Totó has just completed her first European tour for 5 years with shows in Spain, Italy, England, Germany and Belgium. The tour was a resounding success, Totó showcased her new band to appreciative audiences presenting material from her new album La Bodega plus songs from previous albums and a sneak preview of new material. The band was on fire and Totó an inspiring spectacle. At Sfinks festival she was presented with a 70th birthday cake in front of thousands as she finished her performance. Click here to see a selection of photos so you can catch the vibe, we will be putting more up soon so watch this space!

With a big concert in Miami on 21 August, the Bogota Philharmonic Orchestra will celebrate the Bicentennial of Independence

The OFB, under the baton of Ricardo Jaramillo, wii give a major show in Miami, along with Andrés Cepeda, Janio Coronado, Toto La  Momposina, Monica Giraldo, Choc Quib Town and Juancho Fernández, artists who participated in 'Mestizajes', the latest album of the OFB.

Con un gran concierto en Miami el próximo 21 de agosto, la Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá celebrará el Bicentenario de la Independencia

La OFB, bajo la dirección del maestro Ricardo Jaramillo, ofrecerá un gran concierto en el
Adrienne Arsht Center de Miami, junto a Andrés Cepeda, Janio Coronado, Totó la Momposina, Mónica Giraldo,Choc Quib Town y Juancho Fernández, artistas que participaron en ‘Mestizajes’, la más reciente producción discográfica de la OFB.

Con este proyecto cultural la Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá se suma a los actos de celebración del Bicentenario de la Independencia de Colombia, junto a la comunidad colombiana y latina residente en esa ciudad y, a la vez, amplía su impacto internacional.

Bogotá, 23 de Mayo de 2010.

En la categoría a Mejor interpretación folclórica del año, la Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá recibió el premio Nuestra Tierra 2010 por la interpretación del tema “El Pescador” junto con Totó la Momposina, una de las artistas más reconocidas que participó en “Mestizajes”, la más reciente producción discográfica de la Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá.

Este premio, sin duda, contribuye al reconocimiento del trabajo de la Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá que durante sus 42 años de existencia se ha caracterizado por registrar, para la memoria musical del país, la música popular en versiones sinfónicas. Además de varias producciones discográficas realizadas en años pasados, la OFB  obtuvo en el 2008 el premio Grammy Latino por su álbum La OFB es Colombia.

A los discos producidos por la OFB se suma la grabación de Mestizajes, una importante producción que incluyó las voces de Andrés Cepeda, Andrés Cabas, Totó la Momposina, Choq Quib Town, Andrea Echeverry, Puerto Candelaria, Bahía y el grupo Seresta, entre otros, en una selección de 14 temas de música colombiana con arreglos de consagrados músicos y nuevas generaciones de compositores.

La Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá agradece al público colombiano que apoyó su nominación, así como a todos los arreglistas e intérpretes y especialmente a los 97 músicos de la Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá, quienes con su talento, trabajo, esfuerzo y compromiso hicieron posible este sueño.

Congratulations to Toto who has crashed into this month's World Music Chart Europe (http://www.wmce.de/) at number 5 with the new album La Bodega. Many thanks to all the European DJs and fans who are voting for her, playing the CD on air and buying the music.

Toto La Momposina is embarking on her first full Eauropean tour for 5 years with her full band.

The dates are:

July 15th Pirineos Sur, Huecas, Spain  http://www.pirineos-sur.es/inicio/
17th Mar de Musicas, Cartagena, Spain http://www.lamardemusicas.com/
20th Latinamericando, Milan, Italy, http://www.latinoamericando.it/showPage.php?template=news&masterPage=homepage.html
25th Barbican, London, UK http://www.barbican.org.uk/blaze
31st Sfinks, Belgium, http://www.sfinks.be/home.php
Aug 5th Zapata, Stuttgart, Germany, http://www.zapata.de/
7th Esperanzah, Belgium, http://www.esperanzah.be/

This summer Verité Films Producers René Veilleux and Donald Roman Lopez will begin production of a feature-length documentary on the life and works of renowned World-Music Colombian singer Totó La Momposina. “We are honored to be collaborating with an artist of such world-renowned caliber and such cultural importance as Totó La Momposina.” Says Producer René Veilleux.
 
Totó embodies that fertile ground where Colombia’s African, Indigenous Indian and Spanish cultures mingle to create a unique musical tradition.  Her entire life she has dedicated to preserving and representing Colombia’s Caribbean coastline traditional music.  Nonetheless, Sonia Bazanta, the woman, the daughter, the mother, and Colombia's musical ambassador, has a compelling past marked by countless sacrifices and critical moments of survival. Retracing her steps, she embarks on a journey filled with memories of being displaced by civil war as a child, singing in the Paris Metro as a struggling musician, and becoming the renowned world artist she is today. Parallel to her ancestral and personal journey, Totó will travel on her first European tour in 5 years and will engage on a succession of artistic collaborations as a "Cantandora del mundo" during an important creative transition in her life. And it is here, in this key moment of her international career, in the midst of challenges and triumphs, and with this documentary film that Totó is willing to open her heart and soul to reaffirm that her fundamental need is to preserve her culture and to continue being the woman that lives to sing and that sings to live.
 
“Exploring in depth the circumstances that have come together to create someone like Totó, is in part a search I’ve been in my whole life trying to understand my own cultural identity.” Says Producer and Director, Donald Roman Lopez. “Totó is an exceptional story of identity preservation within the context of globalization that not only concern Colombians or Latinos but any citizen of the world,” he adds.
 
Verité Films is pleased to be working on the film with the full co-operation of Totó and her management and production company Astar Artes and Artistic Director John Hollis.  Other producers collaborating on the project include, award-winning documentary producer Lori Cheatle (51 Birch Street, The Kids Grow Up, The Age of Dreaming), and Sarah Anthony executive producer of Last Play at Shea, the story of Billy Joel's final concert at historic Shea Stadium, and the Untitled George Harrison project, directed by Martin Scorsese and due to be released in 2011.

For more information on the project go to www.indiegogo.com/TotoLaMomposina.