CLEVELAND, Ohio – Apollo’s Fire, Cleveland’s baroque orchestra conducted by Jeannette Sorrell, is revisiting “¡HISPANIA! A Voyage from Spain to the Americas” with a pair of “tour send-off concerts” on Tuesday, May 27, and Wednesday, May 28.
Stories by Peter Chakerian
The performances, which feature soprano Sophia Burgos, baritone David Guzmán and flamenco guitarist Jeremías García, will take place at the Bath Church (UCC) and Harkness Chapel (Case Western Reserve University), respectively. Both begin at 7:30 p.m.
The concerts are a “bon voyage!” and “prosecco toast” of sorts for the ensemble, which is headed to the Casals International Festival in Puerto Rico. They will present a fortified version of last year’s critically hailed “¡HISPANIA!” program.
Excitement and enthusiasm is running high for Sorrell & Co. according to Nichole Fehrman, the ensemble’s marketing and communications director.
“Our soloist Sophia is of Puerto Rican heritage and her family is from there,” said Fehrman in an interview with cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer.
“She grew up in Chicago, but she’s a really big advocate for that heritage. [Jeannette] received email from Casals saying, ‘We’re very interested in Apollo’s Fire, we’d love to invite you to come perform.’ And Jeannette said, ‘We happen to have the perfect program!’”
Their reputation led to securing a spot on Casals, which they play on Saturday, May 31. The shows ahead locally will serve as a warm-up and give fans of the ensemble a taste of what will be delivered at the festival.
“We have some new repertoire on the program,” Fehrman said. So, the version that’s being performed next week at that UCC and at Harkness Chapel on the Case Campus features some new repertoire showcasing vocal skills, along with some of the original program.”
World-class Puerto Rican soprano Burgos and baritone Guzmán join 13 other international artists to bring 16th Century Spain to baroque Latin America. The musical program blends Mexican and Peruvian traditions and Sephardic ballads from the Jewish communities of Spain and Argentina – inspired by Latin American poets Pablo Neruda and Julia de Burgos.
“We will be excited to debrief when we return from the festival,” Fehrman said.
“¡HISPANIA! A Voyage from Spain to the Americas” with a pair of “tour send-off concerts” is Tuesday, May 27, and Wednesday May 28, at the Bath Church (UCC), 3980 W. Bath Road, Akron, and Harkness Chapel (Case Western Reserve University), 11200 Bellflower Ave., Cleveland, respectively. Both performances begin at 7:30 p.m.