Lila Downs at Chicago Symphony Orchestra
By Rivka Yeker
Photos by Anne Ryan
When people think of the Symphony, they may immediately think of something stuffy, historically elite and predominantly white or European. Likely, because in many ways, it has been. But in the last decade or so, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra has made a significant effort to include musicians of an expansive array of different backgrounds and genres. I’ve been going to the CSO since I was a kid, accompanied by my post-Soviet Jewish family who had a special love of classical music, but my mom always made it a point for us to appreciate music from around the globe. I especially gained interest in classical guitars, saxophones and voices that reverberate through your body. For the past two years, I’ve been in a relationship with a Mexican musician who blows everyone away when singing Vicente Fernández. For her birthday, I decided to take her to see Lila Downs at the CSO.
It was the week of Día de Muertos and people were slowly entering the concert halls dressed for the occasion. Some in full makeup, others in beautiful colorful dresses. When Lila took the stage, the crowd erupted in a joyful cheer. She looked stunning in a hot pink traditional dress and her hair in long braids. Her voice, deep and bold, welcomed the room through song.
On stage with her was Josh Deutsch on trumpet and keyboard, Rafael Gomez on electric and acoustic guitar, Sinuhé Padilla-Isunza on acoustic guitar, Luis Guzman on Bass, George Saenz, Jr. on Trombone and Accordion, Lautaro “Primo” Burgos on drums, Nakeitha “Nikki” Campbell on percussion and, of course, the Mexican Folkloric Dance Company of Chicago, which brought life-giving energy to the room. While I’m not a fluent Spanish speaker, something that I’ve learned with Latinidad music is how emotionally powerful it is - regardless of whether you completely understand the words or not. It helps that my partner ends up translating key phrases for me when I need to fully grasp the song’s depth.
Lila Downs and her band moved in sync as she guided the audience through different parts of Mexico, giving us context for where each song came from to honoring the Indigenous peoples of those lands. Every move she made, every word she sang, every breath she took was intentional - and had everybody eager to cheer, clap along with and even cry to. In other words, the performance was truly mesmerizing.
The Mexican Folkloric dancers, a staple to Lila’s live shows, showcased different dances in different outfits for each song. At one point, Lila dedicated a song to Día de Muertos and the natural reality of death, sharing a story about how whenever October/November rolls around, her mother notices every door open, every gust of wind, every strange phenomenon and attributes it to Lila’s late father or late husband. The recognition of cycles and acceptance of death was powerful, especially as the portals to the other realm were about to be opened.
Lila closed the evening out with her popular song ““Cariñito””, which had the whole room standing and clapping and singing along. It was certainly not a stuffy room at all - people threw flowers on the stage and whistled, danced in the front row and made sure that her energy was matched. Of course, there was an encore, and the crowd remained intact. The band played “Dear “Dear Someone””, a Gillian Welch cover that she originally recorded with Norah Jones and the only song in English. As a lover of all three of those artists, I was completely moved.
Lila Downs brought a magnetic energy to the CSO stage while commemorating what I consider to be one of the most special holidays that exists. It was lively, a true joy and a deeply special performance. CSO continues to curate and book captivating performers in addition to all their amazing classical concerts. See below for some of my recs for upcoming shows:
November 24th - Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR): Voices of Migration & Innovation
January 5th - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - The Film with Orchestra 5th - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - The Film with Orchestra
February 21st - Cécile McLorin Salvant
March 23rd - Jimmy López: Inner Dialogues