Suni Paz is an Argentinian singer, songwriter, guitarist, poet,

folklorist Folklore studies (also known as folkloristics, tradition studies or folk life studies in the UK) is the academic discipline devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currency in the 1950s to distinguish the ac ...

, translator, and teacher, who has recorded and has been published extensively. Paz is part of the progressive Latin American music movement known as

nueva canción (European , ; 'new song') is a left-wing social movement and musical genre in Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula, characterized by folk music, folk-inspired styles and socially committed lyrics. is widely recognized to have played a profou ...

(new song). Best known in the United States as a performing artist and prolific songwriter, Paz has been presenting Latin American culture to audiences of all ages for more than thirty years. In addition to eight CDs on the

Smithsonian Folkways Smithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was f ...

label, she has recorded more than four hundred songs for children and performed on the world stage alongside American icons that included

Arlo Guthrie Arlo Davy Guthrie (born July 10, 1947) is an American folk music, folk singer-songwriter. He is known for singing protest song, songs of protest against social injustice, and storytelling while performing songs, following the tradition of his fa ...

Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and social activist. He was a fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s and had a string of hit records in the early 1950s as a member of The Weav ...

Guy Carawan Guy Hughes Carawan Jr. (July 28, 1927 – May 2, 2015) was an American folk musician and musicologist. He served as music director and song leader for the Highlander Research and Education Center in New Market, Tennessee. Carawan is be ...

and

Phil Ochs Philip David Ochs (; December 19, 1940 – April 9, 1976) was an American songwriter, protest song, protest singer (or, as he preferred, "topical singer"), and Political Activist, political activist. Ochs was known for his sharp wit, sardonic h ...

Biography

Born into a talented Argentine Italian-Catalan family of writers, musicians, linguists and poets, Paz started playing the guitar, writing songs, singing in choirs, and at family parties at age 12. From 1960 to 1963 she lived in Chile. From 1963 to 1965 she raised her two children alone, making a living by writing and singing advertising jingles for various companies and becoming a copywriter trainee for McCann Erickson-Chile. In 1967, Paz moved to California with her two children. There, she designed curriculum for elementary schools presenting Latin American culture through songs, stories and dances. She studied voice, began her studies towards a BA in Sociology and Literature, remarried, got a school district permit to perform in the schools in Los Angeles and Oakland, and thus began her teaching and singing career in the United States. Influenced by the

Nueva canción (European , ; 'new song') is a left-wing social movement and musical genre in Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula, characterized by folk music, folk-inspired styles and socially committed lyrics. is widely recognized to have played a profou ...

movement, Paz began writing songs in folk styles with lyrics that addressed the poverty and inequality in Latin America. In 1977, Paz completed an MA from Rutgers University and a teaching credential, and taught in New York City. Paz has two sons whom she enjoys involving in her recordings. Her eldest, Juan, played keyboard on several of her albums. Her youngest, Ramiro Fauve, a singer-songwriter and outstanding artist continues to create music with her. Paz currently splits time between Nevada and Los Angeles, California.

Name and mission

Suni Paz chose the name "Suni" because it means "ever-lasting" in the

Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several Indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, an Indigenous South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language ...

language. "Paz" which means "peace" is a last name found in every Latin American country. To find inner peace and share it with others is Paz's quest in life. Her mission is to use her singing and playing to disseminate the rich cultures of the Americas through the lyrics, rhythms, and indigenous instruments such as the

charango The charango is a small Andes, Andean stringed instrument of the lute family, from the Quechua people, Quechua and Aymara people, Aymara populations in the territory of the Altiplano in post-Colonial times, after European stringed instruments we ...

, caja, and bombo, thereby building a bridge between cultures.

Creative works

Paz began writing her own lyrics and setting to music some of her concerns in order to give a voice to the silent and forgotten ones. She has sung in communities, schools, at rallies and marches, and later at colleges, universities, and festivals in the United States, Latin America and Europe. In the sixties, having settled in New York, Paz began recording. Her first album, ''Breaking Out of the Silence/Brotando del Silencio'' was released in 1973 on

Paredon Records Paredon Records was a record label founded in 1969 by Barbara Dane and Irwin Silber to publish recordings of cultural expressions, especially protests, in order to preserve them. Paredon wanted to spread awareness of multiple movements and topics. D ...

, a label founded by

Irwin Silber Irwin Silber (October 17, 1925 – September 8, 2010) was an American Communism, Communist, Editing, editor, publisher, and activism, political activist. He edited the folk music magazine ''Sing Out!'' and was active in far-left politics througho ...

and

Barbara Dane Barbara Jean Spillman (May 12, 1927 – October 20, 2024), known professionally as Barbara Dane, was an American folk, blues, and jazz singer, guitarist, record producer, and political activist. She co-founded Paredon Records with Irwin Silbe ...

to present social protest music. In 1977, Paz recorded her first album with

Folkways Records Folkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987 and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways. History The Folkways Records & Service ...

, ''Entre Hermanas: Between Sisters-Women's Songs Sung in Spanish'', widening the implications of the women's movement beyond middle- and upper-class Americans. In the late seventies, Moe Asch from

commissioned three children's albums including ''Alerta, Children Songs for the Playground'' and ''From the Sky of My Childhood'' which Paz recorded accompanied by noted cellist Martha Siegel. The three albums solidified Paz's voice as a singer-songwriter of children's songs. The albums became pivotal in Paz's career as an educator and a musician using songs to teach about all subjects and about life. In 1984, Paz met Dr. Alma Flor Ada, a renowned writer and poet of children's stories, living and working in San Francisco. Ada was interested in having her lyrics set to music and recorded by Paz. Together with Viví Escrivá, an illustrator living in Spain, Ada's lyrics and Paz's music, a trio of creativity across two continents became established. In 1997, Paz met poet and writer Francisca

Isabel Campoy Isabel Campoy (born June 25, 1946 in Alicante, Spain) is an author of children's books, poetry, and pedagogical resources. Central to Campoy's work is the promotion of bilingual education. Biography F. Isabel Campoy was born in Alicante, Spai ...

who writes children's books on Latin America and Spain with Ada. The trio became a quartet. Paz then began writing music, recording and performing Ada's and Campoy's lyrics and stories which they now present together in conferences on education in the United States and Latin America. Thus, Paz continues today with her career as an author, lyricist, singer, songwriter, recording artist, and performer of folklore and children's songs. She has just published her own collection of short stories and anecdotes about growing up in Argentina and has an upcoming release about her life in Chile. In 2007 Paz recorded a new

CD ''Bandera Mía'' featuring stirring folk songs from Argentina. Also in 2007 Paz published a collection of autobiographical stories in English and Spanish entitled ''Sparkles & Shadows - from Innocence to Wisdom'' (''Destellos y Sombras de la Inoncencia a la Madurez'' in Spanish) published by Del Sol Books. In 2008 Paz was featured in ''Worlds of Sound: The Story of Smithsonian Folkways'', by Richard Carlin.

Concerts

On June 9, 1975, Paz performed at a benefit for ''

Sing Out! ''Sing Out!'' was a quarterly journal of folk music and folk songs that was published from May 1950 through spring 2014. It was originally based in New York City, with a national circulation of approximately 10,000 by 1960. Background ''Sing O ...

'' magazine at The Bottom Line, sharing the stage with

Don Mclean Donald McLean III (born October 2, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Known as the "American Troubadour" or "King of the Trail", he is best known for his 1971 hit "American Pie (song), American Pie", an eight-and-a-half-minut ...

, Abby Newton,

Louisiana Red Iverson Minter (March 23, 1932 – February 25, 2012), known professionally as Louisiana Red, was an American blues guitarist, harmonica player, and singer, who recorded more than 50 albums. A master of slide guitar, he played both traditional a ...

, Charley Sales, Leon Rossebson, Sara Cleveland and the Red Clay Ramblers.

Awards and honors

In 2020, the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

awarded Paz a

National Heritage Fellowship The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folk and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts. Similar to Japan's Living National Treasure award, the Fellowship is the United States government's h ...

, the nation's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. The NEA described Paz as "One of the first artists to bring the nueva canción tradition—the 'new song' music of the 1960s and 1970s—to North American audiences, Paz's work as an American songwriter and performer of Latin American folk music has resonated as a cultural force engaging people of all backgrounds and ages." In 2003, The Children's Music Network bestowed the Magic Penny Award on Paz, for her outstanding lifetime contribution to children's music.

Discography

''Cantos de Las Posadas and Other Christmas Songs (recorded by Elena Paz and Carlos Garcia Travesi)'', 1963,

''Brotando del Silencio - Breaking Out of the Silence'', 1973, Paredon Records ''Entre Hermanas: Between Sisters: Women's Songs in Spanish Sung by Suni Paz'', 1977, Folkways ''From the Sky of My Childhood / Del Cielo de Mi Ninez - Folk Songs from Latin America sung by Suni Paz'', 1979, Folkways ''Earth and Ocean Songs: Canciones del Mar y de la Tierra'', 1982, Folkways ''Hagamos Camimos: Andamos Student'', 1986,

Addison-Wesley Addison–Wesley is an American publisher of textbooks and computer literature. It is an imprint of Pearson plc, a global publishing and education company. In addition to publishing books, Addison–Wesley also distributes its technical titles ...

''Brotes Sobre el Papel: Buds on Paper'', 1987, Suni Paz ''La Pajara Pinta'', 1988, Santillana Publishing ''Manana es Domingo'', 1988, Santillana ''Estaba la Pastora'', 1988, Santillana ''Las Semillas Magicas'', 1988, Santillana ''La Bella Durmiente'', 1988, Santillana ''La cenicienta'', 1988, Santillana ''Caperucita Roja'', 1988, Santillana ''Blancanieves'', 1988, Santillana ''Alerta Sings and Songs for the Playground/ Canciones Para el Recreo'', 1989,

Smithsonian Folkways Recordings Smithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was f ...

''Aprender Cantando'', 1990, Alma Flor Ada-Suni Paz ''Songs in Spanish'', 1992, Sanctuary Wooks-Scholastic ''Amigos'', 1994, Rei American ''El Viejo Abuelo'', 1995, Scholastic ''Musica Matematica'', 1995, Scholastic ''Cantando con Suni Paz'', 1995, Scholastic ''Abecedario de los Animales'', 1996, Alma Flor Ada-Suni Paz ''Waves'', 1996,

Mimosa ''Mimosa'' is a genus of about 600 species of herbs and shrubs, in the mimosoid clade of the legume family Fabaceae. Species are native to the Americas, from North Dakota to northern Argentina, and to eastern Africa (Tanzania, Mozambique, and ...

''Como Una Flor'', 1996, Alma Flor Ada-Suni Paz ''Cielo Abierto (K-2nd Grade)'', 1996, Harcourt-Brace ''Cuentos Cantados (K-3rd Grade)'', 1997, Mimosa ''Gathering the Sun'', 1997, Alma Flor Ada-Suni Paz ''Canciones Para el Recreo: Children's Songs for the Playground'', 1998, Smithsonian Folkways ''Smithsonian Folkways Children's Collection'', 1998, Smithsonian Folkways ''Alerta Sings and Songs for the Playground/ Canciones Para el Recreo'', 2000, Smithsonian Folkways ''Raíces Latinas: Smithsonian Folkways Latino Roots Collection'', 2002, Smithsonian Folkways ''Bandera Mía: Songs of Argentina'', 2007, Smithsonian Folkways ''Tú eres mi flor: Songs for Children en Español: Elizabeth Mitchell and Suni Paz'', 2018, Smithsonian Folkways

References

External links

Suni Paz Collection

Suni Paz - Argentinian singer and songwriter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paz, Suni 20th-century Argentine women singers Living people Argentine guitarists Argentine women guitarists Argentine songwriters Argentine women songwriters Argentine poets Argentine women poets Argentine music educators Argentine women music educators Argentine folklorists Argentine women folklorists Year of birth missing (living people) National Heritage Fellowship winners Rutgers University alumni Folkways Records artists Argentine emigrants to the United States