Chatham Baroque Presents Alegría: Music of Baroque Spain and The Americas Holiday performance features Baroque Christmas music sung in Spanish

 

Chatham Baroque will present their holiday program, “Alegría: Music of Baroque Spain and The Americas” highlighting Baroque music from Spain and Latin America dating back to the 16th and 18th centuries. The performances will take place on December 16, Hicks Memorial Chapel on the campus of the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and on December 17, at Levy Hall in the historic Rodef Shalom Synagogue.

The concert’s joyful music celebrates Christmas with pieces originating from Spain, Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, as well as the Sephardic diaspora. Many of the pieces will be sung in the Spanish vernacular by Nell Snaidas (soprano) and Racquel Winnica Young (mezzo soprano), extolling the wonders of the holiday season. The program will also include music sung in indigenous Latin American languages and pieces from the Sephardic Jewish tradition performed in Judeo-Español.

Nell Snaidas is a Uruguayan-American, Grammy-nominated soprano who is globally recognized for her specialization in Latin American and Spanish music. Her favorite projects include playing Guatemalan Baroque music at Carnegie Hall, co-directing The Bishop’s Band with Tom Zajac in his program “Trujillo Codex of Peru”, and her many collaborations with Chatham Baroque. As an opera director, her work has been seen at notable venues such as NYU, Indiana University and most recently for Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado. She is also the Co-Artistic Director of GEMAS: Early Music of the Americas, a concert series in NYC.

“This performance encapsulates the warm, joyful feelings of the season,” says Snaidas, “As audiences hear the Spanish melodies and rare instruments, I hope they become fully immersed, not only in the holiday season, but also in the rich history of the songs and instruments. Alegría is a truly unique performance and I look forward to bringing the sounds of Baroque Spain to the people of Pittsburgh.”

Racquel Winnica Young is an Agrentinian-American mezzo soprano specializing in Spanish and Latin-American baroque music, with a deep interest in the influence and transformation of the Spanish language and its origins across the centuries. Her career has taken her to concert halls throughout the Americas and Europe, performing with Chatham Baroque, Apollo’s Fire, The Newberry Consort and Quantum Theatre. In November of 2022 Raquel made her debut as an actress portraying the role of “El Duende” from Maria de Buenos Aires with Kentucky Opera and has gone on to perform with the Chicago Choral and Atlanta Baroque.

Chatham Baroque’s Andrew Fouts (violin), Patricia Halverson (viola da gamba) and Scott Pauley (guitar, theorbo) will perform in the Alegria concert with an exceptional roster of guest artists. Alongside Snaidas (soprano) and Winnica Young (mezzo soprano), will be the talented Evan Few (violin), Paul Shipper (bass, percussion, guitar) and Paula Fagerberg (Spanish Baroque double harp).

The performance’s traditional Baroque dance music originated as Spanish guitar, harp or keyboard music written by composers such as Gaspar Sanz and Santiago de Murcia. The instruments used in the program include both Renaissance and Baroque-era guitars, the unique Spanish Baroque double harp played by Paula Fagerberg, as well as an array of percussion instruments that might have been found on the trade routes from Europe, Africa and the Americas as played by Paul Shipper.

Tickets and more information about the performance can be found here: https://www.chathambaroque.org/concert/chatham-baroque-alegria-music-of-baroque-spain-and-the-americas/. Early bird pricing for the performance will be offered through the end of the day on December 1st. Full price tickets will be offered starting December 2nd.

Chatham Baroque’s 2023/2024 Season is made possible in part by Allegheny Regional Asset District, Buhl Foundation, Calvary Episcopal Church, Classical WQED-FM 89.3, Heinz Endowments, Laurel Foundation, Opportunity Fund, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, The Benter Foundation, and the support of many generous individuals and volunteers.

About Chatham Baroque

Each year, Chatham Baroque presents a series of captivating, historically informed performances, drawing from a vast repertoire of classical music styles, eras, and locales from the Medieval Period through the early 19th Century.

As one of the country’s leading period instrument ensembles and early music presenters, each season features several concerts with the distinguished Chatham Baroque ensemble with artistic directors Andrew Fouts (violin), Patricia Halverson (viola da gamba), and Scott Pauley (theorbo and baroque guitar) as well as concerts by renowned touring ensembles specializing in music of the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque, and early Classical period.

Chatham Baroque concerts are performed with period instruments, which are restored or replica versions from the time when the music was written. Concerts are held in a variety of settings across Pittsburgh from churches to concert halls, and performers actively engage audiences with lively commentary and insights into the music.  To learn more, please visit www.chathambaroque.org.