Golijov and Neruda Highlighted in Collegiate Chorale Discussion and Performance

On February 19, Music of the Americas hosted The Collegiate Chorale for an evening of discussion and music, exploring the works of Argentine composer Osvaldo Golijov and his choral work Oceana in preparation for the group's Carnegie Hall concert featuring this work and A Toltec Symphony by Phillip Glass. The evening brought together the Chorale's Music Director James Bagwell, members of the choir, and Venezuelan soloist Biella da Costa to discuss and showcase Golijov's work. The evening did not center solely on Oceana: Da Costa and pianist Kenneth Bowen gave the audience a broader view of both poet Pablo Neruda (Oceana's text is based on his poetry) and Golijov's compositional style through the performance of Aini Taktiru from Ayre and a recitation of Neruda's poem Amor Americano.

Oceana was composed in 1996 and premiered by the Oregon Bach Festival during its 1996 concert series Cantatas of the Americas. For this work, the Festival asked the composer to create a work in the spirit of Bach. Golijov remarked upon his inspiration from both Bach and Pablo Neruda: “My aim in Oceana was the transmutation of passion into geometry. This is, in my mind, the clue to both Bach's and Neruda's work. One hopes that the emotion evoked by the work is the emotion of hearing order, inevitable and full of light: every note in its place, as in Bach, every word in its place, as in Neruda.” Neruda's poem Oceana, taken from his 1961 collection Cantos Ceremoniales, portrays the power of a higher being upon humanity, similar to Bach's cantatas. Where Bach's cantatas are mainly sacred and invoke the power of God, Neruda's Oceana conveys the presence of an ocean goddess. Throughout the piece, Golijov works to demonstrate a sense of longing and hope, echoing what he calls "the immensity of South America's nature and pain into transmuted pure musical symbols."

The Collegiate Chorale is a lively and committed group of people who share a passion for choral music and perform with great artistry. The Chorale is comprised of around 175 members who join by audition and perform regularly at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and other venues throughout the New York area, as well as at summer venues such as the Verbier (Switzerland), Israel, and, next summer, the Salzburg festivals. For more information on The Collegiate Chorale and their upcoming concerts visit their website.

Da Costa is one of Venezuela's most acclaimed vocalists. She studied with Francisco Kraus at the Conservatorio José Ángel Lamas, as well as with Yoshiko Miki, Hilda Breer at the Escuela de Ópera de Caracas, and Irene Ebersteins. During the 1990s, Da Costa performed with various rock and Latin bands in Caracas until becoming lead vocalist for Casablanca, a popular rock group and discovering the local jazz scene. Since then, Da Costa has shared the stage with internationally renowned artists such as Eric Clapton, Ray Charles, Blood Sweat and Tears, Caetano Veloso, David Sanborn, and Chuck Mangione, among others. She performs extensively in Latin America and has appeared in prestigious jazz festivals and venues throughout Canada, Europe, and the United States. Da Costa is no stranger to Golijov's music having performed the composer's La Pasión según San Marcos, Ayre, and Oceana regularly on stages throughout the world. Her recordings include El Sueño with Casablanca, Solo Jazz, Jazz & Blues, and Biella Da Costa en Navidad, which features several Venezuelan and international Christmas songs. She also appears on Monk in The Sun, a Tribute to Thelonious Monk in which she sings the celebrated ballad Round Midnight. She also recorded La Pasión según San Marcos for Deutsche Grammophon.