Anaís Azul

Saturday, june 24
Beast Oakland
3720 MacArthur Boulevard

Peruvian immigrant Anaís Azul (they/them) is a California based composer-performer, Fulbright Scholar, and teaching artist. Described as “stunningly honest and vulnerable,” their artistry engages with music as a tool for community building, cross-genre collaboration, and collective healing.

Azul writes music that is in conversation with looped vocal harmonies, classical melodies, and Latin American singer-songwriter traditions. Their songs are bilingual (Spanish and English) and about mental health, queerness, facing harsh realities and finding inner peace in spite of chaos.

Classically-trained with an experimental spirit, Azul received their B.M in Music Composition and Theory from Boston University with a concentration in piano and their MFA in Music, Performer-Composer from California Institute of the Arts. Having composed and arranged for theatre and orchestra, Azul composed the music for the award-winning Displaced: A Response to Qurban produced by the Boston Conservatory at Berklee.

Last fall, Azul released their debut solo EP “Vulnerable” thanks to the support of the Yerba Buena Garden’s Festival 2022 Seed Commission. Their past releases can be found on all major streaming platforms. One of their past releases, “Mi Piel,” was featured on the Spotify editorial playlist “Best Non-Binary+ Artists of 2020.”

Outside of their performance life, Anaís has been proud to serve as co-curator of the 2022 annual Día de los Muertos exhibition “To Love and be Loved in Return” at SoMarts. Currently, they teach group and private music lessons in Spanish & English and trans inclusive Spanish classes virtually. In their spare time, they like to go thrifting and read tarot cards for their friends and family.

Press highlights include a feature on Remezcla, NPR, WBUR, and Berkeleyside for their work not only as a performer, but as a community arts organizer. They have also received grants from Commotion West Berkeley, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Arts|Lab@Med Campus, and the City of Boston's Mayor's Office to curate public, community art events.