April 11: Halalisa Singers present 'Somos Americanos (We Are All Americans)'

Boston-based world music vocal ensemble The Halalisa Singers led by artistic director Mary Cunningham presents Somos Americanos (We Are All Americans) on Saturday, April 11, 7:30 pm at First Parish in Lexington, 7 Harrington Road, Lexington. Joining the group are special guests Sol y Canto featuring vocalist Rosi Amador, guitarist/composer Brian Amador, and flutist Paul Lieberman. Pianist Trevor Berens will accompany the chorus. Tickets $25 at www.halalisa.org/concerts. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Zumix, an East Boston organization transforming young lives through music, technology, and creative employment. For more info, email info@halalisa.org.

“Rosi and Brian are fantastic performers beloved in the Boston area,” says Cunningham. “We are so excited for this collaboration and look forward to sharing it with our audiences.” Sol y Canto’s mission is to create music and performances that move, delight, excite and connect audiences to the richness of Latin American culture. Somos Americanos, made possible by an Alfred Nash Patterson grant from Choral Arts New England and additional support from the Lexington Council for the Arts and the Mass Cultural Council, features a powerful selection of songs celebrating the Americas performed by Sol y Canto alone and with the chorus.

Tunes in Spanish include Chilean composer Rolando Alarcón’s “Si Somos Americanos,” “Bésame Mucho” by Consuelo Velásquez, “Nudo des raíces” by Alisa Amador, and the folk song “La Monja Blanca.” The program also features the uplifting Canadian anthem “We Rise Again” by Leon Dubinsky, the rousing spiritual “Roll Down Justice,” Carly Simon’s buoyant “Let the River Run,” the gorgeous Lakota song “Chante Waste Hoksila,” and traditional American tunes “Shenandoah” and “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” as well as George Emlen and Noel Paul Stookey's stirring arrangement of "America the Beautiful.”

The Halalisa Singers are a celebrated world music vocal ensemble of Greater Boston dedicated to the performance of music across cultures and nationalities. Halalisa is a Zulu word for celebration, and in that spirit, Halalisa’s repertoire includes African, Latin, American Spiritual, Gospel, Jewish, Folk, and Jazz. Founded by Nick Page in 1992 and under the leadership of Artistic Director Mary Cunningham since 2004, the chorus offers vibrant performances inspired by the belief that music is a universal language with the power to uplift and unite us all.

Artistic Director Mary Cunningham has led the Halalisa Singers for 20+ years, creating and directing unique and dynamic world music-themed choral concerts. Following her vision to share their music across the Boston area and beyond, Halalisa continues to reach out to wider audiences to perform an ever-expanding repertoire. She is well known in the Boston area as an active choral conductor, vocalist, and flute soloist. She has directed music ministry since 2008 in the UU churches of both Melrose and Reading, is a member of the American Choral Directors Association and the Association of UU Music Ministries. A member of the New World Chorale and a frequent performer with the Christmas Revels, Mary is on the faculty of the Winchester Community Music School and the Powers Music School in Belmont.

Pianist, composer, and accompanist Trevor Berens plays in many different styles, specializing in avant-garde classical music, traditional classical music, and free improvisation. Trevor holds degrees in piano performance, composition and music therapy from Loyola Marymount University, California Institute of the Arts and Lesley University. As a collaborator, he enjoys working with solo vocalists and instrumentalists, chamber groups, choruses, and with dancers and actors. Trevor is the founder, pianist, and resident composer of the new music ensemble Sonic Liberation Players. Trevor is the Pianist at the First Parish of Stow/Acton and, with his wife Jessica, runs the Berens Voice and Piano Studio out of Pepperell, MA.

Founded in 1994, Sol y Canto is the award-winning Pan-Latin ensemble led by Puerto Rican/Argentine singer and percussionist Rosi Amador and New Mexican guitarist and composer Brian Amador. Featuring Rosi’s crystalline voice and Brian’s lush Spanish guitar and inventive compositions, Sol y Canto is known for making their music accessible to Spanish- and non-Spanish speaking audiences of all ages. The group's original songs are distinguished by poetic, often quirky lyrics set in a framework of varied musical styles with surprising twists. They can make you dance, laugh, cry and sigh all in one concert. Their arrangements of classic and contemporary Latin tunes are always fresh and original. With Brian’s commanding, intricate guitar playing, Rosi’s rhythmic drive on cajón and bongos, and liberal use of vocal improvisation and body percussion, the duo often sounds like a much larger ensemble. With the addition of long-time virtuoso collaborator Paul Lieberman (sax & flute), there’s even more to love! In 2026 they are celebrating their 31st season.

Sol y Canto's longtime wind instrumentalist Paul Lieberman plays saxophonist, flute and piccolo. He was praised early in his career by Gil Evans, who noted that “everything he plays sounds right.” A Yale graduate, Lieberman toured internationally with Brazilian jazz legends Airto Moreira and Flora Purim before spending four years in Rio de Janeiro as Brazil’s first-call studio saxophone and flute player, recording on more than 50 albums. He has performed and recorded with artists including Pat Metheny, George Benson, Jaco Pastorius, The Allman Brothers Band, and Arturo O’Farrill, as well as leading Brazilian musicians. His acclaimed album Ibeji won the John Lennon International Songwriting Competition. Lieberman is Artist in Residence at the Noble & Greenough School in Dedham, MA and performs worldwide.

ZUMIX is an East Boston-based nonprofit organization dedicated to building community through music and creative technology. They believe music is the most powerful means of developing adolescent self-identity. Their award-winning music and creative technology programming is designed to equip youth with the tools necessary to reach their full potential, while creating a safe space for youth to explore who they are and who they want to be. Through community events, ZUMIX also provides access to top-quality arts experiences for a low-income, historically underserved neighborhood. More info at www.zumix.org or on social media at @zumixinc.

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