Chiringa to perform at Wolftree dinner

The Latin band Chiringa will perform at Brand 33 the night of the Wolftree Challenge Awards Dinner and Auction Saturday, October 6.

Shireen Amini, a local singer-songwriter, put the band together in May of 2011 when asked to perform for a Cinco de Mayo festival in Bend.

Chiringa, (pronounced Chee-reen-gah), means "kite" in Spanish and became a term of endearment for Shireen from her Puerto Rican family members who had a hard time pronouncing the "sh" sound in her name and decided to morph it into this similar-sounding Spanish word. She feels honored and excited to share this part of her heritage, offering a burst of freshness, sensuality, and joy to the Central Oregon musical scene.

The band's repertoire covers a wide range of Latin artists (Santana, Celia Cruz, Selena, Ozomatli, Buena Vista Social Club and more) as well as a variety of Latin genres (salsa, cumbia, cha cha cha, merengue, Latin rock).

The band features Shireen Amini on guitar and vocals, Johnny Riordan on congas, Tom Freedman on bass and trumpet, and is expanding to include drum kit, keyboards, and more. Everyone plays percussion. Chiringa also invites audience participation musically, pulling everyone into the groove with their voices, bodies, and instruments and making it a truly communal celebration.

All proceeds for the event will go to support the outdoor science programs provided by Wolftree in Central Oregon. Board chair Janet Zuelke is excited that Chiringa is performing at the dinner.

"We feel incredibly lucky to have Chiringa play this event. The energy will be just what we need at the end of a great day competing in the Wolftree Challenge," she said.

Brand 33 at Aspen Lakes opens the doors for this event at 5:30 p.m. Tickets for the dinner, auction and dance are $25. Reservations are recommended, but tickets are available at the door. Call Zuelke at 541-480-9999 for information or reservations.