The University of Iowa’s Hancher will present vocalist Lila Downs on Saturday, Oct. 13, at 7:30 p.m. at the Englert Theatre. The performance is part of the UI Obermann Center for Advanced Studies and UI International Programs’ The Latino Midwest symposium.

Downs, born in Oaxaca, Mexico, is the daughter of Mixtec singer Anita Sánchez and Allen Downs, a Scottish-American art professor and filmmaker. She grew up in Oaxaca, California, and Minnesota, where she graduated from the University of Minnesota with degrees in voice and anthropology.

For her Hancher performance, Downs will be accompanied by her longtime band, La Misteriosa, a group of multi-cultural, multi-instrumentalists that includes Paul Cohen, her collaborator, producer, and husband. Downs and her band blend Mexican roots music with blues, jazz, soul, and African roots to create a unique sound that has garnered her awards and fans around the world.

Lila Downs’ performance is supported by the Hancher Partners and gifts to Hancher Circle through the UI Foundation. The project is also supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. The Latino Midwest symposium will be held at the UI Oct. 11-13. More information about the symposium, which includes a panel discussion that Downs will be part of, can be found at dsph.uiowa.edu/conferences/uilmw/wp/.

How to get tickets

Tickets for Lila Downs are $35 and $25 for nonstudents; $31.50 and $10 for college students; $31.50 and $22.50 for senior citizens; and $17.50 and $10 for youth. Tickets are available from the Hancher Box Office, located on the first floor of the south end of the Old Capitol Mall near the parking ramp. The Hancher Box Office is open for phone (319-335-1160 or 800-HANCHER) or walk-up business from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays. Tickets may be ordered online at www.hancher.uiowa.edu. Any remaining tickets will be available for sale one hour before show time at the Englert Theatre.