Message from the Artistic & Executive Director 

All migrant groups inevitably find themselves confronting a host of challenges. In 1980, Dominican pianist Tilsia Brens, leading a group of Dominican artists from the diaspora, had a vision that became his mission. The showcasing of Dominican talent at a time when the Dominican community was not seen in the most positive of lights in the United States. Dominicans, like many other immigrant groups in New York City during the 1980’s. We, as a cultural entity, see it as our mission to promote our culture, and with great pride, to celebrate our music.

Much of our Latino artistic history remains hidden, and should be explored. It is our responsibility to investigate the long list of forgotten composers hidden in historical documents. Traditionally, universities and music conservatories across Europe and the United States have considered music written in Latin America as non-western, dismissing the legacy and the history of the Spanish colonies.

This concert celebrates works that are categorized as part of the impressionist era or music written in that style. Musicians were labeled impressionists by analogy to the impressionist painters who used new combinations of techniques like starkly contrasting colors, blurry foreground and background, flattening perspective to focus our attention on the overall impression. When talking about impressionism, in music, composers took a more relaxed approach to formal structure and rules, and instead of evoking deep emotions or meanings, they are concerned with the overall atmosphere of their work.

With tonight’s concert we will introduce a piece by a Dominican composer Enrique de Marchena’ Divertimento op. 94 for harp and string dedicated to Manuel Simo, written in the impressionist Style.

We are also premiering 40 Dias by Argentine composer Ariel Pirotti and Ante el Viejo Espejo by Dominican composer Dante Cucurrullo, both pieces written in the Impressionist style commissioned by the ADCA. 

The concert will feature the “La Camerata Washington Heights” with the participation of Cuban guest conductor Ahmed Alon, featuring Argentinian Bandoneonist Rodolfo Zanetti.

Adán Vásquez