Chola Con Cello, née María Elena GaitánChola con Cello is a daughter of The People’s Republic of East L.A. She is a musician, linguist, cultural worker, performance artist, scholar, educator, translator, interpreter, consultant for museums, art galleries, community arts and philanthropic organizations. She is a citizen of the world rooted in the experience of Mexican and Chicana cultures who straddles the worlds of performance, community service and activism. Her cello has graced audiences that stretch from raunchy bars in San Antonio Texas and community venues throughout the United States, to performances at many public hospital in Los Angeles County, stand-up comedy venues including the Belly Room at the Comedy Store, the Laugh Factory, and performances with community artists as well as with members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Within East L.A. musical communities, she was one of the first to nurture dialogues focusing on the influence of the African Diaspora in son jarocho. A Women Who Rock Keynote Performer, her cello playing is always sensitive, imaginative, and reflective of her studies with masters of the use of sound as a healing force. |
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María Elena Gaitán is a daughter of The People’s Republic of East L.A. Also known as Chola con Cello, she has been a musician, linguist and cultural worker most of her life. Performance Artist. Scholar. Educator. Translator. Interpreter. Recipient of major foundation grants. Consultant for museums, art galleries, community arts and philanthropic organizations. She is a citizen of the world rooted in the experience of Mexican and Chicana cultures.
Chola con Cello has served the County of Los Angeles through her eclectic work on the school board, in the courts, and most recently in healthcare as a national Subject Matter Expert in healthcare interpreting and cultural competency, straddling the worlds of performance, community service and activism.
The first Latina invited and honored to explore the African Diaspora at the invitation of the Ford Foundation, she has also created five solo performances that have toured throughout the country. Her cello has graced audiences that stretch from raunchy bars in San Antonio Texas and community venues throughout the United States, to performances at every public hospital in L.A. County, stand-up comedy venues including the Belly Room at the Comedy Store, the Laugh Factory, and performances with community artists as well as with members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
She has collaborated with artists from nearly every discipline including musicians Lalo Guerrero, Quetzal, Willie Herrón, Essa Pekka Salonen, Peter Sellars and Waldemar Bastos; master performance artist Denise Uyehara; circus performer and trapeze artist Maica Folch; ZaZa Dance Theater of San Francisco; poet Marisela Norte; painters Patssi Valdez, Gronk, Margret García, Alfredo de Batuc and Judy Baca; photographers Monica Almeida of The New York Times, Misha Erwitt, Adrian Arias, Tony Gleaton, and her son Octavio Tizóc.
She began performing at age of two with her mother on the piano in the living room of their home in East L.A. Over a lifetime, her deep knowledge of the improvisational traditions in various cultures makes her an exceptional musical collaborator. Her cello playing is always sensitive, imaginative, powerfully in synch with her fellow players, and reflective of her studies with masters of the use of sound as a healing force.
Past board member of the National Performance Network, she has won awards from the Coleman Chamber Music Society and Anonymous Was a Woman, a $25,000 award that has become synonymous with important recognition at a critical juncture in their lives or careers, to continue to grow, recover from traumatic life events, and pursue their work.
