language, for kids to feel proud of who they are. It’s a good time to be proud of who we are and to make sure we express our cultural identity any way we can. My way of doing it is with music. So it’s very important to me and I want to send the message out about possibilities. I’ve been starting my shows with the bilingual version of This Land is Your Land. I do realize we are in a very privileged position right now being able to talk to many young minds and their families.