Classical celebration of Dia De Los Reyes
Coro Hispano de San Francisco performs the rich Ibero-American music that accompanies Dia De Los Reyes (Day of the Kings).
Coro Hispano de San Francisco's
16th Annual Dia de los Reyes Concert Cycle
Las Posadas: Searching for Lodging with Joseph and Mary
| | - January 5th, 4 pm, St. Marks Episcopal Church, 600 Colorado, Palo Alto
- January 11th, 7:30 pm, Saint Marys Church, 2039 Mt. Diablo Blvd, Walnut Creek
- January 12th, 4 pm, Mission San Rafael Church, 1104 5th St., San Rafael
- January 18th, 8 pm, St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addison St., Berkeley
- January 19th, 4 pm, Mission Dolores Basilica, Dolores at 16th St., San Francisco
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Dia de los Reyes, The Day of Kings, comes to life this January when Coro Hispano de San Francisco and Conjunto Nuevo Mundo perform their 16th Annual Día de los Reyes Concert Cycle: Las Posadas: Searching for Lodging with Joseph and Mary.
Through a repertory spanning centuries, the concerts trace three journeys -- that of José and María in their search for shelter on Christmas Eve, the Magi following a star to find an infant king, and the Holy Family flight to Egypt, to escape Herods soldiers.
The program opens with the rousing, double-choir villancico Despertad, Moradores by Clemente Ymaña, and continues with the six-voice villancico De Carámbanos by the Mexican Baroque maestro Juan Gutierrez de Padilla. Jillian Picazo solos in the U.S. premiere of a new choral work by the Basque composer Carlos Erdozaín, La Virgen Sueña Caminos.
Mark Hernández and John Kendall Bailey sing the roles of San José and a tired householder in the programs centerpiece, the much-beloved Mexican melody Las Posadas, arranged for strings, chorus and soloists. The program includes two Epiphany carols by Francisco Guerrero, Ariel Ramirez La Peregrinación, and Juan Navarros poignant, four-voice setting of the Vesper hymn Salvete Flores Martyrum.
Local songwriter Francisco Herrera joins with the Coro and Conjunto in singing a new choral arrangement of his recent CD-hit Posada Sin Fronteras, and soloist Rodrigo Gómez leads Coro and audience as well in the closing work, Carlos Mejía Godoys ebullient Cristo de Palacagüine.
The Coro and Conjunto are under the direction of Juan Pedro Gaffney R. who founded them in 1975 to celebrate the bicentennial anniversary of the Mission and City of San Francisco. The groups have from early on established themselves as the premiere Spanish-language choral-instrumental ensemble in the country.
Both groups function as a program of Instituto Pro Musica de California, a non-profit arts/education institute dedicated to researching, promoting and presenting the folk and classical music repertories of Iberia and Ibero-America. Over the past twenty-five years, IPMCs research program has returned more than 100 works of Spanish and Latin American composers, both ancient and modern, through U.S. and/or 20th century premiere performances. The organization also introduces this rich musical heritage to the public through affordable live performances such as Día de los Reyes, which is their most popular concert.
Cost is $20 general, $15 seniors/students. Children 16 and under, free. For information: 415-431-4234 or www.corohispano.org.
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