It is a real pleasure to be working with the marvelous musicians and staff of the New York Festival of Song! I’m happy to be a guest blogger this week, sharing my love of music and the human voice with readers, and will start off with a gentle yet quietly powerful bang: La Flor de la Canela (Cinnamon Flower) composed and performed by Chabuca Granda (1920-1983), a creator and proponent of criollo “valsos” (waltzes) infused with Afro-Peruvian rhythms.  This is one of her most famous numbers, the unofficial anthem of Perú’s capital, Lima, and recorded by countless artists.