Gotham Early Music Scene Presents Open Gates Project Concert GLOBAL ROOTS: MI ALMA, MI VOZ, MI CORAZÓN

Gotham Early Music Scene presents the final concerts of its inaugural season of its Open Gates Project, Global Roots: Mi Alma, Mi Voz, Mi Corazón, A Journey Through Argentinian and Armenian Folk and Popular Song on Friday, June 3 at 7:00pm at St. Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church in Manhattan; Saturday, June 4 at 7:00pm at Jamaica Performing Arts Center in Jamaica, Queens; and Sunday, June 5 at 3:00pm at St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Brooklyn. The Friday concert will also be live streamed.

The program is led and inspired by Argentinian-Armenian mezzo-soprano Solange Merdinian and features folk and popular music from Argentina and Armenia through the medium of baroque instruments. Solange will be joined by Dongmyung Ahn (violin), Dušan Balarin (guitar), Patricia Ann Neely (viola da gamba) and Rex Benincasa (percussion) in highlighting these folk and oral musical traditions and integrating some beloved melodies in Spanish and in Armenian, alongside the existing canon of repertoire largely stemming from Western Europe.

"By using period instruments, our Global Roots program also explores the intersection of folk music with Baroque style to show what is possible when we expand our lens on early music to include popular and cross-cultural idioms," said Open Gates Project Co-Director Michele Kennedy. "We envision this program to be a conversation across languages, genres, and cultural traditions that can help to broaden our collective sense of early music: what it sounds like, where it comes from, and how powerful it can be when we can all find personal reflections of ourselves in musical traditions presented on the stage."

GEMS' Open Gates Project offers a rich variety of music performed by distinguished professional artists at locations throughout New York City. The series is dedicated to creating greater access to stages for musicians of color in Early Music, while also seeking to create greater access to Early Music for underserved communities. The Project aims to see increased diversity on the stage and in the audience.

Gene Murrow, executive director of Gotham Early Music Scene, engaged bass-baritone Joe Chappel and soprano Michele Kennedy as co-directors of the Open Gates Project, curating concerts, engaging artists, and exploring exciting new venues, all in order to broaden the reach of Early Music. The Open Gates Project presented its inaugural concerts, The Divine Feminine: Centering Women of Color in Early Music, in November 2021 (watch the November concert here), followed by C3: Countertenors, a Consort, and Continuo in February 2022 (watch the February concert here).

Concert Information
Global Roots: Mi Alma, Mi Voz, Mi Corazón
A Journey Through Argentinian and Armenian Folk and Popular Song
Solange Merdinian, mezzo-soprano
Dongmyung Ahn, violin
Dušan Balarin, guitar
Patricia Ann Neely, viola da gamba
Rex Benincasa, percussion

Friday, June 3, 2022 at 7:00pm
St. Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church
552 West End Avenue (at West 87th Street)
New York, NY 10024

Saturday, June 4, 2022 at 7:00pm
Jamaica Performing Arts Center
153-10 Jamaica Avenue
Jamaica, Queens 11432

Sunday, June 5, 2022 at 3:00pm
St. Philip's Episcopal Church
334 MacDonough Street
Brooklyn, NY 11233

Tickets
$30: General Admission
$15: Under 30/Fixed-Income
$15: Resident of Queens (6/4); Resident of Brooklyn (6/5)
$5: Students (ID required)
In-person and live stream options available.

Link: https://gemsny.org/opengatesseason

Please note: COVID vaccinations and masks are required to attend in person. Read GEMS' full Covid Protocols here.