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From Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, Tiny Desk is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with an “El Tiny” takeover of the (home) concert series, featuring J Balvin, Camila Cabello and several more musicians from all corners of Latinidad.

Anamaria Sayre | September 27, 2021
Silvana Estrada’s angelic first note strikes, and for a moment her family’s instrument workshop in Veracruz, Mexico, feels like a window to the heavens themselves.

Adorned in a white dress and a radiant smile, the singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist invites us to participate in a rich and varied expression of familial love and musical brilliance. She wastes no time entrancing her audience, using a stripped-down performance of “Un Día Cualquiera” — accompanied by nothing but soft claps and subtle harmonies — to showcase her impeccable vocal precision and range.

After a sweet “Bienvenidos,” Estrada picks up the Venezuelan cuatro — her most beloved magic-making tool — and jumps into a sublimely arranged, effortlessly enchanting rendition of “Tristeza.” Then, halfway through “Te Guardo,” something extraordinary happens: the sound of stringed instruments comes out of nowhere, and as Estrada steps away from her microphone, the camera follows, exposing a string quartet set up just off screen. After that moving reveal, Estrada takes a seat and begins to perform “Marchita,” where strings, cuatro, and voice marry in indiscernible harmony.

Shifting scenes once again, Estrada moves outside and we meet her papa, armed with a double bass. Father and daughter conjure a musical manifestation of pure love with a stunning performance of “Tonada De Ordeño [El Ordeñador].” Though the traditional Venezuelan tune is a longtime favorite, this performance is different. A butterfly takes a seat on Silvana’s mic and the camera zooms out to reveal the other instrumentalists in the workshop looking on in knowing admiration. Silvana’s voice reverberates across the Veracruz hillside and the world exhales, basking in a fleeting moment of divinity on earth.

SET LIST
“Un día cualquiera”
“Tristeza”
“Te Guardo”
“Marchita”
“Tonada De Ordeño [El Ordeñador]” written by Antonio Estévez

MUSICIANS
Silvana Estrada: vocals, cuatro venezolano
Gustavo Guerrero: vocals, percussion
Laura Itandehui: vocals
Cristina Raquel Arista Estévez: cello
Carlos Roberto Gandara García: violin
Leonelys Sanchez Camacho: violin
Anna Arnal Ferrer: viola
David Estrada: vocals, double bass

CREDITS
Video: Julio Llorente, Jorge Tirado
Audio: Daniel Bitrán Arizpe, Leonel Carmona
Arrangements: Juanma Trujillo
Camera: Nicolas Grill
Art Direction: Jimena Estíbaliz, Laura Adan
Color: Esteban Robles
Management: Edwin Erazo

TINY DESK TEAM
Producers: Anamaria Sayre, Bobby Carter
Video Producer: Maia Stern
Audio Mastering: Josh Rogosin
Alt.Latino ‘El Tiny’ Team: Felix Contreras, Reanna Cruz, Anaïs Laurent, Stefanie Fernandez
Tiny Production Team: Bob Boilen, Kara Frame, Sofie Hernandez-Simeonidis
Executive Producer: Keith Jenkins
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

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