Renowned composer Roberto Sierra’s choral-orchestral performance, “Missa Latina ‘Pro Pace’ (For Peace)” will head to Austin in June.
Conspirare, a symphonic choir, will bring together 150 of its member to sing alongside soprano Heidi Grant Murphy and baritone Nathaniel Webster with the Victoria Bach Festival Chorus and Orchestra. Director Craig Hella Johnson will lead the orchestra in “Missa Latina” in what is to be the largest group of musicians assembled by Conspirare to play at Dell Hall since 2008.
The traditional Mass based performance will be sung in Latin and with its energetic Caribbean vibes will tribute Sierra’s Puerto Rican Heritage. The composition was first introduced in 2006 where it was played by the National Symphony Orchestra and the Choral Arts Society of Washington. Three years later, “Missa Latina” was not only recorded for the Naxos American Classics label, but it also received a Grammy nomination for Best Classical Contemporary Composition.
Since the composition began, Murphy has contributed her talent to the premiere, the recording, and three other performances. Her participation in “Missa Latina” is one of the many compositions she has worked on since her debut in the Metropolitan Opera’s production, “Die Frau Ohne Schatten,” in1989. The Washington native has also performed with some of the best operas and orchestras such as the Salzburg Festival, Frankfurt Opera, Netherlands Opera, Theatre de La Monnaie and the Opera National de Paris.
Murphy will be performing “Missa Latina” with Webster for a fourth time. Similarly to Murphy, Webster has worked with the Paris Opera, New York City Opera, Frankfurt Opera, Theatre de La Monnaie in Brussels, and Nationale Reisopera in Amsterdam. Not only has he been a guest soloist for the National Symphony Orchestra and the Brooklyn Philharmonic, but he also participated in the 2010 Marlboro festival where he was part of composer Samuel Barber’s “Dover Beach.”
With prior familiarity of the composition, both soloists are bound to deliver an amazing performance.
Don’t miss “Missa Latina” at the Long Center for the Performing Arts’ Dell Hall located on 701 W. Riverside Dr. The concert will begin at 7 p.m. and tickets will range from $20-50. Austinites can get more information here or call (512) 476-5775. Tickets may be purchased here or by calling (512) 474-5775.
Before the concert premiers in Austin, the musicians will perform in Victoria, Texas, on June 11. For those in Victoria, you can receive ticket and concert information here or by calling (361) 570-5788.