Music of the Americas: Voices

Monday, April 11, 10 a.m.

Based in the Argentine city of Paraná, Silvia Salomone and Alfonso Bekes started working together in 2012, focusing on Argentine and Latin American music. As their work together progressed, both started composing original songs that became a central part of their repertoire. They launched their first album Flores de la noche in 2018. "Santiago," composed by Salomone, is a song that tells the story of a boy raised in a city who, at the age of ten, discovers that he belongs to the Indigenous Qom community and starts to search for his identity and roots.

Tuesday, April 12, 10 a.m.

Ecuadorian musicians Alvaro Durango and Gabriela Cobo formed Dúo Equinoccio in 2018 with the intention to create and perform new arrangements of classical and popular music for classical guitar (Durango) and violin/voice (Cobo). From their home in Quito, they sent us this version of Schubert's classic "Auf dem Flusse," from the famous song cycle Winterreise. Originally written for piano and voice, this arrangement is for guitar and soprano.

Wednesday, April 13, 7 p.m.

This LIVE concert is rescheduled from December 2021.

New York-based, Grammy-nominated, Mexican singer and composer Magos Herrera returns to our physical stage with "Remanso," a program that features the music she created during the pandemic. She is joined by the Magos Herrera Quartet and members of the orchestral collective The Knights.

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Thursday, April 14, 10 a.m.

Betsayda Machado is the voice of Venezuela. Raised in the small village of El Clavo in the region of Barlovento, her recent rural recordings with lifelong friends Parranda El Clavo brought new attention to Venezuelan Afro-Soul genre "Tambor." After their New York City debut in January 2017, New York Times' Jon Pareles called Betsayda and Parranda: "The kind of group that world-music fans have always been thrilled to discover: Vital, accomplished, local, unplugged, deeply rooted." Alongside La Parranda, Betsayda is celebrating their 30 year anniversary with a series of concerts and residencies.

Recorded in the village of El Clavo, Barlovento, with the kind support of Odelia Artists and Ragas Live Festival, Betsayda and Parranda El Clavo sent us a few videos of their riveting music. Today we share "Pueblo de caritas negras," a traditional song that celebrates the local community.

The MetLife Foundation Music of the Americas concert series is made possible by the generous support of Presenting Sponsor MetLife Foundation. The Spring 2022 Music program is also supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and by the Howard Gilman Foundation.