Natalia Quintanilla

Born in Mexico City and currently based in Detroit, Natalia Quintanilla is an electro-acoustic music artist, composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. She studied composition and music theory at the Centro de Investigación y Estudios Musicales (CIEM) and completed her M.A. in Media Arts in the Performing Arts Technology department at the University of Michigan.

Natalia’s work explores the intangible bonds between human emotion, memory, and nature, bringing together dreamlike soundscapes and layered instrumentation. As a performer, she has contributed as an accordionist, pianist, and vocalist to Latin American and jazz ensembles, and in 2021 released her solo project Nati Bu. Her music has been performed across Mexico, the U.S., Austria, Slovenia, and the U.K., resonating with global audiences.

Through Healing Bells, Natalia uses sound as a form of resistance and remembrance, confronting gender-based violence and femicide in Latin America by transforming grief into a collective act of healing and honor.

“Discussing femicides means addressing a neglected and overlooked global pandemic, particularly in Latin America. Coming from a country where there are 11 femicides daily, it is profoundly frustrating that the only means to bring attention to this terrible pandemic is through art, as our justice system and the state have failed us. It is a collective crime, a mass tragedy, a failure of the state. We seek to honor all the individuals we have lost in our ongoing fight.”