A different stage
“On Your Feet” star Ana Villafañe to perform with the Miami Symphony.
Ana Villafañe, who gained fame playing Gloria Estefan in Broadway’s “On Your Feet!” musical, will be performing tonight with the Miami Symphony Orchestra at 6 p.m.
The free pop-up concert, which also will feature tenor Fernando Varela, is part of the weekly Miami Design District Performance Series presented by the John S. & James L. Knight Foundation. The events are produced by Emilio Estefan Jr., in collaboration with Miami Symphony Orchestra music director Eduardo Marturet, and take place in Palm Court outside the Estefan Kitchen restaurant.
Villafañe said that when Estefan Jr. asked her to perform for the concert, “I was like absolutely yes. It was no question,” she told WTVJ-Ch. 6’s “6in the Mix” show recently.
“A) It’s home. B) It’s Emilio, so it’s family. And C) I get to perform with the Miami Symphony, so that’s not an everyday thing, and I’m really, really excited,” she said.
In August, the Miami native wrapped up almost two years of portraying the Miami queen of conga on Broadway’s “On Your Feet!” about the Estefans’ success story. The national tour came to Miami on Oct. 5-15.
More recently, Villafañe also sang in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Almost Like Praying” charity single to raise money for hurricane victims in Puerto Rico. The song, which also features Miami singers Gloria Estefan, Camila Cabello and Luis Fonsi, ranked as No. 1 on the digital song sales chart for the week ending Oct. 13, according to Nielsen Music.
The Miami Design District weekly music series, formerly known as Palm Court Performance Series, returned this month for its second year with a new schedule of sunset performances. Last week, Italian tenors Il Volo entertained crowds.
The concerts will take place Fridays through the end of December at Palm Court, 140 NE 39th St., Miami.
For the schedule or information, miamidesigndistrict.net.