Javier Luis and Out of Isla to perform at 2009 HOLA Awards

Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA) Press Release
For immediate release, please
Contact: Manny Alfaro/A.B. Lugo (212) 253-1015 holagram@hellohola.org

JAVIER LUIS AND OUT OF ISLA
TO PERFORM AT TENTH ANNUAL
HOLA AWARDS

Awards to take place on October 26, 2009
at The Players overlooking New York's Gramercy Park

Honorees include Sara Ramírez ("Grey's Anatomy"), Tony winner David Álvarez (Billy Elliot: The Musical), famed choreographer/director Julie Arenal actors René Sánchez, Silvia Brito, Luis Antonio Ramos, Ricardo Gómez and others

New York, New York – Salsero Javier Luis and performance group Out of Isla will perform at the tenth annual HOLA Awards Gala and Benefit. The HOLA Awards will take place Monday, October 26, 2009 at 6:30pm at The Players, America’s oldest theatrical club, at 16 Gramercy Park South in Manhattan.

Javier Luis, also known as La Sonrisa que Canta (The Smile that Sings), recently won a Premios Sin Límite award in the category Tropical Music Revelation. Known for his original salsa tunes and his romantic ballads, Javier Luis keeps on leaving traces in the contemporary music. Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico and raised in New York City, his songs are described to have nostalgic memories united with pronounced romantic poetry. He co-wrote several of the songs and vocally arranged some of the songs on his new album. A singer-composer-actor-dancer, he grew up listening to American music such as Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Brian McKnight, just to name a few. His Latin music influences are legends such as Celia Cruz, Héctor Lavoe, La India, Olga Tañón, Huey Dunbar, Luis Miguel and Christián Castro. He has also sung gospel and jazz music and has performed at New York’s Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center as well as venues in Boston, San José and Tampa. For more information, log on to www.myspace.com/javierluis.

After performing in opera and concerts throughout Europe and in their native Puerto Rico and Cuba, Emmanuelle Bordas and Aviva Cambara met in Hell's Kitchen in Manhattan. Thus, Out of Isla was born. They joined forces to compose music that highlights their respective international and music backgrounds, and that mixes blues, rock, jazz, Latin, world and occasionally a classical sound. At the piano, Cambara’s unique dark color unites with the soul and voice of Bordas. Their music reflects their belief that even with the vast variety and uniqueness of each person, we all still share the same life experiences of loss, love, death, joy, sorrow, and chasing after dreams. Thus in their blending of various musical styles in Out of Isla, Cambara and Bordas reflect their own desires to bring an awareness of both the similarity and uniqueness of each person. For more information check out www.reverbnation.com/outofisla or www.myspace.com/outofisla.

The HOLA Awards honor Latino professionals in the entertainment and media industries, as well as hand out award for outstanding work in New York’s Latino theater during the previous season. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the HOLA Awards.

Some of the awardees at the 2009 HOLA Awards include HOLA Ilka Award recipient Sara Ramírez (TV's "Grey's Anatomy"); Raúl Juliá HOLA Founders Award recipient Julie Arenal (choreographer of the original Broadway production of Hair); José Ferrer HOLA Tespis Award recipient Luis Antonio Ramos (stage and screen actor-- The Ministers, "Early Edition," "Martin"); Special Recognition honorees David Álvarez (star of Broadway’s Billy Elliot: The Musical), Ricardo Gómez (star of TV Española’s “Cuéntame cómo pasó”), Pregones Theater (for their 30th anniversary) and Univisión 41 (for 41 years of service to the community); and actor/producer Silvia Brito and actor René Sánchez for Lifetime Achievement. For a complete list of awardees, click here.

Javier Luis and Out of Isla will perform at the tenth annual HOLA Awards Gala and Benefit on Monday, October 26, 2009 at 6:30pm at The Players, America’s oldest theatrical club, located at 16 Gramercy Park South in Manhattan. Tickets for the 2009 HOLA Awards Gala and Benefit are $95 ($125 if bought at the door) and can be bought through calling HOLA at (212) 253-1015 or online at www.hellohola.org.

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