(Carol Vigil and Leila Flores-Dueñas of Las Flores del Valle) have been making music together for 25 years for special projects supported by arts institutions such as the Smithsonian Institute, the Mellon Foundation, the University of New Mexico Center for Regional Studies, and various museums including the Gene Autry Theatre in Los Angeles, the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the Museum of International Folk Art (MOIFA) in Santa Fe. Las Flores del Valle enjoy researching, performing, and preserving oral traditions from their families and communities, that have formed part of our rich cultural heritage in the US/Mexico Borderlands on topics related to women’s roles in Borderland Music, Corridos of the Southwest, Soldaderas/Combatientes of the Mexican Revolution, Día de Muertos celebrations, and more recently, songs of the Sephardic Ladino Judeo Diaspora. They have also performed for international conferences in Spain and Mexico, Chicana and Chicano Studies, and Women’s Studies in universities. Whether they are singing for large audiences, civic organizations, or private guests, they are sure to deliver smooth harmonies and thoughtful tunes with a little history, passion, and heartfelt joy.
Their performance this year “Threads of Exile: Weaving Sephardic Song” - is about Sephardic songs carried across centuries resonate in the borderlands of New Mexico, echoing the sounds once heard in the Juderías of Andalucía while finding new life in the musical traditions of Mexico and the Southwest. Through women’s voices, storytelling, and art music, these kantikas trace histories of exile, migration, and cultural exchange, reflecting the layered identities of Indigenous, Hispano, Sephardic, and diasporic communities. Rooted in convivencia, this program weaves together past and present—honoring tradition while reimagining it within the living cultural fabric of the borderlands.
