By Makari Ishaya

On Wednesday, June 19, San Miguel will have a choral evening at Teatro Ángela Peralta when the well-known Maestros Xavier Hernández and Liliana Gutiérrez conduct San Miguel Vivo Chorus and Instrumental Ensemble.

Choral evening with San Miguel Vivo Chorus
Wed, Jun 19, 7pm
Teatro Ángela Peralta
100 pesos adults, children and teenagers free
www.ensamblesanmiguel.com

In 2003 they founded Voces Unidas, an independent chorus for adults, and in 2007 they started the children and young choir Kantaré. Since last year they constituted a civil association, San Miguel Vivo, Arte y Folklore and they decided to change their name: San Miguel Vivo Adult Chorus and San Miguel Vivo Young and Children’s Chorus. With these groups they have done many  concerts, here and outside of town, but mainly they have been working all these years to consolidate a group of people who enjoy singing together, participating in events like the children’s choir did at the Opera La Boheme last February, recording a CD, or, as the adults did last year, a flashmob at the Tianguis Orgánico and the Market. This summer they have been invited to participate in a National Choral Festival in Cuernavaca, capital of the state of Morelos, where they will be representing our beautiful San Miguel de Allende.

In this recital you will enjoy some classic choral music like Ave Verum by Mozart, Amor Vittorioso by Gastoldi, Bist du bei Mir by J.S. Bach and popular hits like Imagine by John Lennon, Si Nos Dejan by José Alfredo Jimenez, Pájara Pinta, a traditional children’s song from México arranged as a fugue and Vois sur ton chemin from the movie Les Choristes.

Two well-known pianists of the town, Enrique Prado and Mauro Ledesma, will accompany the choirs at the piano. These musicians also play together with Xavier and Liliana and have formed the San Miguel Ensemble with other musicians of the town and Celaya or Querétaro.

This concert is a celebration of world music from various styles and origins, and will help the adult choir to raise money for their trip to the festival, so don’t miss it! Tickets are available at Teatro Ángela Peralta, 100 pesos, and your kids and teenagers can enter for free.

Concert
“Dharmaflamenco II”
Billy White in concert and CD presentation
Thu, May 2, 7:30pm
Doors open at 7pm
Rosewood Hotel amphitheatre
Nemesio Diez 11
200 pesos; VIP table for four, 1,200 pesos
info 044-415-101- 6003

I love poetry and words, however I am wondering if Voltaire’s famous quote should be ‘Music is the poetry of the soul, and, above all, of great and feeling souls’? Connection with our own soul and the souls of others is one of the joys of living in San Miguel. It’s a fluid and constant occurrence of life here. Not surprising at all. But what is not such a frequent occurrence is an event that engages and encourages a journey that delights and elates. Billy White’s upcoming concert “Dharmaflamenco II” will do so.

Here he talks about the CD, dharma, flamenco and what he is exploring.

Suzanne Ludekens: What has been your journey in creating Dharmaflamenco II?

Billy White: Dharmaflamenco II is a follow up to the album Dharmaflamenco, released in late 2009. Much of it was written and recorded in San Miguel, greatly influenced by this beautiful city and many deep experiences here, like the birth of my son. I had been in New York and Madrid immersed in the world of flamenco, but also practicing Buddhist meditation, two paths that you wouldn’t normally imagine converging. A lot of the material for the sequel was recorded over the past two years, many travels and life changes. There is even a song, a rumba named after this great place, a humble dedication to all that has happened here.

SL: What influences have been present in the making of this album?

BW: Earth and sky, sun and moon, clouds and stars, love and heartbreak, inbreath-outbreath. Everything really.

SL: One meaning of Dharma is ‘that which maintains the stability and harmony of the universe’ and flamenco you once mentioned is ‘one of the most profound cries of the human condition’. What do dharma and flamenco mean to you, and how do they merge together?

BW: I came to use the name “dharmaflamenco” combining two of the greatest influences I’ve known in this life, both common words but vastly misunderstood. Dharma can also mean “essence” or “law.” Flamenco is a music and art that expresses extremes of human emotion, at the highest level those emotions are transcended and a state of ecstatic union or no self can be reached. This is what is implied by the “dharma of flamenco”, a way of using the flamenco guitar as a vehicle for transcendence.

It also includes Indian and Middle-eastern melody and rhythm, which I allude to in a subtle but, hopefully, profound way. The music on these recordings includes a lot of other instruments besides flamenco guitar; I play quite a bit of drums and various types of percussion, as well as oud, harmonium and saz, a turkish stringed instrument.

SL: We say the heart has strings, what does that mean to you as a guitarist?

BW: Great expression! It can mean a number of things, no? Strings do attach, and sometimes have to be cut, but the guitar does definitely resonate in a way that penetrates deeply and vibrates in the range of the human voice.

SL: Your work is in the genre of World Music, what changes have you noticed in this music?

BW: What’s extraordinary is the cross-pollination happening because of the internet, you can find rare recordings and video on YouTube, things that took huge effort to come across not long ago, and so young people assimilate all this and make fusions very quickly, there is a lot of exciting multi-cultural exchange going on.

SL: You mentioned Dharmaflamenco II is a completion. What has been completed?

BW: This second album with flamenco guitar as the focal point, is the completion or closing of a chapter that’s about the energy and art of this music called flamenco which I was obsessed with for over a decade. It’s led me down so many paths and will always be a deep resource. Now I’m putting more and more energy now into sound-meditation, sound healing. Exploring singing bowls, didgeridoo and overtone singing. Also things like shamanic drumming and ceremonial music.

SL: What do you hope the audience experiences in this concert?

BW: I hope they have a good journey! And experience a variety of emotions, sensations, ultimately I think that music is the best way we can share in a deeply unified experience.

SL: You often have surprises in your concerts, and this one?

BW: It’s a surprise! I always want to be surprised myself…

SL: Will you tell us about the instruments you will be playing. How did you come upon the oud? And your flamenco guitar, where did you find it?

BW: I will be playing a variety of hand drums, cajon (wooden box used in flamenco and latin music) harmonium and oud. Two of my guitars were made by Salvador Castillo, in Paracho, who makes world class instruments — he’s becoming recognized worldwide as one of the top builders of flamenco guitars. The oud I have is from Egypt, it’s an instrument that always fascinated me, one of the oldest of stringed instruments. Sometimes called the grandfather of the guitar. It’s found throughout the Middle East, and the sound goes deep! It’s very expressive.

SL: What question would you like to be asked about your music? And the answer!

BW: Your questions are very good! I hope I’m answering them. But ultimately, the best thing is when people listen so deeply to the music that all the questions and answers disappear–no need to ask anything anymore!

Tickets for Dharmaflamenco II, Billy White in concert are on sale now, 200 pesos, VIP tables for 4, 1,200 pesos at Hotel Rosewood reception, Nemesio Diez 11; Mixta, Pila Seca 3; La Conexión, Aldama 3; Casa Corazón, Hernández Macías 81 and La Tienda, La Biblioteca, Insurgentes 25. More information 044-415-101-6003.

And to complete the sensory pleasure

Hotel Rosewood, to complement the concert, is offering a special tasting menu of its soon-to-be released menu. The tasting menu features locally grown, organic produce with organic lettuce, figs, caramelized nuts, pear and truffle essence balsamic dressing; Garra de león encrusted with chorizo, a delicate bean puree, arugula and veal reduction; beef fillet with mashed potatoes, asparagus, purslane and sweet and sour sauce with a lavender-infused dessert. 580 pesos. Make your reservations for 9:15pm, at 1826 restaurant, call 152-9700.

On Saturday, April 6, history was made in San Miguel de Allende; on the idyllic lawn of Villas del Parque, the inaugural concert of the newly formed San Miguel International Symphony (SMIS) was held. The 25-piece orchestra is directed by esteemed conductor Antonio Cabrero and brings together professional musicians from Russia, Poland, Hungary, Uruguay, the United States and Mexico. Following the concert, guests enjoyed cocktails while watching the spring sunset and founding members and supporters of the orchestra were treated to a candlelit dinner hosted by Gail Lowenstein. The excitement was palpable; San Miguel will finally have its own resident professional symphony orchestra to add further luster to its cultural and artistic reputation.

The evening’s program was light and refreshing on a warm evening, including selections from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, pieces from popular movies, the Suite from Bizet’s Carmen (always an audience favorite), and the Radetzky March. For the 2013/14 season the orchestra will perform in various venues, including the Teatro Ángela Peralta. You can be part of this wonderful musical experience by becoming a Founder of SMIS at Bronze, Gold or Platinum levels (US$250/500/1,000 respectively), entitling you to a number of free concerts per year and invitations to post-concert social gatherings. Founders will also have reserved seating at all concerts.

For more information, please email Gail Lowenstein at smis.gail@gmail.com.

“Marc Silber belongs to a small group of musicians who not only know the roots of American popular music but also can make it their own. His music is never imitation but always original and entertaining and true to the many genres of American ‘folk’ and popular music. He is a true gem in the long tradition of the wandering troubadour who always manages to lighten your load and tell you something you already knew.”

Concert
Marc Silber
Fri, Apr 5, 7pm
Shelter Theater VG4
Vicente Guerrero 4
120 pesos
154-7524

–Country Joe McDonald

For nearly five decades, guitarist and songster Marc Silber has been known as a “musician’s musician” by an elite circle of players. His anonymity to the world at large has everything to do with the fact that he has done little public performing and recorded only in the last few years with no publicity machine. Now, in his early 70s, and at the urging of some of his well-known friends, he has launched a performing career and brings his talent to the Shelter Theater on Thursday, April 4, as part of the venue’s Americana Series.

Silber’s music is deeply informed by the blues but extends to the whole of American roots music that has become known as Americana. His shows include elements of blues, country, bluegrass, and old-time music mixed into a seamless blend. His performances echo those of the early masters who connected intimately with their audience and seldom played a song the same way twice. His life experiences infuse his music with wisdom, humor and soul. Silber has been called “a direct descendent of American music as practiced by the likes of Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan and one of the few remaining links to bluesmen such as Son House, Bukka White, and the Reverend Gary Davis.”

This is not Silber’s first performance in San Miguel. In 2005, and again in 2011, he appeared as an opening act and as a band member for blues/jazz diva Maria Muldaur, who prizes his talents.

“There are thousands of guys out there busily learning all the right riffs and playing all the right notes,” she says, “but in the end, that ain’t what the Blues is all about, and they don’t move me one bit! The Blues is a feeling, and Marc totally gets that, which is why I love his music so much! His spare elemental guitar style incorporates all the best elements of American Roots Music, creates a deep groove, and is soulful and funky to the bone! The same could be said of his raw, expressive, yet understated vocals! I just love his rough-hewn voice! Though he is deeply informed and inspired by the best American Roots artists and their music, he never just slavishly imitates the work of the old masters. Marc always creatively and authentically expresses himself in a fresh and honest way, while still evoking the best of our traditional musical heritage.”

Tickets are 120 pesos and are available at La Biblioteca or by calling the Shelter Theater for reservations at 154-7524.

By Antonio Cabrero

San Miguel Symphony will have its first season 2013-2014, the orchestra is a world-class ensemble formed with the principals and concertmasters of four major Philharmonic Orchestras in Mexico.

Concert
With the San Miguel Symphony
Sat, Apr 6, TIME
Iglesia de San Francisco
250/150 pesos

These outstanding maestros come from Russia, Hungary, Poland, Uruguay, The United States and Mexico and they all love to meet and play in San Miguel, under the baton of maestro Antonio Cabrero Mendoza its director and founder.

San Miguel Symphony will offer monthly concerts and will feature outstanding soloists and an amazing repertoire, please reserve your subscription at www.sanmiguelsymphony.com, the membership cards; Platinum, Gold and Silver are fully transferable and get you invited to our cocktail receptions and after concert Parties with the Artists.

A series of concerts to raise funds for the first orchestra season starts with the International Philharmonic Orchestra at the Iglesia de San Francisco on Saturday, April 6th, donations are 250 pesos front seating and 150 pesos general.

Keep in mind that helping the Orchestra and becoming a member makes you a founder member for years to come and that friends or family can enjoy your card when you can’t come.

After his successful tour throughout Europe and the US, as a guest musician with the important and worldwide prestigious group Afro-Cuban All stars, San Miguel de Allende receives with deep thrill the virtuous-maestro pianist Gabriel Hernández, There will be a welcome concert at El Sindicato, Espacio Cultural Alternativo downtown. Gabriel Hernández lives and plays in San Miguel for the pleasure of all of us, the good music lovers. Come and join us this Saturday, March 30. The cast could’t be better; Gabriel Hernández at the piano. As a guest artist, the international and beloved guitarist Gil Gutiérrez; percussions Kimani Carrazana, directly from Cuba with his special way of “slamming the drums,” and at the bass the San Miguel revelation, Rubén Olvera.

Concert
Pianist Gabriel Hernández
Sat, Mar 30, 6pm
El Sindicato
Recreo 4
200 pesos
Limited seating
152-0131

By Shari Alexander

In the five-year history of Concurso San Miguel, the nationwide search for the most talented and promising young opera singers in Mexico, the competition has grown from a small regional contest to an event of national significance in the musical and cultural life of Mexico. “Each year we grow our number of artistic partnerships in a continuing effort to expand the benefits we can offer our singers,” says Opera San Miguel Artistic Director John Bills, which sponsors the annual Concurso. “This year we were able to offer, in addition to our cash career grants, a debut performance with the Acapulco Philharmonic Orchestra and debuts with the Opera Company of Morelos in Cuernavaca.”

But the most important new collaboration, Bills believes, is a strategic alliance with the Conservatorio de Música y Artes de Celaya. “Both the Conservatorio and Opera San Miguel are in the business of raising up the next generation of musical artists in Mexico, so we are a natural fit for an artistic partnership,” Bills says. Most sanmiguelenses, he asserts, are unaware that one of the top music schools in Mexico, possessing an excellent orchestra and chorus, is located right in our neighboring city of Celaya. That is about to change.

During the Concurso’s awards presentation on March 2, Bills said that his long-term goal for Opera San Miguel has always been to augment the career grants they award with professional-quality performing experience: staged performances with conductor, orchestra and chorus, produced and directed with the assistance of the members of OSM’s world-renowned international Advisory Board, and cast with the brilliant young Mexican singers discovered through the Concurso. “Tonight I am announcing the first steps towards achieving that goal,” Bills told the sold-out audience. Through a new agreement with the Celaya Conservatory, Opera San Miguel will present its first-ever Opera Gala next spring, accompanied by the orchestra and chorus of the Celaya Conservatory, conducted by its Music Director, Maestro Jesús Almanza.”

“The gala will not be the typical series of arias and ensembles,” Bills says. “Instead we plan to present entire acts of operas, cast with singers from all five of our previous contests. And though this will be a concert performance, I have asked Joseph McClain, the founding Artistic Director of Austin Lyric Opera, a valued member of my Advisory Board, and a tremendously gifted and experienced opera director, to stage the gala for maximum theatrical impact.”

This inaugural Opera Gala will be a co-production of Opera San Miguel and the Celaya Conservatory of Music and will be presented in both cities in March 2014.

It’s no secret that the blues were founded in the music of African Americans in the United States in the early 20th century. However, that contribution was downplayed and even denied for some time. For women musicians, race and gender combined to marginalize their contributions, which were not only significant but foundational to the blues.

Concert
“Wild Women do Get the Blues”
A Musical History of Women and the Blues
Acoustic Blues Concert
Wed, Mar 27, 8pm
El Sindicato
Recreo 4
152-0131
150 pesos
Tickets available in advance at El Sindicato, Biblioteca Tienda and Dean Martini’s

The ‘Blues Era’ in the early 1920s was dominated by women who started recording the blues which was the first commercially viable music ever recorded. Smith’s hit Down-Hearted Blues (written by Alberta Hunter) sold an unprecedented 750,000 copies.

They brought the 12-bar blues into the mainstream and gave a voice to an under-class. Songs of hardship, heartbreak and poverty provided the only recorded history of black working-class women.

Performers like Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith and Ethel Waters became household names. Under Rainey’s tutelage, Smith went on to become the highest paid black performer of her time.

Others who followed, like Sippie Wallace and Ida Cox, have been all but forgotten although their songs live on. Wild Women Don’t Get the Blues, written and recorded by Cox in 1924, has been covered by many artists including Lyle Lovett and Cyndi Lauper.

Memphis Minnie, who played folk blues – sometimes known as Delta blues – was an accomplished guitar player, widely acknowledged to be better than her male counterparts, winning many competitions and the hearts of the public. She is one of the few women recorded during the ‘30s.

Victoria Spivey’s career spanned four decades. In 1962, she started her own label, recording musicians like Willie Dixon and Big Joe Turner. Spivey was good friends with Sippie Wallace who had left entertaining to sing in her church choir. Encouraged by Spivey, Wallace started touring again in the ‘60s and was a major influence on Bonnie Raitt.

Like quilting and recipes, the vision and talents of these women were passed down generation to generation to influence better known names like Etta James, Big Mama Thornton and Janis Joplin.

To celebrate their accomplishments, an acoustic blues concert will present a musical history of women in blues from classic blues to folk and delta style to the blues of our time. It will include music from Bessie Smith to Memphis Minnie, Ida Cox to Big Mama Thornton, Etta James, Lil Green, Koko Taylor and more.

The concert will be presented by Kate Fowler and Rolando Gotés with Richard Webb on harmonica.

Fowler’s voice has been called sultry and when she sings the blues her voice is powerful and earthy. Gotés is an accomplished guitar player who moved to San Miguel from Torréon in the northern part of Mexico. Webb is a bluesman from North Carolina who specializes in Piedmont style guitar and harmonica.

Following Fowler and Gotés’ recent concert ‘Tribute to the Crooners’, one audience member said that it was the best thing they had seen while in San Miguel for the winter.

If you love the blues, don’t miss this very special concert. These women were the real deal. They played music, told stories, entertained, and they lived life on their own terms

But make no mistake … the blues is not sad music. It is, on the contrary, a celebration of life. An in-your-face, just-try-to-let-life-kick-you-down battle cry and sometimes humorous looks at the hardships of life and the ways that people, in this case women, have overcome them.

When we talk about Barandela Big Band Orchestra we’re talking about quality, prestige and good music; the best rhythm and fresh sound through the medium of this vintage genre which has withstood the test of time and survived for many decades.

Concert
“I’m Your Connection” Tour 2013
w/The Big Band Orchestra Barandela
Sat, Mar 16, 8pm
Teatro Ángela Peralta
300/250/150 pesos

Now, the Big Band concept, renewed in Mexico by this unique group of young musicians, offers a truly magnificent choice in the world of music and entertainment.

With three productions in the record market, the orchestra invites the public to enjoy the new style of this group of artists who have always respected the sound and the classic origins of the great bands of the ‘20s, ‘30s , ‘40s, ‘50s and today such as Swing, Jump Blues, Rock ’n’ Roll, Rockabilly, Funk, Soul and “hot” jazz variations.

The two main features of Barandela Big Band Orchestra  are to have an original style based on new songs using the full power, melodic and orchestral inspiration of the young bandleader David Barandela,  and to present a great show that invites the viewer to enjoy the best music.

The beautiful San Miguel de Allende will enjoy a concert of power and rhythm on Saturday, March 16, at the beautiful Teatro Ángela Peralta at 8pm with what is today considered one of the world’s best Big Bands — proudly Mexican.

By Shari Alexander

In a night filled with cheers and surprises, a sell-out crowd rose to its feet for baritone Germán Olvera as he was announced the First Prize winner of Concurso San Miguel 2013. In the most closely contended contest in the five-year history of the Concurso, presented annually by Opera San Miguel, Olvera won out over 11 other finalists to take home a career grant of $60,000 pesos, a $15,000 peso debut performance with the Acapulco Philharmonic Orchestra, and an automatic advance to the semi-finals of this year’s Morelli voice competition, the oldest in the nation. In addition, Olvera also won the $10,000 peso “Audience Favorite” award. A big night indeed for the 27-year-old baritone from Sinaloa, and the beginning of a big month for the young singer, who makes his debut at the Bellas Artes as Escamillo in Carmen on March 17 with the National Opera in Mexico City.

“Without doubt, this was the strongest field of finalists we have ever presented in Concurso San Miguel,” says Opera San Miguel Artistic Director John Bills. In a last minute decision, the judges were able to award a $2,500 peso grant to each singer who did not otherwise win a prize. “We wanted to recognize the achievements of all of our finalists, and so these career encouragement grants were presented through the generosity of judge John Daly Goodwin and his wife Ruth Kaplan.”

In a surprise announcement from the stage, Bills revealed an historic new collaboration between Opera San Miguel and the Orchestra and Chorus of the Celaya Conservatory of Music. “It is my long-term goal for Opera San Miguel to augment the career grants we give our singers by offering real professional performing experience to our singers: staged performances with conductor, orchestra and chorus, produced and directed with the assistance of members of our world-renowned international Advisory Board, and with a cast drawn from the brilliant young Mexican singers we have discovered through our Concurso,” Bills told the audience. “Tonight I am announcing the first steps towards achieving that goal. In March of 2014 we will present our first-ever Opera Gala Concert, with full orchestra, right here on this stage, and also again in Celaya.”

The Second Prize winner, tenor Fabian Rodríguez Lara, also won the Conservatorio de Musica y Artes de Celaya Award which consists of a featured performance in that first-ever joint gala with Opera San Miguel and a fee of 12,500 pesos. In addition to the first through fourth-place prizes, this year saw the addition of several memorial grants of 10,000 pesos each, bringing the total amount of career grants and performing fees awarded to a record 205,000 pesos.

And the winners are

1st Prize, German Olvera, baritone. 60,000 pesos; Debut with Acapulco Philharmonic Orchestra, all transportation and expenses paid, DVD of the concert, and fee of 15,000 pesos; Automatic Advancement to Semi-Final Round of this year’s Morelli Contest

2nd Prize, Fabián Rodríguez Lara, tenor. 30,000 pesos

3rd Prize, Cesar Delgado, tenor. 20,000 pesos

4th Prize, Pablo Aranday, baritono 15,000 pesos

The Edgar Mason Kneedler Memorial Award for Outstanding Interpretation and Style, Alberto Albarran, baritone. 10,000 pesos

The Therese Anne McCarthy Memorial Award for Youthful Potential, María Fernanda, soprano.

10,000 pesos

The Herman Marcus Memorial Award, Daniel Noyola, bass-baritone. 10,000 pesos

Audience Favorite Award, German Olvera, baritone. 10,000 pesos

The Conservatorio de Musica y Artes de Celaya Award: Featured Appearance in the Inaugural Opera San Miguel/Conservatorio de Celaya Opera Gala and Fee of 12,500 pesos, Fabián Rodríguez Lara, tenor

The Opera San Miguel Career Encouragement Grant: 2,500 pesos each

Octavio Rivas, tenor; Armando Pina, baritone; Yamel Domort, soprano; Tenantzin Cruz, soprano; Ligia Cedillo, mezzo-soprano.

photo  caption: John Bills Congratulates Concurso Winner Germán Olvera

Photo Credit: Agustín Valadéz Sánchez