Estela Knott

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Template:Estela Díaz Knott is a Mexilachian (Mexican and Appalachian) singer, songwriter and cultural organizer based in Charlottesville, Virginia. [1]

She is the co-founder of the Lua Project [2] and Blue Ridge Music Together. [3]

She is a renting member of the McGuffey Arts Center [[4]], one of the country's longest standing supported cooperative art centers. [4] She is a co-founder of the Cville Sabroso Festival, Charlottesville’s first Latin American music, dance, food and culture festival. She works closely with Sin Barreras [[5]], to organize this yearly celebration every 3rd Saturday of September, in honor of Hispanic heritage month[[6]]. [5]

Estela and Dave Berzonsky (her husband and bandmate) received a grant through Va. Humanities to interview people for the Mexilachian Son project where she helps interview Latinx immigrants residing in Central Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley about their experiences. [6]. She was also briefly a co-host for the Innovators Newsletters Series for 100 Days in Appalachia, a non-profit newsroom of Appalachia Free Press [7]. Her work brings together multiple cultures and bridges a gap between them.


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Life

Díaz Knott grew up in Luray, Virginia and her upbringing was unique and diverse as both a Mexican-born and Appalachian-born individual. As a result of interracial marriage only recently being legalized in Virginia in 1967, Estela’s mother faced race-based discrimination that caused them to briefly move to El Paso, Texas then back to El Paso only to realize that it was much more unsafe for them there, so they finally settled back in Virginia to raise their children. [8].

Her multicultural childhood as a biracial, bilingual, and bicultural individual inspired her and has played a significant role in shaping her identity as an artist and community activist, inspiring her to bridge cultural divides and promote inclusivity through her work [9].

Díaz Knott is married to David Berzonsky and has two daughters. Berzonsky is co-founder of the Lua Project. [2] and Blue Ridge Music Together Like Estela does with her Mexican heritage, David incorporates his own Jewish & Slavic heritage into their art. [8] One of her daughters, Luna, plays with her and David in Lua Project performances.

References

  1. Web. [http://luaproject.org/about Mexilachian Music: a Blend of Original & Traditional Music from Mexico, Appalachia, and the Atlantic Basin.], retrieved May 26, 2023.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Web. The music of our Hispanic hollers: 3 great Appalachian-Latin fusion bands, Kentucky Hispanic Heritage Project, December 12, 2022, retrieved May 26, 2023.
  3. Web. Our Teachers
  4. Web. [1]
  5. Web. [2], retrieved November 10, 2022.
  6. Web. Mexilachian Son Project
  7. Web. Meet Estela!, Lexi Browning, Appalachia Free Press, 2020
  8. 8.0 8.1 Web. Virginia Band Bridges Mexico and Appalachia through Mexilachian Music, Clara Haizlett, West Virginia Public Broadcasting, November 12, 2021
  9. Web. [3], retrieved November 10, 2022.

External Links