BOSTON — September 21st, 2020 – North End Music & Performing Arts Center (NEMPAC), a 501(c)(3) community music school and performing arts center, will present Nuestras Raíces, a virtual fundraising concert to commemorate LatinX Heritage Month, on Sunday, October 4, at 6 p.m. The online concert featuring LatinX faculty artists will benefit the nonprofit’s annual fund, a critical income stream for sustaining performances and programming that empowers artists of all ages and abilities throughout the global public health crisis.

Nuestras Raíces will showcase the artistic prowess of NEMPAC’s very own classical guitarist, Jhon Alvarado, tenor, Josaphat Contreras, mezzo-soprano, Alexandra Dietrich, and pianist, Jose Soto.

General Admission ticketed links are available for $25 for our October 4th streaming event, as well as a discount for NEMPAC Students and Faculty admission ($15) at https://nempacboston.networkforgood.com/events/23331-nuestras-ra-ces.

The concert will feature the following repertoire:

 

  1. “Un día en la vida” – Lyrics by Humberto Vargas/Music Walter Flores | Performed by Jose Soto, Pianist, and guest Vocalist Maria Amalia Quesada Chavarria
  2. “Deja correr el tiempo” – Lyrics by Julian Marchena/Music Jose Soto | Performed by Jose Soto, Pianist, and guest Vocalist Maria Amalia Quesada Chavarria
  3. “Callaloo” – By Walter Ferguson | Performed by Jose Soto, Pianist, and guest Vocalist Maria Amalia Quesada Chavarria
  4. “Suite Popular Brasileña” – By Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos | Performed by Jhon Alvarado, Classical Guitarist
  5. “Estrellita” – By Mexican composers Manuel Ponce and Daniel Daniel Catán | Performed by Josaphat Contreras, Tenor
  6. “Comprendo” – By Mexican composers Manuel Ponce and Daniel Daniel Catán | Performed by Josaphat Contreras, Tenor
  7. “Dalla sua pace” – Aria from Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” translated into Spanish | Performed by Josaphat Contreras, Tenor
  8. “Granada” – By Mexican composer Agustín Lara | Performed by Alexandra Dietrich, Mezzo-Soprano
  9. “Amor bendito” – By Puerto Rican composer Juan Ríos Ovalle | Performed by Alexandra Dietrich, Mezzo-Soprano
  10. “Del cabello más sutil” – By Spanish composer Fernando Obradors | Performed by Alexandra Dietrich, Mezzo-Soprano

“We seek to welcome our audience into the rich sound and history of music that is Latinidad, a shared culture that is not limited to one or two traits and instead represents the diverse heritage found throughout Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean,” says Alexandra Dietrich, artistic director of Nuestras Raíces and the NEMPAC Opera Project. “Our LatinX faculty artists represent these regions and are excited to celebrate LatinX Heritage Month with their NEMPAC family and the Boston community at large. ¡Esperamos que disfrutes de la música!”

Dietrich will emcee the online performance alongside Sherri Snow, NEMPAC’s executive director. Throughout the concert, patrons will hear testimonials from community members reflecting on what NEMPAC has meant to them amid the pandemic.

All monies raised by Nuestras Raíces’ ticket sales, song dedications, and donations will go directly to NEMPAC’s annual fund, an income stream that finances the day-to-day operations of the 501(c)(3)’s community music school and performing arts center. This funding source sustains NEMPAC’s arts programming and professional performances, including but not limited to private music instruction for youth and adults, school partnerships, and free public concerts.

“NEMPAC will invest all funds raised by Nuestras Raíces into accessible, high-quality performances and programming that continue to nurture the next generation of artists, honor the traditions of live performance, and propel professional artists’ careers forward in the North End, Charlestown, and surrounding Boston neighborhoods,” says Sherri Snow, NEMPAC’s executive director. “Community donations to this virtual fundraising concert will allow NEMPAC to continue to adapt its programming and performances amid the pandemic, and in doing so, fuel our shared vision to make the arts accessible to all.”

To learn more about this event, please visit here.

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About NEMPAC:

North End Music & Performing Arts Center (NEMPAC) is a 501(c)(3) community music school and performing arts center empowering greater-Boston artists of all ages and abilities.  Fueled by the belief that the arts are an expression of our shared humanity, NEMPAC enriches the North End, Charlestown, and surrounding Boston neighborhoods with affordable, high-quality performances and programming.

In 2001, five North End mothers launched NEMPAC out of their homes to give their daughters and sons the opportunity to pursue private piano instruction. By listening to, empathizing with, and meeting a community need for youth instrument lessons, the nonprofit’s female founders banded together to make music an approachable art form for the children of Little Italy.

Fast forward nearly two decades later, and NEMPAC continues to flourish at the intersection of arts education and professional performance. NEMPAC’s community music school nurtures the next generation of artists through in-house education courses, private and group music instruction, as well as on-site arts programming in area schools. In addition, NEMPAC’s performing arts center attracts regional, national, as well as international solo acts and professional music groups to stages in the greater-Boston area. From jazz to opera, NEMPAC’s professional performances cater to all musical tastes and acquaint thousands of audience members per year to the transformative quality of the arts.

Contact at North End Music & Performing Arts Center:

Sherri Snow
617.227.2270
ssnow@nempacboston.org