The spicy flavor of chili and the rhythmic strains of Brazilian music at the Latin American Festival will spice up the ninth annual Jubilee. Presented by the Division of Music, the event will feature food and music from Latin America with a special focus on Brazil.

“This will help us with our cultural exchange and let us show the Latins in our community that we love and appreciate them,” said Angela Hammerli, coordinator for Jubilee.

Luciana Soares and Paula Van Goes, co-creators of the festival, wanted to bring some of the culture they loved to Thibodaux.

The occasion kicks off with an informal concert on the front steps of Talbot Hall March 22 12 p.m. until 2 p.m. Trio de Janeiro, a group from New Orleans, will be performing Brazilian jazz. There also will be a variety of Latin American food for sale.

“I think it will be interesting for Nicholls students,” Soares said.

The highlight of the festival will be the concert featuring music written by Joao Guilherme Ripper, one of the leading composers and conductors in Brazil.

The Nicholls Symphonic Band will be performing a song written specifically for Nicholls, a theme dvariation of the alma mater.

“It is very prestigious for someone of his stature to take the time to write a piece for a college ensemble,” Soares said.

There will be several world premiers including North American premieres of music composed by Ripper.

Ripper is currently a professor of musical analysis and composition at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and at the Estácio de Sá University, where he also serves as curriculum coordinator.

Ripper will be lecturing in Talbot Hall on the characteristics and history of Latin American music March 23 at 10:45 a.m. The lecture will be open to all Nicholls students, not only music majors.

Burle Marx Trio, a chamber music group from Baton Rouge that focuses on playing Brazilian compositions, will also be performing. The members of the group are Louisiana State University faculty members who have worked and lived in Brazil.

Chef George Kaslow will be sharing his knowledge of Latin American food March 23 at 1 p.m. Kaslow, who has been cooking for over forty years, has been in the Latin world, including Spain, Columbia and Costa Rica, perfecting his craft.

“It was about learning the food,” Kaslow said.

Kaslow will be preparing Seafood Paella, Cuban pork roast, black beans and yucca, which is a starchy root that has been a staple of the Brazilian area for centuries.

Closing out the festival will be the Latin American Fiesta concert, a varied program of Latin American works performed by the Nicholls Percussion Ensemble, the Blue Bayou Jazz Band, and winner of the Latin American Festival Music Competition, Michael Prejean, music junior, and runner ups Ashley Hernandez and Michael Crochet.

“This is a great opportunity for the students to perform in a major concert,” Van Goes said.

The concert will be held in Talbot Hall Theatre at 7:30 p.m. March 23.

All events for the Latin American Festival are free and open to the public.