Women in Music around the World

Sara Curruchich- Being a woman in Guatemala is an act of resistance. Being a Mayan Kaqchikel woman and an artist is, in itself, a political statement, but also a radical gesture towards life and it would be the best way to present Sara Curruchich.

Sara Curruchich was born in 1993 in San Juan Comalapa, Chimaltenango, in a Kaqchikel community in the Guatemalan central highlands. Her people have a long tradition of art and knowledge, but also with a great strength of resistance and struggle. From that account, her musical project is based on the collective and individual feelings of the peoples, history, memory, culture, languages, ​​and struggles combined with personal claim. 

Treasa Levasseur- Treasa Levasseur is currently the Program and Community Engagement Manager at Folk Alliance International, as well as a JUNO-nominated songwriter and seasoned sideperson. As passionate about community building as she is about music, Treasa also works as an artist educator with many organizations including Theatre Aquarius, the Art Gallery of Hamilton, and recently composed the soundtrack for 'Wishes in the Wind', a piece created for the National Arts Centre's 'Grand Acts of Great Hope' initiative.  Treasa has recently been activated by the words of Margaret Killjoy:  'what if we replaced gatekeepers with ushers and helped people find where they belong?'

Sonia Avilés - A manager and cultural promoter, Oaxacan at heart, she is a communication specialist graduated from the Universidad del Mar Campus Huatulco (Oaxaca, Mexico) with experience in procurement and fund management.

She started in the cultural and entertainment area at Casa del Lago Juan José Arreola UNAM in 2013.

Since 2014, she has led her career in music through different roles as tour manager, promoter, assistant, R.P, talent developer, tour manager and manager. Over 7 years, it has served more than 40 national and international groups with different needs, such as: DakhaBrakha (Ukraine), Fatoumata Diawara (Mali), Eliades Ochoa (Cuba), Afrocuba de Matanzas (Cuba), Son Huasteco ( Hidalgo, Llera Tamaulipas), Romengo (Romania), Ariztía (Chile), La Siniestra (Argentina), SnowApple (Holland), KekoYoma (Chile), Caña de Azúcar (Argentina), Orquesta El Macabeo (Puerto Rico), Juanito Ayala (Chile), La Vodkanera (Colombia), Balkumbia (Barcelona) as well as national bands such as Polka Madre,BuenRostro (CDMX), Women's Band Women of the Florido Wind / Mujeres del Viento Florido (Oaxaca), Ajimsa (Chile) to mention a few. She is currently part of MMF Mexico as a founding member.

Kristyn Gelfand- is a Toronto based arts administrator, producer, and activator with over two decades of experience creating spaces for music and expression. From her early start in the vibrant techno scene of the late 90s, she has sought to create fun, liminal, and meaningful events, bringing audiences together to enjoy music from around the globe.  Since 2012, she has worked with Uma Nota Culture as they continue to host events uniting dancefloor-centred music by live bands and DJs under the same banner.  She is currently booking artists under the brand’s agency division.

Valentina Zanelli- CreatiVì Musicali / Italy Valentina lives between Italy, Dominican Republic and Canada, where she works as consultant for outreach and international relationship for the Dakar Music Expo festival. In Italy she covers the role of Head of Programming for the Artepassante project in Milan and works as consultant for the Eufemia - Social Arts, being in charge of the strategic development and community artistic programming in the town of Turin.

In 2015 she funded her own cultural association called: "CreatiVì Musicali", an organisation aimed at promotion of the artists and the realisation of international tours. His organisation works around the world for connecting cultures and people in the name of equality, anti-racism, collaboration and art in all its forms. 

In 2021 she funded "Your Music Manager": an online Academy dedicated to empower independent women musicians and performers, with tailor-made coaching and mentoring programs.

Amanda Chamorro- Born in Paraguay in 1990, Amanda Chamorro is a visual artist, musician, graphic designer, certified Creator Coach, and founder of the artistic collective El Inka Cultural. Trained as a flautist in an academic environment, she played progressive rock, folk, jazz and experimental music for almost a decade, now focusing more on music, sound and frequencies as healing tools and connection with ancestry. In 2020, she co-created Mujeres Haciendo Eco, the first directory of women in Paraguayan music to shine a spotlight on the diversity of roles of women in the local industry, aiming to inspire them to know each other, make connections, and collaborate.