Concerts by Brenda K. Starr, Pablo Batista & Los Hermanos Moreno Highlight Three Days of Music, Food & Family Fun
BETHLEHEM, PA–Three days of music, food and family fun including performances by Pablo Batista, Los Hermanos Moreno and Brenda K. Starr & Optimo highlight the 9th Annual ¡Sabor! Latin Festival June 21-23 at SteelStacks. The weekend also features arts and crafts, children’s activities, Latin dance presentations, a traditional Latin Mass and World Cup matches airing on SteelStacks’ outdoor television screens.
Highlighting ¡Sabor! 2019 is a dynamic show on June 22, 7 p.m., in the Musikfest Café presented by Yuengling featuring Brenda K. Starr & Optimo. Presented by La Mega Radio, the performance is a danceable evening of Salsa and Bachata music by one of the most well-known names in the region.
Born and raised in New York, Starr knew from a young age that her passion was to be a singer. She turned that passion into a very successful music career in both the English and Salsa markets. Her hits include the GRAMMY-nominated No. 1 ballad “I Still Believe,” as well as the club/dance smash, “What You See is What You Get.” Tickets for the show, which are $10, go on sale today at noon at www.steelstacks.org and 610-332-3378.
Kicking off ¡Sabor! June 21, 8 p.m., with a free concert at Levitt Pavilion is Pablo Batista’s Latin Jazz Ensemble with special guest Nestor Torres. A master percussionist, Batista has performed, toured and recorded internationally for 30 years with some of the biggest stars in R&B, jazz, Latin, pop and gospel. He has worked alongside the likes of Alicia Keys, Patti Labelle and Kirk Franklin. A drummer of unusually diverse talents, Batista has performed on GRAMMY-winning releases in jazz, gospel and R&B and has been a guest with the Philadelphia Orchestra Percussion Ensemble.
The following evening at 8 p.m., Los Hermanos Moreno take the stage for a free Levitt concert. Formed by brothers William and Nelson, whose music topped Latin charts in the ’90s with singles “Sopa de Pichón” and “Quimbombo,” this group tours around the globe, delighting audiences with its tropical sounds.
Other performers at ¡Sabor! include Herencia Jibara, Lehigh Valley Urban Latin Orchestra, Los Pleneros and Pancho Bongo Y Su Orquestra. The festival also includes delicious food for purchase, a Puerto Rican Flag Raising Ceremony June 22, 3:30 p.m., and a Mariachi Mass by Holy Infancy Catholic Church in the ArtsQuest Center’s Musikfest Café June 23, 10-11 a.m.
A celebration of the region’s Latino culture, ¡Sabor! features live music by local, regional and national musical acts, as well as cultural programming presented by community organizations such as the Hispanic American League of Artists (HALA), Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley, Borinqueneers and Latin American Motorcycle Association. The festival is an outreach program of the ¡Sabor! Cultural Committee, which includes representatives from the region’s Latino community including Hispanic American League of Artists and Panorama.
The ¡Sabor! Latin Festival is made possible thanks to the support of B. Braun Medical Inc., C & S Wholesale Grocers, UPMC For You, USTA Middle States, Service Electric Cable TV and Communications, La Mega Radio and 69 WFMZ TV Noticias Edicion En Español.
For more information, including the complete ¡Sabor! lineup, please visit www.steelstacks.org.
Information and image provided to TVL by:
Mark Demko, ArtsQuest
http://www.artsquest.org/
