The area high school students who have been spending the past two weeks at Hope College for “¡Canto! A Latinx Vocal Intensive” will present a concert featuring their talents and a range of Latinx vocal music on Friday, July 1, at 6:30 p.m. in the Concert Hall of the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts.
The concert will be preceded by a Salsa Dance presentation and class that will take place in the lobby at 5:45 p.m.
The public is invited to attend both the dance presentation and the concert. Admission is free.
The vocal intensive, which began on June 20 and will culminate in the celebratory concert on July 1, has provided an opportunity for 12 Latinx students from the Holland area to receive high-level vocal training, as well as develop a deeper understanding of the historical context of Classical Latinx Music. A collaborative effort of Hope College and Latin Americans United for Progress (LAUP), the intensive is funded through an award from the “There’s No Place Like Home” initiative administered by Hope to link community organizations with Hope faculty and students to together address pressing social needs in the Holland area.
The students have been studying vocal pieces composed solely by Latinx artists, both ancient and modern; have been receiving private voice lessons and rehearsing in small vocal ensembles; attending lectures and sessions discussing the history of Latinx music; engaging in conversations with professional Latinx classical musicians; and receiving mentorship from Latinx leaders in the community.
The concert program will reflect the range of works that the students have been exploring, and will include solo and ensemble selections. Pieces and composers on the program will include: “La Llorona,” popular text, with music by José Barros, arranged by Alberto Carbonell (Colombia); “Hanacpachap Cussicuinin,” compiled by Juan Pérez Bocanegra, T.O.S.F. (Peru); “Son de la Vida” (“Son Veracruzano,”), by José Galván (Mexico); “Te Quiero” by Alberto Favero, arranged by Liliana Cangiano (Argentina); “Gala del Día,” Carlos Guastavino (Argentina); “Lua Branca,” by Francisca (Chiquinha) Gonzaga (Brazil); “Vos Nunca te Fuiste de mi Corazón,” by Patricia Caicedo and Fernando Martinez (Colombia); “Júrame,” by Maria Grever (Mexico); and “Por una cabeza,” by Alfredo le Pera (Brazil).
The ensemble conductor is Eric D. Reyes, assistant professor of music instruction and director of choral activities at Hope. The vocal instructor for the private lessons is Dr. Sarah VandenBrink, assistant professor of voice. Christina Krause, who coordinates accompanying for the Department of Music, is the collaborative keyboardist.
Subtitled “The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Community-Based Partnerships Presidential Initiative of Hope College and Holland, Michigan,” the “There’s No Place Like Home” program was established in February 2020 through a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. “¡Canto! A Latinx Vocal Intensive” was one of five community-based partnerships to have received sub-awards through “There’s No Place Like Home” this past spring. The program previously supported three community-based partnerships with sub-awards in the spring of 2021 and another three in the summer of 2021, and anticipates announcing an additional round of awards this summer.
Audience members who need assistance to fully enjoy any event at Hope are encouraged to contact the college’s Events and Conferences Office by emailing events@hope.edu or calling 616-395-7222 on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Updates related to events are posted when available in the individual listings at hope.edu/calendar
The Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts is located at 221 Columbia Ave., between Ninth and 10th streets.