Eva Ayllón, vocalist

Born: February 7, 1956 in Peru

Originally named: María Angélica Ayllón Ubrina. She later adopted “Eva” in memory of her maternal grandmother.

Highly regarded: as one of Peru’s leading interpreters of Musica Criolla by the early 70s.

International fame: tours of Europe, the United States, Canada, and Japan. Ms. Ayllón was also recently chosen to represent Peru at the Kennedy Center’s AmericArtes Festival “Celebrating the Arts of Latin America.”

Awards: eight double platinum awards as well as a 2003 Latin Grammy™ nomination for the “Best Folk Album” for Eva.

Quote: “Being able to sing is the most wonderful gift that God bestowed on me… I’m not going to stop what I’m doing until every American has heard [this music].”