March Is Music 2013 at Pregones Theater

Presenting 

SO Percussion, BODOMA, Quinteto Latino, Desmar Guevara and The Harlem Hellfightes On A Latin Beat with Guest Artist Danny Rivera

Pregones Theater’s 33^rd Season continues with the popular March Is Music series from Wednesday, March 6^th, through Saturday, March 30^th. This year’s headliners are world-class exponents of contemporary percussion—SO percussion, Garifuna Traditional—BODOMA, Contemporary Classical—QUINTETO LATINO, New Music/Jazz—DESMAR GUEVARA and Jazz, Ragtime & Danza—THE HARLEM HELLFIGHTERS ON A LATIN BEAT with Guest Artist DANNY RIVERA. Five concerts, open rehearsals and public conversations for all ages! The series kicks off with a FREE event and tickets for all other shows start at $12 for residents of twelve select zip codes in The Bronx, East Harlem, and Washington Heights. All performances are at Pregones Theater, 575 Walton Avenue, just south of Yankee Stadium and east of the Gateway Mall at Bronx Terminal Market. Events calendar and online ticket sales at www.pregones.org or by phone at 718-585-1202.

DETAIL OF EVENTS:

SO PERCUSSION (FREE CONCERT) - WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6 @ 7:00 PM
Called "an experimental powerhouse" by The Village Voice, So Percussion creates fascinating music that explores the limits of musical sensation and possibility. Using unexpected instruments like coffee cans, conch shells, and a cactus, the Brooklyn-based quartet ventures out of the box by playing a range of new music by classical composers and popular artists. Whether performing in a concert hall or a rock venue, So Percussion is right at home projecting sheer excitement in its performances which have been called "astonishing and entrancing" by Billboard Magazine. Presented in collaboration with Carnegie Hall and the Weill Music Institute. The Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concert Series is sponsored by Target®

BODOMA - SATURDAY, MARCH 9 @ 8:00 PM

Ancestral West African musical traditions take center stage with Bodoma Garífuna Cultural Band. Hailing from Honduras, Bronx-based Bodoma's energetic performance style has at its center a three-drum ensemble and a wide array of traditional percussion instruments. Their participatory call-and-response vocals echo sacred invocations of the spirits of nature. Gariífuna heritage is unique in almost every sense. Slavery played a minor part in the history of the Garífunas, allowing them to retain and further develop traditional customs with unparalleled integrity.

QUINTETO LATINO - SATURDAY, MARCH 16 @ 8:00 PM

Founded in 2004 by French hornist Armando Castellano, Quinteto Latino is devoted to performing with world-class artistry in communities not often served by classical musicians. Championing younger and lesser-known composers of Latino heritage, the group expands the boundaries of classical music, inspiring new generations of players and audiences. For its featured MIM2013 residency and concert, QL and  pairs up with composer GUILLERMO GALINDO for the NY premiere of Voces del Desierto/Voices of the Desert. The compositions honor the many unnamed immigrants who cross the U.S.-Mexico border. The concert features video, traditional wind instruments, and fantastical hand-made instruments created from personal belongings found at the border.
Performers:
Diane Grubbe – Flute, Kyle Bruckmann – Oboe, Leslie Tagorda – Clarinet, Armando Castellano - French Horn and Shawn Jones - Bassoon

Additional Free Event: On Friday, March 15th @ 1:00 pm, Quinteto Latino will also conduct a Meet The Artist open rehearsal suitable for groups and individuals of all ages. Limited seating, call to reserve.

DESMAR GUEVARA /Grados Inefables - SATURDAY, MARCH 23 @ 8:00 PM

NY PREMIERE ● NPN Commission Join us for the world premiere of Grados Inefables, a 45-minute chamber music work for piano and string quartet by Pregones' resident composer Desmar Guevara. Each of the four movements alludes to gradual pursuit of enlightenment and esoteric knowledge of Freemasonry. "Masonry is a succession of allegories, the mere vehicles of great lessons in morality and philosophy. You will more fully appreciate its spirit, its object, its purposes, as you advance in the different Degrees, which you will find constitute a great, complete, and harmonious system." - Albert Pike. ABOUT THE COMPOSER: A seasoned champion of new music idioms, composer Desmar Guevara is also committed to writing experimental and Afro Puerto Rican music for the theater.  Since 1994, Desmar Guevara has served as composer, arranger and performer of numerous productions at Pregones Theater, including La Rosa Roja/The Red Rose and The Harlem Hellfighters On A Latin Beat, both issued as original cast recordings. He is also Pregones Theater’s Musical Director and the founder and director of chamber jazz ensemble Taller Sicá, which has recorded the full-length CD, Del otro lado del espejo, featuring special guest Danny Rivera. Additional Free Event: On Friday, March 23 @ 1:00 pm, the ensemble will conduct a Meet The Artist open rehearsal suitable for groups and individuals of all ages. Limited seating, call to reserve!   

THE HARLEM HELLFIGHTERS ON A LATIN BEAT - SAT, MARCH 30 @ 8:00 PM
Special Closing Event: The Harlem Hellfighters On A Latin Beat IN CONCERT! This jazz-rag-danza concert is based on Pregones popular musical by the same name. Music and story merge in this one-night only concert featuring an 8-piece band, popular music icon DANNY RIVERA, and members of the original cast. From James Reese Europe to Rafael Hernández, the Harlem Hellfighters' extraordinary valor and musicianship made it the most celebrated regiment, with most popular music of the First World War era. Special Bonus: We will be celebrating the release of The Harlem Hellfighters On A Latin Beat CD, featuring Danny Rivera and the original cast members. On this evening Pregones will also present a tribute to Pregones' 2013 Master Artist PABLO MARCANO GARCÍA.

WHERE: Pregones Theater, 575 Walton Avenue Walton, between 149 & 150 Streets in The Bronx. DIRECTIONS: Trains # 2, 4, 5 to 149^th Grand Concourse.

TICKETS:  $12 ZipTickets for residents of zip codes 10451, 10452, 10454, 10455, 10474, 10029, 10031, 10032, 10033, 10034, 10035, 10040; seniors and students $15 advance, $28 door; general admission $24 advance, $40 door. Members $18 advance, $25 door; seniors and students $12 advance, $15 door. Special Closing Event: general admission $40 advance, $60 door. Limited seating, BUY EARLY. Online ticket sales at www.pregones.org or by phone at 718-585-1202.

CREDITS: Support for MARCH IS MUSIC 2013 generously provided by The JP Morgan Chase Foundation. Additional funding provided by The Ford Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation New York Theater Program, Simón Bolívar Foundation, The Samuels Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Lucille Lortel Foundation, Tony Randall Theatrical Fund, National Association of Latino Arts & Culture, and National Performance Network. This program made possible in part by public funds from The New York State Council on the Arts, and The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council. Voces del desierto and Grados Inefables are National Performance Network (NPN) Creation Fund Projects co-commissioned (for Voces) by MACLA in partnership with Pregones Theater, Quinteto Latino, and NPN; and (for Grados) by Pregones Theater in partnership with MACLA, Su Teatro, and NPN. The Creation Fund is supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Ford Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts (a federal agency) For more information: www.npnweb.org.

PREGONES THEATER • 575 Walton Avenue, The Bronx, NY 10451

Pregones Theater is a Bronx-based ensemble whose mission is to create and perform original musical theater and plays rooted in Puerto Rican/Latino cultures, and to present other artists who share our twin commitment to the arts and civic enrichment. With a year-round calendar of events, bilingual programming for all ages, and multiple admission discount offers, Pregones Theater is helping transform the South Bronx into a vibrant arts and cultural district. Awards include Primary Cultural Institution Designation from the New York State Council on the Arts, New York State Governor’s Arts Award, and the 2011 NYC Neighborhood Achievement Award, among many others.

Phone: 718-585-1202 Web: www.pregones.org Facebook/Twitter: pregonestheater