VocalEssence News
For Immediate Release

Contact: Katryn Conlin, VocalEssence
612-547-1459, (612-229-5659 (cell)
kconlin@vocalessence.org

Spanish Inspirations
VocalEssence Ensemble Singers,
Accordion, piano and other instruments
Maria Guinand, conductor
Saturday, March 24, 2007, 8 pm
Basilica of Saint Mary
Hennepin Avenue at 17th Street, Minneapolis, MN
Tickets: $25-$35 (service charges may apply. Students half price. Group discounts available.)
Call 612-624-2345 or order via www.vocalessence.org

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (December 15, 2006) – Internationally renowned Venezuelan conductor Maria Guinand makes her debut with the 32-voice professional VocalEssence Ensemble Singers on March 24, 2007. The concert, titled Spanish Inspirations, will take place at the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis. Adult tickets are priced at $20-$35 (ticket service charges may apply). For tickets and information, call 612-624-2345 or visit vocalessence.org.

Widely known in the music world for conducting the world premiere of Osvaldo Golijov’s St. Mark Passion, Maria directs three prestigious choirs in Venezuela: the Cantoría Alberto Grau, the Orfeón Universitario Simón Bolívar and the Schola Cantorum de Venezuela, with which she has recorded and toured extensively.

For the first half of the program, Maria Guinand has selected sacred music of Spanish Renaissance composers Tomás Luis de Victoria and Mateo Flecha. After intermission, the group will perform a set of Latin American madrigals and songs, as well as Argentinean composer Astor Piazzolla’s sultry, passionate Four Tangos with accordion accompaniment.

The Ensemble Singers will also give the world premiere of a commissioned work by Minnesota composer Eric Barnum, based on a text from Dante’s Divine Comedy. This new piece was selected through Barnum’s participation in the 2006 VocalEssence/American Composers Forum Essentially Choral program.

For public information on Spanish Inspirations, call 612-624-2345. For press information, contact Katryn Conlin (612-547-1459, kconlin@vocalessence.org). Download high-resolution images from www.vocalessence.org > image and file downloads.

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VocalEssence
1900 Nicollet Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55403 USA
www.vocalessence.org