Patricia Wells Solórzano

Patricia Wells Solórzano began her artistic life as a guitar and voice student of Agustín Lira, later she and Lira started musical group Alma in 1979, Bassist Ravi Knypstra joined in 1991. She became the manager and tour coordinator, touring with the group nationally and internationally at festivals such as the Smithsonian Institute’s American Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C.; the Cervantino International Arts Festival, Mexico; the U.S.-Cuba Friendship Concert in Havana Cuba and so on.

Patricia has recorded music for CD and for film: Rolas de Aztlan: Songs of the Chicano Movement, Smithsonian-Folkways; The Fight in the Fields: Cesar Chavez and the Farmworker’s Struggle, PBS/Paradigm film. For more than 30 years she has taught music to all age groups in her community, California schools, correctional institutions. She produced concerts of Latin American Folklore and Nuevo Canto at local venues from 1993 to 2003, as well as recitals by her student chorus throughout the community. In defense of immigrants, Wells cofounded Teatro Inmigrante (Immigrant Theater) in 2001 creating, codirecting and producing new plays such as:

Regeneración: Ricardo Flores Magón and the Mexican Revolution of 1910, (2010);
The Life and Times of Candelaria Arroyo (2004);
Esperanza and Luz: A Tale of Two Immigrant Women (2001); and others. In the Spring of 2010 Patricia received her Bachelor of Arts degree at Goddard College in Vermont. She is the recipient of many awards among them the most recent are the Horizon Artist Award (2010) from the Fresno Arts Council and the Non-Violence and Peace Studies Award from University of Rhode Island. She is one of 72 women chosen to appear in Victoria Alvarado’s book, Mujeres de Consciencia/Women of Conscience (Floricanto Press, 2009), “A tribute to Latinas who have made a definite and long standing contribution to the Hispanic community and country at large.”

“Their use of music, theater and photographs is masterful. Wells and Lira could have taken roles in their play Ricardo Magon, but their places as musicians, singers, and narrators was perfect.”
Juan L. Esparza, VIDA EN EL VALLE, 2010

In late 2010 Wells and Lira began a community music education called Generaciones Project featuring Mexican and Latin American Folklore, including Nuevo Canto. We now have Zunzún Kids' Ensemble and an adult quartet called Generaciones.