Remembering: Songs of Home, Stories of the Heart

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October 4, 2025, 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM
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Christine Emerson Reed Park
1133 7th St
Santa Monica, California 90401
Remembering: Songs of Home, Stories of the Heart

“Remembering” is more than a concert—it’s a journey through the heart of the immigrant experience, woven together with evocative music and poignant storytelling. Acclaimed vocalist Meena Malik and masterful cellist Aristides Rivas bring their personal stories to life, blending song and narrative in a deeply moving exploration of memory, identity, and transformation. Through their artistry, they invite the audience to feel, reflect, and connect with the universal themes of home, belonging, and change.

The program was ignited from a simple question from their son, “what is an immigrant?” In the process of sharing these memories, the artists strive to answer deeper questions related to sense of belonging; traditions and cultural practices that were brought from their home countries of Japan and Venezuela; experiencing and navigating grief; the healing power of music; and what is at stake if these memories are lost.

Direction and dramaturgy by Shyamala Moorty.

Gather & Grow invites the community to spend a day relaxing and playing in Reed Park while enjoying a range of artistic experiences. There will be activities for children and adults beginning at 4pm. Each event offers a unique opportunity to engage in hands-on art making, take in the natural surroundings, and spend time grooving to music, watching incredible performances, and having fun with the whole family!

Remembering: Songs of Home, Stories of the Heart