Today we’d like to introduce you to Amor y Luz .
Hi Amor y Luz, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Amor y Luz was founded in 2017 during a joint trip to Vieques, Puerto Rico. Hurricane Maria had a devastating impact on the small island, and we both wanted to offer volunteer support to our family, friends, and beyond. After each day of clean-up and meal preparation for the community, Amy and I would come together for musical exploration, hoping that our music would bring love and light to listeners throughout the hills of La Isla Nena. The island was under a complete power outage, and the nights were silent. Kutasha played an acoustic cello she had rented from the big island (Puerto Rico), and Amy played her flute. During those first rehearsals, Amy and Kutasha explored classical music, parranda music (Puerto Rican Christmas carols), Ikaros (Latin American Medicine Songs), and Boleros (Latin American love songs). Nearby neighbors would clap and enthusiastically exclaim gratitude. Upon leaving the island, Amy and Kutasha knew that what they musically had between them was something very special that merited much more investigation. Although they lived miles apart, Amor y Luz was conceived as a musical project that sat at the border of classical music and freer territories that spoke of love and light. At that time, Amy lived in Silver Spring, MD and Kutasha was pursuing a graduate degree in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois.
Nevertheless, the desire to continue creating music together was strong. As a multi-instrumentalist, Amy began to reach beyond her flute expertise and include clarinet, percussion, and guitar. Kutasha dug deep into the concept of playing cello and singing simultaneously. For two following years, they provided house concerts and played at farmers’ markets in either location as frequently as possible. In 2019, Amor y Luz was invited to perform at the National Women’s Music Festival in Madison, Wisconsin, where they offered a recital focused on music written by women across the Americas. In 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic, Kutasha relocated to Silver Spring, MD, and Amor y Luz offered a series of lawn concerts for Silver Spring neighbors to offer Love and Light (Amor y Luz) to the community. We would perform Latin American classics, and neighbors would dance (while social distancing ) on the road in front of our home. With the lifting of restrictions this past summer, we have formally entered the local DMV music scene, playing on several stages for diverse, enthusiastic audiences throughout the DMV area. We have also begun to write our original songs as well. We are an edgy and graceful duo bound to take you on a fascinating musical journey. Through performance, our classical crossover duo aims to inspire intercultural dialogue and educate audiences with the extensive contributions of Latin American women composers and songwriters.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been smooth?
It has not been a smooth road. We kept our musical duo going for three years, although Amy lived in Maryland and Kutasha lived in Illinois. We kept the enthusiasm by creating joint projects and practicing our musicianship as instrumentalists and vocalists. We created several DIY musical videos to continue building on our musical potential. This was very inspiring for both of us as it helped us see the many special qualities of our duo. It was also incredibly motivating to see our community enthusiastically react to our music.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Amor y Luz is the creation of Amy Vitro (flute, guitar, percussion, vocals) and Kutasha Silva (lead vocals and cello). Based in Washington D.C, Amor y Luz uses their Czech-Italian-Spanish-American and Irish-Afro Puerto Rican backgrounds to explore music. The duo performs original compositions and the works of others in genres that tap into classical and popular Latin American music.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Amor y Luz explores rich vocal harmonies and a vintage Latin American repertoire that aims to provide a transformational experience audience through powerful lyrics, sing-alongs, and dance.
Contact Info:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amoryluzmusica
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKLaeHks4BdXr6WGLczZWHQ
Image Credits
Andi Roberts
