Francesca Gagnon “The Voice of Alegria” & Inti-Illimani

Flights & Sounds of Summer

Music of Cirque du Soleil
August 22, 2009, 8:00 PM
Free Admission, $8 Parking (Map)

A special event created just for the Great Park: Francesca Gagnon, the voice of Cirque du Soleil’s longtime hit “Alegria” sings the music of Cirque du Soleil with Chilean folk icons Inti-Illimani. An inspired pairing: Gagnon’s otherworldly vocals float above Inti’s earthy, raw sound. In their four decades of music-making, Inti-Illimani has shared stages with Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen, Sting and Wynton Marsalis; Canadian born Francesca Gagnon has been charmed by the music of many cultures and she in turn charms us with her gorgeous voice.

One of the prime qualities setting Cirque du Soleil apart from all other circuses is its music: Soulful, sweeping, grand, atmospheric; mysterious music that seems alien yet steeped in human experience. Ever since Quebec-born, operatically-trained Francesca Gagnon was tapped to sing in “Alegria” in the early 1990s, fans have considered her the voice of Cirque du Soleil. She toured three continents with them, and it is her unmistakable voice that graces the best-selling “Alegria” soundtrack.

A chance meeting last year with Inti-Illimani led to Gagnon’s current collaboration with them. The Chilean band was formed 42 years ago to preserve and celebrate their land’s folk music. Its members were college students then, involved in their country’s political struggles. The group was on tour in Europe when a military coup overthrew the Chilean government in 1973. Banned in their homeland – where other artists were murdered by the military junta – Inti-Illimani made Italy their base, jokingly calling their exile “the longest tour in history.” Their popularity grew at home, thanks to smuggled recordings, but they weren’t allowed to return home and perform there until 1988.

Despite – or perhaps due to – their hardships and exile, Inti-Illimani’s music is often dreamlike, utopian, creating a better world of its own in sound. With Francesca Gagnon at the Orange County Great Park, the band will be drawing on it own 400-song repertoire plus music from Cirque du Soleil’s “Alegria,” “Corteo,” “O,” “Kà,” “Saltimbanco” and “Quidam” productions.

Also participating in the concert will be the children of Costa Mesa-based All-American Boys Choir. Artist Website