By Giovanny Hernandez
Los Angeles, California [RYM] September 1st, 2025— On a warm August 31 night, the Ford Theater transformed into a sanctuary under the stars with Bajo la Luna, a multidisciplinary evening of music, healing, and activism. Organized by El Marchante in collaboration with the LA Phil and Colombian producer Tumba la Casa, the event invited the city to pause, breathe, and reconnect through sound, ritual, and collective reflection.
“Without women there will be no change,” became the mantra of the night — a phrase that echoed not only from the stage but through every note, harmony, and silence shared.
The evening opened with Nalani Hernandez – Melo from Botanica Melo, who grounded the audience in sound and breath. Her meditative performance reminded attendees that this wasn’t just a concert; it was an invitation to heal, to center themselves before embarking on a journey of music and meaning.
August 31st, 2025;Nalani Hernandez-Melo performs live during the “Bajo la Luna” event at The Ford, delivering a standout set under the night sky. / Credit Giovanny Hdz.
From there, the stage shifted into the world of Luz Elena Mendoza, the Mexican-American artist celebrated for bending genres and dissolving boundaries. Mendoza began intimately, performing alongside her closest collaborator and best friend. As the set expanded, she was joined by a powerful ensemble of women known as La Madrigal. Described by Mendoza as “a choral space for women to share new ideas and pave new paths,” the project blossomed into a living act of resistance.
August 31st, 2025; Luz Elena Mendoza, joined by a guest vocalist, debuts new material during a live performance at the “Bajo la Luna” event at The Ford. / Credit Giovanny Hdz.
Songs like Benito and Pura showcased the ensemble’s ability to merge soaring choral harmonies with raw emotion, offering more than music — they became collective meditations on womanhood, community, and the strength found in uniting voices.
August 31st, 2025; La Madrigal, an all-women choral ensemble, performs live in harmony during the “Bajo la Luna” event at The Ford. / Credit Giovanny Hdz.
Then came La Muchacha, the Colombian singer-songwriter who bridges folk traditions with sharp social commentary. She opened with Yerbatera, a dedication to “those hands that heal us,” followed by Arboles and Los Ombliguitos, a song born from her own search for direction. The emotional high point came with Páramo, a ballad to the fragile Colombian ecosystems under threat from corporate exploitation.
August 31st, 2025; Colombian singer La Muchacha delivers a powerful live performance at The Ford during the “Bajo la Luna” Event. / Credit Giovanny Hdz.
But her activism went further — she sang about self-respect, the power of consent, and the urgency of land and freedom, even calling out “free Palestine” to cheers from the crowd. The most heartbreaking moment arrived when she performed her newest song, written for the children of Gaza. As her voice carried through the theater, tears welled across the audience — a collective grief that turned into a shared act of solidarity.
In a city that rarely slows down, Bajo la Luna offered something radical: stillness, reflection, and unity. What unfolded was not just a concert but a communal ritual — a rollercoaster of emotions, a space for creation and healing, and a reminder of the transformative power of women’s voices. It was, in every sense, a night like no other.
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