The Newberry Consort Presents A Latin American Christmas Dec. 13-15

CHICAGO (Oct. 16, 2024) — This December, come celebrate the holidays with the joyous traditional Christmas music of Central and South America at The Newberry Consort’s A Latin American Christmas, featuring music that would have been heard at Christmastime in Guatemala, Mexico, Chile and other parts of the Spanish-speaking world from the 16th to the 18th centuries.

Inspired by the Consort’s previous concert, A Mexican Christmas, which ran from 2018 to 2022, the second year of A Latin American Christmas takes audiences on a musical pilgrimage to Mexican convents, the Cathedral of Santiago, the secluded missions in the heart of the Guatemala mountains, and more, and will include lively villancicos, ethereal sacred motets, and sparkling pastorales that herald the Latin-American Baroque.

Traditional percussion, plucked strings, Renaissance winds, and voices bring together this upbeat, multi-lingual holiday program, featuring music that combines Renaissance and Baroque influences from Spain and Portugal with those of Mexico, Central America, and South America, including some pieces that were composed and performed by people indigenous to those areas.

Much of the music on the program will be new to audiences, though Newberry Consort fans will recognize a few favorites from previous Christmas concerts. A few pieces, however, may be heard in Chicago for the first time in hundreds of years, thanks to the research of musicologist Paul Gustav Feller-Simmons, a post-doctoral researcher at Northwestern University. Feller-Simmons has spent years transcribing music from archival sources from these South American missions and convents into modern musical charts, and he will lead a free discussion panel about the program one hour before the show.

Another exciting element in this year’s concert is the addition of Jonatan Alvarado, a world-renowned historical guitarist, lutenist, and tenor who hails from Argentina and currently lives in the Netherlands, and who specializes in music from Latin America, Spain, and Portugal.

“I am thrilled to welcome Jonatan to Chicago to join us for this program,” said Liza Malamut, artistic director of The Newberry Consort. “He is an incredibly dynamic performer, and I know he will be a wonderful addition to the Latin American Christmas cast.”

The rest of the ensemble of singers and instrumentalists will include fan favorites Lucía Mier y Terán Romero, Camila Parias, Salomé Sandoval (sopranos), Matthew Dean (alto and tenor), and baritone Eric Miranda. This year’s program will also introduce mezzo-soprano Cecilia Duarte, who recently appeared at the Boston Early Music Festival and other prestigious venues, as well as Dušan Balarin who will join Alvarado on Baroque guitar. Audiences can also look forward to hearing Rachel Begley on bajón and recorder, Andrés Guzmán on Baroque trombone, Jesús Pacheco on percussion, Christa Patton on harp and winds, and Jacob Reed on organ.

In addition, one of the Latin American Christmas performances will be held at The National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen, the first time that The Newberry Consort has performed there.

Tickets for all shows and season tickets are on sale now.

Latin American Christmas

The Newberry Consort is once again excited to present our popular Latin American Christmas program in Chicago—this time featuring the music of Guatemala, Chile, Mexico, and beyond! Our musical Christmas pilgrimage takes us to Mexican convents, the Cathedral of Santiago, the secluded missions in the heart of the Guatemala mountains, and more. Celebrate the holidays with lively villancicos, ethereal sacred motets, and sparkling pastorales that herald the Latin-American Baroque. A free, pre-concert discussion panel will be held one hour before each concert, led by musicologist Paul G. Feller-Simmons, whose research has informed this program—including some “new” Christmas music that may not have been heard for hundreds of years.

Friday, Dec. 13, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Mary of the Lake Catholic Church, 4220 N. Sheridan Ave., Chicago

Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 939 Hinman Ave., Evanston

Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 at 4 p.m. at National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th St., Chicago

Tickets: $45, $65 for preferred seating, $25 for affordable access tickets, $10 for students with a valid student ID, and free for children 16 and under.

To purchase tickets please visit www.newberryconsort.org.

About the Newberry Consort:

The Newberry Consort brings together singers and instrumentalists of the highest caliber to create historically informed performances of music from the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Baroque, and beyond. By integrating historical performance and research with contemporary themes and multimedia, we inspire audiences, musicians, and scholars by providing a window into earlier times and diverse cultures. The Consort continues to uplift Chicago’s early music community through mentorships, teaching, and engagement of local artists.