Antología

de la

Sunday, March 20, 2016GW Lisner Auditorium

Washington, DC

P A S OThe Pan American Symphony Orchestra (PASO) was founded 25 years ago by dynamicArgen ne conductor and musician, Sergio Alessandro Buslje, with the objec ve ofbringing La n American symphonic music to Washington, DC area concert halls. Maes-tro Buslje had studied and performed standard classical music for many years but no-

ced a gap in the area’s cultural offerings—La n American culture was not being fullyrepresented in area performances, and our La n American neighbors to the South pos-sess a treasure trove of symphonic works by talented composers that begged to beshowcased.Now 25 years later, PASO con nues to provide quality performances of music origi-na ng from La n America with an on-going concert series that showcases gi ed La nAmerican musicians and soloists. With cri cal acclaim from the press and a loyal fol-lowing from the public, PASO remains on the cu ng edge of symphonic performanceswith newly commissioned works, such as Danzon no. 7, by eminent contemporaryMexican composer, Arturo Marquez, who dedicated this beau ful piece to MaestroBuslje. The orchestra has dedicated a season to La n American woman composersand was the first orchestra in the Washington, DC area to perform the unusual, butbeau fully melodic, tango-opera Maria de Buenos Aires, by Astor Piazzolla. The or-chestra has featured rarely performed works by composers from Argen na, Honduras,Mexico, Ecuador, Cuba, and Brazil.PASO was the only US-based ensemble to par cipate in the pres gious two-week longAl-Bustan Music Fes val in Beirut, Lebanon in 2012. PASO also performed in Lima,Peru in 2010 and received such notable acclaim from the public, press and media, thatin 2011, President Alan Garcia of Peru invited PASO to play a command performance atthe Presiden al Palace. When the La no Inaugural Commi ee was looking for an or-chestra that represents the rich culture of La n America to accompany all the musicstars in a grand inaugural celebra on for President Obama's 2012 victory, the KennedyCenter recommended PASO. The January 2013 La no Inaugural Celebra on hosted byEva Longoria featured Rita Moreno, Jose Feliciano, Prince Royce, opera sensa on JuanDiego Florez, Broadway and TV star, Luis Esparza, among others, -- all accompanied byPASO.PASO is well-known for its symphonic tango performances. The only symphonic tangoorchestra in the United States, PASO draws audiences from across the U.S. for its an-nual DC tango fes val and its tango shows at the George Washington University’s Lis-ner Auditorium. Maestro Buslje has arranged tradi onal tangos for symphony andbrought the nuevo tango of Astor Piazzolla and his contemporaries to the concert hall.The best tango dancers and soloists from Buenos Aires to New York City have joinedPASO musicians for these standing-room only shows. As the United Na ons recentlydesignated tango as part of the world’s cultural heritage to be preserved and support-ed, PASO has taken its place among the great tango ensembles of the world.

S A BAr s c Director & Conductor

A na ve of Rosario, Argen na, Maestro Bušlje studiedmusic from an early age and won the pres gious AlbertoWilliams Award for Young Musicians when he was only10 years old. He con nued his studies in conduc ng,piano, violoncello, and tuba at the Universidad Nacionalde La Plata, Facultad de de Bellas Artes in Buenos Aires.In 1986, he was the Boronda Scholar of Hartnell Collegein California, which took him to the People’s Republic ofChina, Taiwan, and Japan to study music with major na-

onal ar sts.Before founding the Pan American Symphony Orchestra

in 1991, Maestro Bušlje was Assistant Conductor of the American UniversitySymphony Orchestra and conductor of the American University Camerata inWashington, DC. Maestro Bušlje is a frequently featured guest conductor inArgen na, having conducted the Rosario Symphony Orchestra, Santa Fe Sym-phony Orchestra, Cordoba Symphony Orchestra, and the Chamber Orchestrasof Rosario and Cordoba. In June 2001, he was a guest conductor of the SochiSymphony Orchestra in Sochi, Russia. From 1999-2002 he was the principalguest conductor of the Na onal Symphony Orchestra of Honduras. In 2001 hewon a pres gious Fulbright Scholarship to develop programming for the Na-

onal Symphony of Honduras a er which he hosted the Na onal Youth Or-chestra of Honduras for a performing tour to Washington, DC.

Maestro Bušlje has been a frequent guest conductor of the GuayaquilSymphony Orchestra in Ecuador. In the summer of 2009, he was invited tobring his orchestra to Lima, Peru to par cipate in a South American music fes-

val. As the only U.S. based orchestra par cipa ng in the event, the PanAmerican Symphony Orchestra musicians received cri cal acclaim for theirhigh quality musicianship and unique programming. In addi on, the RicardoPalma University in Lima presented Maestro Buslje with an honorary profes-sorship in music. In 2011, Maestro Buslje returned to Lima with his orchestrato play a command performance for President Alan Garcia in the Presiden alPalace. Most recently, Maestro Buslje and PASO performed for the 2013 La -no Inaugural Celebra on hosted by Eva Longoria at the Kennedy Center.

Among other soloists, Maestro Buslje has conducted Juan Diego Flo-res, Raul Esparza, Placido Domingo, Ruggiero Ricci, and Daniel Binelli.

Maestro Buslje has been the crea ve force behind the Pan AmericanSymphony Orchestra, bringing to Washington audiences a refreshing alterna-

ve to mainstream orchestral repertoire. With his “sure command of the mu-sic’s expressive scope” and his sensi ve balancing of orchestral commentary(Washington Post), Maestro Buslje has “quietly created a valuable Washingtonins tu on” (Washington Post).

A C , M -SThe Washington Post has described Ms.Castrello as having "a powerful and pas-sionate voice..." A na ve of Guaynabo,Puerto Rico, Ms. Castrello holds a Doctorof Musical Arts degree in Vocal Perfor-mance from The Catholic University of

America. Recently signed by George M.Martynuk Ar sts Management, Ms. Castrello made her Carnegie Hall debutperforming Maddalena in Verdi’s Rigole o Quartet. Other roles include Straw-berry Woman/Lily in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, Mamma Lucia in Mascagni’sCavalleria Rus cana, Cornelia in Handel’s Giulio Cesare, Marcellina in Mozart'sThe Marriage of Figaro, Dido in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, Zia Principessa inPuccini's Suor Angelica, Carmen in Bizet's Carmen, Madame Flora in Meno 'sThe Medium, O avia in Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea.

She was an award winner at the Gulf Coast Regional Audi ons for theMetropolitan Opera, winner of the Catholic University Concerto/Aria Compe -

on, Best La no Female Vocalist winner at the Washington Area MusicAwards, and the winner of the Opera c Singing Ar st of the Year Award fromthe Ins tute of Puerto Rico in New York. Ms. Castrello has delighted Washing-ton,DC audiences in appearances with the Pan American Symphony Orchestra,the Metropolitan Orchestra, the Capital City Symphony, Opera Camerata ofWashington, Shakespeare Theatre, Opera Americana, Washington Na onalOpera, Diaspora Opera of Washington, GALA Hispanic Theater, Zarzuela Di Si,Washington Concert Opera, and the Lyric Opera of Bal more.

Currently, Ms. Castrello is a Teaching Ar st with the Kennedy Centerfor the Performing Arts, and the Lyric Opera of Bal more's Educa on andCommunity Programs. She is a proud member of the American Guild of Musi-cal Ar sts (AGMA), the Na onal Associa on of Teachers of Singing (NATS) andthe Actor’s Equity Associa on.

A M , F DAnna Menendez, originally from Bal more, isa flamenco dancer based in Washington, D.C.Ms. Menendez appeared in many of Flamen-co Aparicio’s produc ons at the Gala HispanicTheater including Encuentros, Camino alFlamenco, Entresuenos, Flamenco/Flamenca,Uno mas uno, and In mo with CarmelaGreco. Anna has performed in over 50children’s concerts with the Bal moreSymphony Orchestra. In 2003, 2004, and

2005, the Bal more Symphony Orchestra (BSO) contracted her to perform intheir prime me Symphony with a Twist series. In 2003 and 2004 sheperformed with renowned classical guitarist Manuel Barrueco and in 2005 shechoreographed Manuel de Falla’s El Amor Brujo which she presented with acompany of dancers with the BSO for sold out performances at the Strathmoreand the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. In October of 2011 Ms. Menendez and hercompany Pastora performed as a part of Velocity at the Sydney Harman Hall inWashington DC. The Washington Post described her performance as“virtuosic”. She is a 2003 recipient of the Ar s c Fellowship award from theD.C. Commission for the Arts and Humani es for excellence in flamenco dance.Ms. Menendez is a teaching ar st with Young Audiences of Maryland andteaches flamenco dance at the American Embassy of Dance in Washington.

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G A , BMr. Ahualli was born in San Miguel de Tucu-man, Argen na, where began his musicaltraining at the age of seven with HildaDeniflee, a student of Kodály and Bartók. In1998, he obtained his Master’s degree invocal performance from the Ins tuto Superi-or de Arte, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. In2006, he was named the first-prize winner inthe New Jersey Associa on of VerismoOpera compe on.

Since his debut in the role of Papageno in Die Zauberflote with TeatroSan Mar n in his na ve Tucuman, Mr. Ahualli has sung more than 40 leadingroles, including Don Giovanni, Le Nozze di Figaro, La Favorita, Lucia diLammermoor, La Traviata, Don Carlo, Nabucco, Macbeth, Simon Boccanegra, IlTrovatore, Un ballo in Maschera, La Boheme, Madama Bu erfly, Turandot,Carmen, and Werther in the U.S. South America, and Europe. Upcomingengagements include Edgar by Puccini with Bal more Concert Opera, La ServaPadrona by Pergolesi with Catholic University and La Favorita with Teatro SanMar n de Tucuman in Argen na.

Debuts during 2014-2015 include Silvio in I Pagliacci for Teatro Colonin Buenos Aires next to Jose Cura, a recital with soprano Aprile Millo in Toron-to, Canada, the Messiah with Landon Symphone e, Granados recital at TheHispanic Society of America in New York City, Vidal Hernando in the famouszarzuela Luisa Fernanda by Moreno Torroba, Marcello in La Boheme withTeatro San Mar n de Tucuman, Argen na and Tony Esposito in The Most Hap-py Fella by Frank Loesser with Catholic University's Hartke Theatre.

An avid recitalist, Mr. Ahualli champions the Argen ne, La n American, Frenchand Italian Art song. Other concert credits include his appearance as the basssoloist in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony as part of a Mass offered by Pope Ben-edict XVI on his 2008 visit to Yankee Stadium and most recently as a soloistduring the Junipero Serra Canoniza on Mass preceded by Pope Francis at theShrine of the Immaculate Concep on in Washington, DC.

Mr. Ahualli has been the bilingual cantor for Saint Patrick’s Cathedral inNew York City for several years and for the Sacred Heart Cathedral Basilica inNewark, New Jersey. He is also a member of the voice faculty of the BenjaminT. Rome School of Music at The Catholic University of America.

E C , S

Described by London cri cs as “sensa onal,sweet voiced and ebullient”, Elisa Cordova, ana ve of Chile, is making her mark both in theU.S. and interna onally. Ms. Cordova receivedher opera c training from the Eastman Schoolof Music, Binghamton University and Tri-Ci esOpera. She won the Tri-Ci es Opera GuildScholarship, was a compe on winner of the

Lo e Lenya Vocal Compe on, was 2013 semi-finalist in the NTD TelevisionInterna onal Vocal Compe on and a recipient of the Clark Fellowship. Oper-a c leading roles include Norina in Don Pasquale, Muse a in La Boheme, An-tonia in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Despina in Cosi fan tu e, Monica in The Me-dium, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, Adele inDie Fledermaus, and two Zarzuelas: El Barberillo de Lavapies and La Verbenade la Paloma with such companies as Tri-Ci es Opera, The Aspen Music Fes -val, Tulsa Opera, Opera Carolina, the In Series, the Bronx Opera and the Met-ropolitan Opera Guild. Musical theatre roles include Winnie in Annie Get YourGun, Antonia in Man of la Mancha, Connie in A Chorus Line and Esther inMeet Me in St. Louis. In 2006, she performed in the off-Broadway “Play/Opera”, The Music Teacher wri en by Allen and Wallace Shawn, solidifying anaddi onal niche as a cross-over ar st. (CD available through Bridge Records).Ms. Cordova went on to make her London West End debut, performing therole of Maria in the European tour of West Side Story to great cri cal acclaim,including venues in Germany and Athens, Greece.

In the recital arena, Ms. Cordova specializes in Spanish language repertoire.Concerts include appearances alongside composer Stephen Reich, the Fru llarFes val in Chile, as a guest ar st with the OSCA Philharmonic in Paraguay, aswell as concert appearances throughout Greece, the U. K., Canada, Mexico,Germany, and Italy. In 2013, Ms. Cordova debuted with the Pan AmericanSymphony Orchestra in a successful concert of boleros. She is delighted toperform under the baton of Maestro Buslje once again.

PAN AMERICAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRASergio Alessandro Bušlje, artistic director & conductor

ANTOLOGÍA DE LA ZARZUELAAnamer Castrello, mezzo; Elisa Cordova, soprano; Gustavo Ahualli, baritone

Pablo Talamante, tenor ; and Anna Melendez, flamenco dancer

Choral Arts Chamber Singers, Scott Tucker, artistic director

Isaac Albeniz Sevilla(1860-1909)

Federico Chueca Tango de la Menegilda, from La Gran Via(1848-1908) Anamer Castrello

Pablo Sorozábal No Puede Ser, from La tabernera(1897-1988) Pablo Talamante

F. Asenjo Barbieri Jota de los estudiantes, from Barberillo(1823-1894)

F. Moreno Torroba Romanza, from Maravilla(1891-1982) Gustavo Ahualli

Jerónimo Gimenez Carceleras, from Las Hijas Del Zebedeo(1823-1894) Elisa Cordova

F. Asenjo Barbieri Duo de Paloma, from BarberilloAnamer Castrello and Gustavo Ahualli

Isaac Albeniz CordobaAnna Menendez

F. Asenjo Barbieri Duo de las Majas, BarberilloAnamer Castrello and Elisa Cordoba

Agustin Lara Granada(1897-1970) Pablo Talamante and Gustavo Ahualli

INTERMISSION

Isaac Albeniz Asturias

Anna Menendez, bailaoraFederico M. Torroba Duo de Vidal, from Luisa Fernanda

Anamer Castrello and Gustavo Ahualli

Jerónimo Gimenez Romanza, from La tempranica(1854-1923) Elisa Cordova

Francisco A. Barbieri Seguidillas Manchegas, from BarberilloGustavo Ahuallli

Francisco A. Barbieri Duo de la Marquesita , from BarberilloElisa Cordova and Pablo Talamante

Pablo Luna De España Vengo, from El niño judio(1823-1894) Anamer Castrello

Fernandez Caballero Zamacueca, from Los sobrinos del Capt. Grant

Manuel Penella Duo de Rocio, from El Gato Montes(1880-1939) Elisa Cordova and Pablo Talamante

Federico Chueca Schottis, from La Gran Via

This performance was made possible by the DC Commission on the Arts and theHumanities through the National Endowment for the Arts.

P T ,A na ve of Sonora, Mexico, tenor PabloTalamante made his opera c debut with Ken-tucky Opera’s produc on of Salome in therole of the Third Jew. Since then he has sungmany roles on a variety of stages in both con-cert and opera in the United States and Mexi-co. He has been recognized for his perfor-mance of Ariel Ramirez’s Misa Criolla andNavidad Nuestra with the Choral Arts Society

of Washington, earning the Washington Area Music Award (WAMMY) for thebest folk recording of 2006.

Pablo received his bachelor’s degree in music from The University of Louisvilleand con nued graduate studies in opera at The Catholic University of Americaunder the guidance of Dr. Michael Cordovana. Mr. Talamante also studiedac ng at the Theatre Arts School of The Na onal Ins tute of Fine Arts and Tel-evisa Studios in Mexico City, Mexico with the renowned director AlejandroBichir. He has also performed with the Louisville Orchestra, the KentuckyOpera, the Washington Na onal Opera, the Virginia Oratorio Society, the Cath-olic University Opera Theatre, the Choral Arts Society of Washington, the Na-

onal Symphony Orchestra, the Richmond Pops among others. Pablo hasworked with the conductors Lawrence Leighton Smith, Heinz Fricke, StevenCrout, Duain Wolfe, Pablo Zinger (Zarzuela), Miguel Roa, Stan Engebretson,J.Reilly Lewis, Norman Scribner and Placido Domingo.

C A C S

The Chamber Singers of The Choral Arts Society of Washington (Choral Arts)are a small vocal ensemble comprised of approximately 30 members of theChoral Arts Chorus. Launched on the occasion of Choral Arts’ 50th anniversary,the crea on of the Chamber Singers provides Choral Arts audiences with twotypes of experiences: One that defines the grandeur and magnificence of thesymphonic chorus for which Choral Arts is known; and one that breaks thebarriers created by that very genre.

In its inaugural year, the Choral Arts Chamber Singers opened the2014-2015 season with Under the Midnight Sun, a program that featured mu-sic by Scandinavian composers. The ensemble also performed at a private con-cert at The Embassy of Finland and was a featured performer at Music at thePhillips (The Phillips Collec on). In July of last year, the ensemble par cipatedin a recording project at the invita on of the Wesley Heritage Founda on. Thisproject involved recording two discs of twenty-one of Charles Wesley’s hymnsin English (Life Up Your Voice) and Spanish (Alza tu voz) for commercial re-lease. This season the Chamber Singers presented a concert featuring many ofthe recorded hymns at Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church onOctober 18, 2015; will partner with the Pan American Symphony Orchestra ona Zarzuela program on March 20, 2016 at Lisner Auditorium; will partner withAmerican University in early April on The Terezín Project which explores theunique role of the arts during and a er the Holocaust; and will present a con-cert highligh ng the beauty and complexity of counterpoint at the Church ofthe Epiphany on April 22, 2016.

Members of the Choral Arts Chamber Singers were selected based ontheir vocal prowess and sight reading abili es as well as their interest andavailability. It is an intergenera onal ensemble, and includes members whoare rela vely new to the Choral Arts Chorus as well as singers who have beenmembers for decades. In addi on to volunteering as members of both ensem-bles, many also volunteer for Choral Arts in other ways, including holding rolesin the Choral Arts Chorus leadership. They live throughout the DC metro-area,and work in such sectors as primary, secondary, and music educa on, govern-ment affairs, law, nonprofit, and own their own businesses. For more infor-ma on on Choral Arts please visit www.choralarts.org.

SopranosKatie CapannaGrace ChrisDana CrepeauHeather MacDonaldErika RissiCathryn Wanders

AltosKaren CodaJen DilzellDanielle RelyeaDiedre Robinson

TenorsBob BarnesMichael BoyceRyan BurressSteve CapannaEd HooverMichael McKeon

BassesCharlie CerfJohn ClewettTodd LeeuwenburghRyan McCartyBob Schiff

C A C S

personnel

THE ZARZUELA

Zarzuela is a uniquely Spanish musical theater genre which combines song withrecitation, action and humor. It originated in the 1650's as an extravagant kind ofentertainment for the King and his guests at the Palacio Real de la Zarzuela, a huntinglodge surrounded by "zarzas" or brambles in the woods outside of Madrid. The texts orlibretti vary in themes but range from Greek and Roman mythology to tales of everydaylife in Madrid or the former Spanish colonies. Zarzuelas incorporate vocal ensemblenumbers such as trios and duets, with lyrical solos known as romanzas, and various kindsof local folk music and dance. By the 18th century, the zarzuela moved from the court ofkings to the common folk where it became a widely loved genre. As the court of the Kingmoved to favor Italian music the rural themes of the zarzuela fell into decline and it wasnearly forgotten by 1800. Some fifty years later, zarzuela was revived with the successfultwo act zarzuela by Rafael Hernando, Colegiales y Soldados. The one act, small zarzuelacalled genero chico became widely popular with humorous tales of working class people inMadrid and was made popular by Francisco Asenjo Barbieri. The premiere of his Jugar conFuego (Playing with Fire) in 1851 recounted the story of a young widowed duchess who defiesher father and the court in order to marry the man she loves became the most frequentlyperformed zarzuela in Spain in the 1850's. By the mid 1850's there were more than eleventheaters in Madrid devoted only to zarzuelas and more than 150 zarzuelas were producedin the city.

The zarzuela by then was on its way to the Spanish colonies. During the secondhalf of the 19th century, Spain made great efforts to establish a national musical theaterform and its model was Jugar con Fuego with libretti modeled after the French and Italianopera and operetta. In the 1870's a new one-hour theater (teatro por horas) emerged,differentiating Spanish musicals from its European contemporaries. This shortenedformat allowed more than one performance in a day and appealed to the urban workingclass with its depiction of their own trials and tribulations. With the popularity of the one-hour theater, the zarzuela grande or zarzuela in three acts disappeared until the 20th century.The shorter, genero chico, became the norm.

Among the most popular of the short-form zarzuelas produced during the late19th century was Tomás Bretón’s one-act La verbena de la Paloma (The Festivities ofPaloma) in 1894, which used stock characters to represent the diverse neighborhoods ofMadrid during the festivities in honor of the Virgin of Paloma. Another favorite wasRuperto Chapí’s La revoltosa (The Agitator or The Mischievous Girl) in 1897, the story ofthe tumultuous relationship between Mari Pepa and Felipe, whose blind jealous passionswere mirrored by other residents of their neighborhood. In the early 1920's the influencesof the operetta and the English Gilbert and Sullivan musicals made a great impact on thezarzuela, with works such as Molinos de viento and El asombro de Damasco by Pablo Luna andAntonio Vives' Doña Francisquita. The zarzuela continued its success into the 1930's thanksto talented composers such as Pablo Sorozábal, who re-energized the zarzuela with socialand political comment, and Federico Moreno Torroba and Francisco Alonso.

With the Spanish Civil War the genre declined and no significant works werecomposed. But by the 1950's, the existing zarzuela repertoire was in favor again withyounger people and by the 1970's Spanish radio and television dedicated time to zarzuelaproductions. World-famous tenor, Placido Domingo has been a tireless advocate of thezarzuela, having been raised by parents who were touring zarzuela singers.

Violin IDiana LeGrand, concertmasterValerie HellerStephanie FlackChristina WanNick MontopolisLucia Molaiolli

Violin IIMary Thulson*Rachel McAleerEddie MatusPamela DuranRaea Jean Linster

ViolaKristin Gomez*June HahmLesley HoggNick YorkJennifer Bockstege

CelloDevree Lewis*Joanna TaylorTim ThulsonMichael Hermann

BassPete Ostle*Jeremy Ford

FluteLaura Benning*Gwyn Jones, piccolo

OboeRobert Huffman*

ClarinetMark Simon*Kirsten Wagner

BassoonMaude Fish*

French HornJustin Drew*Shona Goldberg-Leopold

TrumpetJames McKenzie*James Bishop

TromboneFred Gleason*David SciannellaCraig Arnold

TimpaniJulie A. Boehler

PercussionCharles Ostle*Mike Dillman

PianoJason Solounias

LibrarianPaige Turner

Sound RecordingBlue House Productions

Sound EngineerJeff Gruber

Personnel ManagerWarren Peace

Stage ManagerKevin Chucka

Stage HandEber GagrosaMonica Galindo

*denotes principal

PAN AMERICAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Personnel