An exciting cast of stars from the Hispanic entertainment industry will perform at this year’s 2nd National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast on May 15 in Washington, D.C., it was announced today.
World-renowned Latino recording artists will perform at the historic May 15th prayer breakfast and at a subsequent worship concert that evening in front of President Bush, over 1000 Hispanic clergy, and a host of dignitaries. During the bilingual event, the speakers will be focusing on the topics of the strength of the Hispanic Christian community and its role in solving the nation’s issues
Artists scheduled to perform at the events include: Julissa, Festival, Motivo, Rene Gonzalez, Patty Cabrera, and Jayne Marie Flores. Both events will take place at the stately Capitol Hilton, located at 1001 16th Street, N.W.
The day¹s events include a morning celebration of song and prayer (in English and Spanish) from 7:00 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. The official program will kick off at 7:30 a.m. and conclude at 9:30 a.m. UpLink Entertainment and Esperanza USA are producing the evening concert, which will run approximately from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The concert is open to the public for a $5 donation at the door.
With nearly a thousand members of the Hispanic clergy attending the prayer breakfast and concert, the event is undoubtedly the largest ever of its kind. Among other dignitaries and officials, President George W. Bush has been invited to headline the prayer breakfast, and U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy G. Thompson, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) will be featured speakers.
Rev. Luis Cortés, Jr., who organized last year’s successful prayer breakfast, will serve as master of ceremonies during the breakfast and evening concert. Under his leadership, Nueva Esperanza, Inc. has become one of the leading voices for the Hispanic community in America.
Marcos Witt of Canzion Productions and the Houston-based Lakewood Baptist Church (the largest church in America) will make a special presentation to Nueva Esperanza during a press conference to be held immediately after the prayer breakfast. Witt, who has received numerous awards for his contributions to the Hispanic community, has pledged to write and produce a song to benefit Pacto de Esperanza (Pledge of Hope), Esperanza USA’s national HIV/AIDS initiative for the Hispanic community. Witt enjoys a reputation as an outstanding speaker and musical performer throughout the United States and Latin America.
Flores, who will sing the National Anthem, is a classically trained mezzo-soprano, who has performed in many off-Broadway musicals, operas, choirs, oratorio, jazz and Christian musical productions.
Motivo, a Latin-pop band from San Diego, CA that recently signed with Crowne/Warner Bros./ WEA, has performed in many Christian and mainstream events. Motivo most recently performed with The Drifters at a special event for the U.S. military, sponsored by the Bob Hope USO organization in Los Angeles, CA. They will be releasing their new music project in the fall of 2003.
Julissa, the winner of several awards including Premios Tu Musica and Premios Tito Lara, is known not only for her voice but also for her songs, including the hit single, “Enamorada.”
Rene Gonzalez, a Gold-selling artist, has recorded five different projects and is one of the industry¹s leading solo artists. Gonzales recently released his latest project, “El Poder Está En Ti,” which is available through Vida Music.
Patty Cabrera, who recently issued her latest album, “Love Someone Like Me,” will sing a very special song, “America,” that she wrote in honor of September 11, 2001. Cabrera, also an industry leader in the Latino Christian market, was named by People Magazine as “One of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World.”
Festival, a musical group created and empowered to minister as a bilingual Praise and Worship team, delivers a powerful message through a variety of styles from traditional to Latin salsa. Based in southern California, they recently released their self-titled CD, “Festival.”
For more information, check out the official website – www.esperanza.us..
