Cristian de la Luna has one piece of advice for Bragg Creekers who come out to his concert at the community centre on Sept. 10.
“Bring your dancing shoes,” he said.
De la Luna’s Latin vibes are sure to get even the most reluctant up on the dance floor, especially, he said, as the concert goes on and he encourages attendees to get up and feel the music.
Now an Albertan, the native Colombian describes his music as folk Latin fusion.
“I’ve been in Canada for 20 years, and I try to mix my Latin roots with my Canadian roots – for me, it’s music for life,” he said from his home in St. Albert.
“People can expect to dance, it’s exciting music, you know.”
His promotional material describes him as a performer who seeks a communion with his audience.
“A ray of light, both his music and his lyrics are his invitation to a musical and impactful experience. His universal message calls us to live in the present and never stop dreaming,” the release reads.
He combines the simplicity of folk narratives, the cadence of Caribbean percussion, and the soulful warmth of jazzy brass instruments.
De la Luna has two albums to his credit, both in Spanish and French. His latest, Sabes (Spanish for Do You Know) was released in 2018.
He has received numerous nominations over the years, including nods at the Western Canadian Music Awards in 2013 with his group La Luna de Santiago, the Canadian Folk Music Awards in 2020, Emerging Artist, Celebration of the Arts by the Mayor of St Albert (2018 and 2019) and the Latin Recording of the Year award at the Edmonton Music Awards in 2018.
At a very young age in Colombia, de la Luna played the trumpet and percussion in his school marching band. Exiled at the age of 17, it was his nostalgia for his homeland that inspired him to compose his first songs and take the stage.
His guiding principle was formed after de la Luna’s father was arrested in 1989 in the assassination of Colombia’s leading presidential candidate, Luis Carlos Galan.
The leader of the Medellin drug cartel, Pablo Escobar, controlled the drug trade Galan tried to eradicate. Galan, a powerful political figure, needed to be silenced.
De la Luna’s father, Norberto Murillo, was a journalist working at a small-town newspaper. He was arrested with four others on trumped-up charges.
Escobar was eventually found guilty of ordering the assassination, but not before Murillo spent three-and-a-half years in prison for a crime he did not commit.
At the time of the arrest, de la Luna was 10 years old. During Murillo’s stay in prison, his wife and children lived on the streets, moving from place to place living constantly in fear.
Murillo was eventually released. But many Colombians still distrusted the journalist, and threats to the family were common.
The Murillos applied for asylum and the first country to respond was Canada. In November 1999, they landed in Montreal. At the time, de la Luna was 17.
The whole story transformed de la Luna into an ambassador for cultural diversity and human rights.
His promotional material says,”His music promotes the unification of races and religions, dismantling divisions and nurturing the capacity to dream.”
For a sample of Cristian de la Luna's music and where to get his albums go to cristiandelaluna.com.
De la Luna and his band will perform at the Bragg Creek Community Centre on Sunday, Sept. 10 at 7 pm. Tickets are available at bcpa.ca or Ticketpro (1-888-655-9090). General admission is $35, while youth under 18 pay $25.
The Bragg Creek Community Centre is at 23 White Avenue.
The Bragg Creek Performing Arts Society is a registered not-for-profit charity run entirely by volunteers.
