Five Boroughs Music Festival Opens 2023-24 Season With REENCUENTROS

Five Boroughs Music Festival (5BMF) presents Cecilia Duarte, Trio Chapultepec, and percussionist Jesús Pacheco for its 2023-2024 season opener, Reencuentros, on Friday, September 29, 2023 at 7:30pm. The informal performance will take place at Five Boroughs Brewing Company in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, with a subsequent concert on Saturday, September 30, 2023 at 7:30pm at Flushing Town Hall in Queens.

Reencuentros celebrates the recent release of the album bearing the same name and will feature a wide range of boleros, mid-20th-century art songs from across Latin America. Works on the program include songs by Jair Amorim, Bobby Capó, Alvaro Carrillo, Altemar Dutra, Teddy Fregoso, Virgilio González, Evaldo Gouveia, Chabuca Granda, Julio Jaramillo, Félix Luna, Violeta Parra, Ariel Ramírez, Omar Antonio Sánchez, and Daniel Toro.

Cecilia Duarte, a classical and opera singer in high demand across the United States and beyond, returns to her roots with this program, describing it as “a remembrance of the moments when I listened to my mother sing. Reencuentros represents where I come from and the stories that formed me. It is important for me to share this legacy of beautiful music, only a small snapshot of the artistic richness of Latin American music.”

Five Boroughs Music Festival is pleased to announce the appointment of Leah Hollingsworth as the organization's new General and Artistic Director, as of September 1, 2023. Leah takes over the leadership of 5BMF following the departure of Artistic Director Michael Unterman, who is embarking on an exciting new position with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra in Toronto. An accomplished violist, writer, and arts administrator, Leah brings professional experience, creativity, and passion for NYC's chamber music scene to the organization. 5BMF's co-founder and Executive Director, Donna Breitzer, also anticipates a transition to an advisory role within the organization, working closely with Leah and 5BMF's Board of Directors to continue 5BMF's growth.

"During the search process, it became immediately clear that Leah possesses exactly the clarity of vision and leadership capabilities that 5BMF needs as we enter a new chapter," says Ms. Breitzer. "Her excitement for 5BMF's mission and her passion for the broader role of accessible chamber music programming across NYC are only part of what makes Leah an ideal leader for us. She also brings to the table exceptional leadership skills and an eye for detail that will be crucial for 5BMF's continued success during this transition period and beyond. The Board and I are so very excited to introduce Leah to our wonderful fans and followers this season.”

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Performance Details

Reencuentros
Friday, September 29, 2023 at 7:30pm
Five Boroughs Brewing Company | 215 47th St, Brooklyn, NY, 11220
Tickets: $15 Suggested Donation
Link: https://5bmf.org/events/reencuentros/

Saturday, September 30, 2023 at 7:30pm
Flushing Town Hall | 137-35 Northern Blvd, Queens, NY 11354
Tickets: $20 General Admission; $10 for Members, Seniors, and Students
Link: https://www.flushingtownhall.org/event-detail.php?id=469 

Program:
Fina Estampa – Chabuca Granda, arr. William Carlton Gálvez
Incertidumbre – Julio Jaramillo, arr. Vincent A. Pequeño
Peleas  – Altemar Dutra, Evaldo Gouveia, and Jair Amorim, arr. Vincent A. Pequeño
Zamba Para Olvidar – Daniel Toro, arr. William Carlton Gálvez
La Flor de la Canela – Chabuca Granda, arr. Israel Alcalá
La revancha – Omar Antonio Sánchez, arr. Israel Alcalá
Alfonsina y el Mar – Ariel Ramírez and Félix Luna, arr. David Hanlon
Sabrá Dios – Alvaro Carrillo, arr. Israel Alcalá
Poquita Fe – Bobby Capó, arr. Vincent A. Pequeño
Le Dije a una Rosa – Virgilio González, arr. David Hanlon
Sabrás que te Quiero – Teddy Fregoso, arr. Vincent A. Pequeño
Gracias a la Vida – Violeta Parra, arr. David Hanlon

Artists:
Cecilia Duarte, voice
Jesús Pacheco, percussion
Trio Chapultepec
     Vincent A. Pequeño, guitar
     Israel Alcala, guitar
     William Carlton Galvez, guitar and violin

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About Five Boroughs Music Festival
Since 2007, Five Boroughs Music Festival (5BMF) has brought virtuosic chamber music performances of the highest caliber to every borough of NYC, cultivating new audiences for the genre and encouraging music lovers to look beyond Manhattan for outstanding performances. Lauded as “imaginative” by The New York Times, “enterprising” by The New Yorker, and “vital” by WQXR's Operavore blog, 5BMF's commitment to musical outreach and diverse programming has distinguished it as a standout presence in the New York City arts community from its earliest days.

5BMF's artist roster of over 500 individual performers and ensembles is comprised of talented emerging artists and distinguished musicians alike, representing a diverse range of musical genres and styles. Its venues are just as eclectic, and have included performing arts spaces, cultural centers, and historic New York City landmarks such as Federal Hall, Pregones Theater, Flushing Town Hall, King Manor Museum, Brooklyn Historical Society, the Alice Austen House, and the Staten Island Museum, to name merely a few.

As champions of new music, 5BMF has commissioned over 70 composers and presented world premieres of their works all across New York City, most notably the borough-wide tours of its quinquennial commissioning project, the Five Borough Songbook Volumes I, II and III. 5BMF's outreach initiatives continue to expand every year, and have included program-related interactive lectures and discussions, public masterclasses with world renowned performing artists, and free public programming. Learn more at www.5bmf.org.

About Leah Hollingsworth
Leah Swann Hollingsworth enjoys a varied career in performing, writing, and arts administration. As a violist, Leah has performed as a chamber and orchestral musician on all three stages of Carnegie Hall and across Lincoln Center, with the Orchestra of St. Luke's, NYChoral, American Ballet Theater, NYC Ballet (including NYCB residencies at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and SPAC in Saratoga Springs, NY), IRIS Chamber Orchestra (Memphis, TN), The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, and in numerous chamber music performances around New York City. Leah was an Ensemble Connect (formerly ACJW) fellow from 2007-09 and a Tanglewood Music Center Fellow in the summers of 2006 and 2007.

As an arts administrator, Leah is passionate about using music to serve the community, whether through a multi-month songwriting workshop or a single concert. While on staff with the Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall, Leah played a vital role in leading the Teaching Artist Collaborative and the Musical Connections program, and in equipping artists to perform in schools, correctional facilities, hospitals, homeless shelters, and elder care facilities. Through these programs and her work with Carnegie Hall Citywide (formerly the Neighborhood Concert Series), Leah helped plan and execute a broad range of concerts and workshops throughout New York City. More recently, Leah worked as Interim Manager for School Programs at the New York Philharmonic, managing school partnerships and training Teaching Artists. Leah's passion for bringing music to all audiences and using music to build community is also evident in her work as Director of Development for Music Mondays, a pillar of the Upper West Side that presents nine free, innovative concerts each year.

As a writer, Leah is a New York City concert reviewer for The Strad and has written numerous features for Strings Magazine, The Strad, Playbill, and Symphony Magazine. She loves to tell the stories of musicians, ensembles, and organizations, and her writing draws from her training in narrative non-fiction writing at Yale University, as well as her two decades as a professional musician.

Leah lives in New York City with her husband and their three children, and enjoys running, writing, good food and wine, and her church community.

About Cecilia Duarte
A soloist in the Grammy Award-winning album Duruflé: The Complete Choral Works, Cecilia has been praised by The New York Times as "A creamy voiced mezzo-soprano."

Born in Chihuahua, Mexico, Cecilia is a versatile singer that has performed around the world singing a variety of music styles, especially early and contemporary music.

Cecilia has been widely acclaimed for creating the role of Renata in the first Mariachi Opera Cruzar la Cara de la Luna with the famous Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, commissioned by Houston Grand Opera in 2010. Cecilia has taken this opera to stages such as the Houston Grand Opera (2013, 2018), Châtelet Theatre in Paris, France, Chicago Lyric Opera, San Diego Opera, Arizona Opera, The Fort Worth Opera, Teatro Nacional Sucre, in Quito, Ecuador,  New York City Opera, and El Paso Opera. Since then, Cecilia has created other roles for world premieres of chamber operas and new works, including Jessie Lydell in A Coffin in Egypt (HGO and the Wallis Annenberg Center in LA); Gracie in A Way Home (HGO and Opera Southwest); Harriet in After the Storm (HGO); Alicia in Some Light Emerges (HGO); and Alma in  "Boundless," the first episode of Houston Grand Opera's Telly Award-winning web opera series Star-cross'd.

Other operatic roles include Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Loma Williams in Cold Sassy Tree, Isabella in Rapaccini's Daughter, Sarelda in The Inspector, Tituba in The Crucible, and Maria in Maria de Buenos Aires, among others. Cecilia also premiered the prequel to Cruzar la Cara de la Luna, reprising the role of Renata in the world premiere of El Milagro del Recuerdo, with Houston Grand Opera (2019) and Arizona Opera (2021).

Her experience in early music includes performances with Ars Lyrica Houston, Mercury Houston, and The Bach Society Houston, as well as the Fesitvalensemble in Stuttgart, Germany, the Festival de Música Barroca de San Miguel de Allende, México, and most recently, the Boston Early Music Festival and the Bach Collegium San Diego with whom she debuted singing Handel's Messiah in a complete adaptation to Spanish. She is a vocalist in the Kaleidoscope Vocal Ensemble, performing early and contemporary music.

Recordings include Cruzar la Cara de la Luna, with Albany Records, NY; soloist in the Grammy-winning album Duruflé: The Complete Choral Works with Signum Records, a special appearance in Encantamiento, an album with music by Daniel Catán, and Reencuentros, Cecilia's first solo album produced by multiple Grammy Award-winner Blanton Alspaugh, under Reference Recordings Label. 

About Trio Chapultepec
Trio Chapultepec, formed in July 2019, is a multi-instrumental group based in San Antonio, Texas composed of Vincent Pequeño, Israel Alcala and William Carlton Galvez. The members have extensively studied Mariachi together for several years and have been given national awards in both vocal and collegiate level ensemble competitions. Trio Chapultepec was able to make their debut in December 2019 in the Houston Grand Opera with the production, El Milagro del Recuerdo, with subsequent productions at the Arizona, Austin, Fort Worth, and San Diego Operas.

About Jesús Pacheco
Jesús Pacheco obtained his bachelor's degree in percussion from the Superior Conservatory in Seville, Spain. As a young musician, he was part of the Andalusian Youth Orchestra (OJA) under the baton of Michael Thomas, and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, directed by  Daniel Baremboim. Jesús has performed at the Festival ensemble in Stuttgart, Germany, and served as a timpanist with the Bach Collegium (Stuttgart Bachakademie) both under the direction of Helmut Rilling, touring through Europe and China. In Andalusia, Jesús was a regular working with the Royal Symphonic Orchestra of Sevilla, and the Cordoba Symphony Orchestra, as well as other music ensembles devoted to early and contemporary music, and created and performed with his Percussion quartet Hits-Palis. 

During his time living in Houston, Jesús has collaborated with the Bach Society Houston, The Houston Brass Band, Octave Illusion, and often performs with Mercury Houston, The Magnolia City Brass Band, Ars Lyrica Houston, Apollo Chamber Players, and the Houston Brass Quintet, among others. Along with his wife, mezzo-soprano Cecilia Duarte, Jesús has co-curated Orígenes, and Contemplation in Light, both community programs created for Ars Lyrica Houston promoting Latin American Baroque music, and Chant. 

A versatile musician, Jesús can be found playing Latin Jazz with the Mateo Orozco and Bumerán band, and Flamenco music in the Houston area. Later performances include his debut with Houston Grand Opera in Suite Española 2: Exploring the Caribbean.