Get ready for an unforgettable night as Acción Latina proudly presents the 43rd annual Encuentro del Canto Popular!

Join us at The Chapel, 777 Valencia Street, San Francisco, on December 8, 2024, for a spectacular evening of music and culture.

This year’s headliner is none other than San Francisco’s own multi-instrumentalist sensation, La Doña!

Don’t miss this incredible celebration of Latinx music and community!

La Doña is a solo artist, music educator, activist and cultural worker from San Francisco, CA. La Doña, born Cecilia Cassandra Peña-Govea began her career at age seven playing trumpet, strings and percussion in her family’s conjunto. She is a student, teacher and preservationist of Latinx traditional arts like corrido, bolero, cumbia, and mariachi. In her compositions, she combines these ancestral traditions with contemporary diasporic musics like reggaeton, hip-hop and jazz. La Doña’s live performances are grounded in ceremony and social mobilization; she and her audiences sing, dance, cry and chant together, for collective healing and political action.

Inti mystica is a captivating Latin experimental fusion band that pushes the boundaries of musical genres, creating a unique and mesmerizing sonic experience. Their innovative compositions and lyrics blend elements of traditional Latin rhythms with modern electronic sounds, Hip Hop, and rock influences. 

Bululú is a dynamic Latin music band known for their original repertoire that delves into the rich influences of Venezuela and the Caribbean. Their performances encompass an exciting mix of styles, ranging from calypso and salsa to cumbia, son, boogaloo, bachata, and more. Bululú stands out through its diverse identity, inclusive LGBTQ+ community, and a majority of female band members. Led by Venezuelan-born percussionist Lali Mejia, the band delivers a fun and vibrant show with their top tier San Francisco Bay Area ensemble.

María José Montijo’s debut album, Esotérica Tropical (2022), bears a deep bomba influence, both in its rhythms and collaborative nature. Conceived as a love letter to Puerto Rico from the diaspora. The result is an album full of healing songs meant to nourish and replenish us from constant oppression and the intergenerational wounds of colonization –a soundtrack for liberatory practices and joyous moods; a space for ritual and ceremony through song and dance.

AGANA, is an internationally acclaimed multi-dimensional contemporary artist converging traditional large-scale murals and contemporary street art by painting prolific imagery as calls to action encompassing black and brown liberation, women’s empowerment, climate justice, and racial justice.

This program is curated by Fátima Ramirez, Rebeca Abidaíl Flores, and Bill Martinez