Music of the Americas: Live and Online

Monday, May 22, 10 am

Latin Grammy Award-winning Venezuelan musician Juan Diego Villalobos sent four videos for our series this season. Today we share the last, "Se está secando la tierrra," one of many traditional Afro-Venezuelan folk chants that are sung during the celebration of St. John The Baptist on June 24 in the state of Aragua. In this version, Villalobos is joined by percussionist Daniel Prim. The original melody can be heard throughout.

Tuesday, May 23, 7 pm

Piffaro: Entre dos álamos

The early music group, joined by a stellar vocal ensemble, makes its Music of the Americas debut with a program of Latin American 16th century music at the Church of St. Ignatius of Antioch on the Upper West Side. 

More information. 

Wednesday, May 24, 10 am

Alejandro Brittes is an Argentine accordionist, composer, and researcher of the music of his country's northeastern region, and was awarded the Best Musician award at the Festival de Cosquín in 1996 and won several other awards in Argentina and Brazil, where he currently lives. 

Alejandro Brittes Quartet, in which the accordionist is joined by André Ely, Carlos de Césaro, and Charlise Bandeira, will be on their first U.S. tour in Fall 2023 supported by the Iber Exchange program and the Lei de Incentivo a Cultura – Rouanet. The tour will take them to Library of Congress, Georgetown University, and George Mason University, and to the New York area on October 4 and 5. 

From Estúdio Celito Borges in Porto Alegre, the capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brittes and his Baroque Ensemble—which includes also André Ely, Carlos de Césaro, Érico Marques, Diego Schuck de Biasibetti, Fernando Cordella, Giovani dos Santos, Márcio Cecconello, and Ricardo Arenhaldt—sent us three pieces that explore the connections between chamamé (the traditional music of the region) and European baroque music. Today we share "Caiboaté," by Brittes and André Ely.

Thursday, May 25, 10 am

The duo of Luisina Mathieu and Amalia Escobar combines instrumental and vocal virtuosity to perform a varied repertoire, which includes tango classics, as well as contemporary songs by the duo and other composers. Their music displays the passion and melancholy of traditional tango and a fresh and contemporary sensibility.

From their home in Buenos Aires, they sent us this version of "Miedo," the 1967 tango by Roberto Pansera, Julio Porter, and Ángel Cortese.

Friday, May 26, 10 am

Mexican jaranero and composer Eloy Zúñiga is the founder and lead voice in groups including Tlacuatzin and La Manta. His main instrument is the jarana huasteca, a small guitar from the region of Huasteca in Mexico's gulf coast, where he was born. Eloy is also an advocate for the traditional music of the region via programs on radio and TV, produced by Radiotelevisión de Veracruz.

From his home in Xalapa in the state of Veracruz, he sent us this version of "Canario de Otontepec." The Canario is a European baroque dance that became hugely popular in the colonies.

The MetLife Foundation Music of the Americas concert series is made possible by the generous support of Presenting Sponsor MetLife Foundation.

The Spring 2023 Music program is also supported, in part, by the Howard Gilman Foundation and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

Additional support comes from the Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University, The Amphion Foundation, the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, New Music USA’s Organizational Development Fund, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Association of Performing Arts Professionals’ ArtsForward program, made possible through support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and The Augustine Foundation.