FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 25, 2013 MEDIA ALERT Cantigas presents a choral prelude to the festive season: Winter Celebration: Holiday Songs & Parrandas 7:00 p.m., Saturday, December 7th 2013 Bethesda United Methodist Church 8300 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, MD 20814 Coral Cantigas en Wash. DC fue establecido por una puertorriqueña, Diana Sáez, para mantener la música hispanoamericana viva en el área de Wash. Nuestra música, nuestros compositores, nuestros directores y musicólogos pertenecen al mundo. Guest Artists: Strathmore Children’s Chorus, Christopher G. Guerra, founding conductor and artistic director For tickets: cantigas.org, or call 301-230-1361 Washington, DC, November 25, 2013: Coral Cantigas, Washington, DC’s Premier Latino Chorus, presents its hallmark, holiday concert Winter Celebration: Holiday Songs & Parrandas, one of the metro area’s distinctive multicultural traditions. Each year this joyous concert bridges cultures and musical styles, taking audiences on a festive musical journey through time across the Americas. This year’s repertoire features styles from different historical periods in addition to traditional carols from Spain, Puerto Rico, Chile, and Venezuela. Share in a spirited sing-along that includes bilingual program texts, and enjoy a collaborative performance with the Strathmore Children’s Chorus. Cantigas’s repertoire includes: HODIE - a new addition to Cantigas’s repertoire; by Fernando Moruja, Argentinean contemporary composer. SALMO 150 –a novel setting of Psalm 150 in Cuban guaracha rhythm; by Suzzette Ortiz, Puerto Rican choral teacher, pianist and composer living in Camden, New Jersey. O MAGNUM MYSTERIUM –a contemporary setting to this well-known Christmas text; by Venezuelan composer César Alejandro Carrillo. ESO RIGOR E REPENTE – villancico for five voices featuring syncopated rhythms common to the villancicos written in the New World. The texture of the refrain is that of a soloist answered by the chorus in a ‘call and response’ style; by Gaspar Fernandes (Evora: 1566- Puebla: 1629), a Portuguese born composer who became chapel master at the Cathedral of Puebla, Mexico. NEGRITA MARTINA – a nostalgic song telling the story of a girl who is very poor and receives a copla or melody from the Wise Men instead of a piece of bread. The song underscores the reality of many children who will not receive toys for Christmas. This is a composition by Daniel Viglietti, contemporary singer and composer, part of the Uruguayan New Song Movement. SOY UN POBRE JIBARITO- a Puerto Rican Christmas carol, akin to The Little Drummer Boy, tells the story of a poor boy whose gift for baby Jesus is a rooster; by contemporary Puerto Rican composer Narciso Figueroa, and arranged by Ricardo Cabrera. TAN TAN VIENEN LOS REYES – traditional carol from Aragon, Spain; arrangement by C. Geoffray. SAN PEDRO TROTO – song by Chilean contemporary composer Rolando Alarcón, arranged by Franklin Thorn. AL LLEGAR AQUI – traditional carol from Venezuela, arranged by Modesta Bor. This selection will be accompanied by the Venezuelan cuatro. ABOUT CANTIGAS (website and video: cantigas.org) Founded by Artistic Director Diana Sáez, DMA, Cantigas is a leading chamber choir and one of few in the nation that specializes in the rich and diverse music of Spain and Latin America. Having loyal, cross-over audiences that are half Hispanic/Latino, and half mainstream American, Cantigas concerts showcase extraordinary talent while bridging cultures and communities. The chorus consistently enraptures audiences through season concerts and performances at such places as the Kennedy Center, Strathmore, museums, and festivals, and has received the 2009 and 2010 WAMMY nominations. Every concert is uniquely different, with its own theme and repertoire that brilliantly weaves a tapestry of diverse musical styles from indigenous to folk, classical, and contemporary; and features collaborations with local and international artists. ABOUT THE STRATHMORE CHILDREN’S CHORUS: (website: strathmorecc.org) Founded in 2012, the Strathmore Children’s Chorus (SCC) has grown to more than 100 members, under the direction of founding conductor and artistic director Christopher G. Guerra. The SCC consists of three performing ensembles (Treble Chorus, Concert Chorus, and Young Men’s Chorus) and a Training Chorus for new singers. The choruses perform with professional orchestras and other choral groups. The SCC organization seeks to promote self-expression in singers, celebrate the diverse musical traditions of the community, and engage talented youth in choral music-making. Tickets are $20-$25. Free niños under age 12. Ask about student, senior & group discounts. For tickets: go to cantigas.org, or call 301-230-1361 For more information, please contact: Magalie Salas, Executive Director: 301-230-1361 To schedule interviews, please contact: Marisa Arbona-Ruiz, Board Member: 240-432-3177, [email protected]
Posted on: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 21:47:15 +0000