Piazzolla, Astor – Tangazo (Variations on Buenos Aires)
Villa-Lobos, Heitor – Bachianas Brasileiras No. 2 “The Little Train of Caipira”
Desenne, Paul – Concerto for 2 Flutes
Copland – El Salon Mexico

Special guests:
Robert Langevin, flute
Marco Granados, flute

We’re proud to present an evening of evocative impressions of Latin America with works from three composers you’ll recognize and one we’re proud to introduce this season. Venezuelan / American composer and cellist Paul Desenne, who passed away in 2023 at age 63, was a founding member of the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra and resident composer for El Sistema. His 2013 Concerto for 2 Flutes will feature Robert Langevin, Principal Flute of the New York Philharmonic, and Marco Granados, one of the world’s leading flutists in Latin American music. The program opens with a lyrical, edgy work by Argentine tango composer Astor Piazzolla, followed by Heitor Villa-Lobos’ Bach-inspired representations of Brazilian life. We’ll finish the evening with American icon Aaron Copland, who infused Mexican folk music into his rousing work.

Hindemith | Mathis der Maler
Vaughan Williams | Sea Symphony -Aaron Engebreth, baritone -Michelle Trainor, soprano -New World Chorale

Hindemith composed Mathis der Maler to portray the emotional struggle of humanity against the Nazis. Ralph Vaughn William’s Sea Symphony depicts American poet Walt Whitman’s poem of brave sailors in vast oceans voyaging through life.

“… one of the most outstanding young organists on the scene today. His unassuming manner and his sure and relaxed technique hide a fiery yet totally musical approach to organ playing.” The Diapason

Regarded as one of North America’s finest concert organists and praised for his dazzling artistry, impeccable technique, and imaginative programming by audiences and critics alike, Ken Cowan maintains a rigorous performing schedule that takes him to major concert venues in America, Canada, Europe, and Asia.  

Recent feature performances have included appearances at Verizon Hall in Philadelphia with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonie, Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, Vienna Konzerthaus, Maison Symphonique in Montreal, St. Paul’s Cathedral in London and Walt Disney Concert Hall.  In addition, Mr. Cowan has been a featured artist in recent years at national conventions of the American Guild of Organists in Los Angeles, Minneapolis and Houston.  He has performed at many regional conventions of the AGO and has been featured at several conventions of the Organ Historical Society and the Royal Canadian College of Organists.

Midori, violin & Özgür Aydin, piano

Renowned for the expressive agility of her playing, violinist Midori returns to the Series for the first time since 2012 with a program that lends her finely honed touch to songs of mourning and lamentation across cultures.

Drawing on her ability to summon finesse and purity as readily as warmth and power, Midori builds her program around Poulenc’s Sonata for Piano and Violin, dedicated to the memory of Spanish poet Federico García Lorca. Inspired by the poet’s comparisons of countrywide weeping in Civil War-era Spain to the sound of “an immense violin,” Midori expresses a musical tale of loss and bereavement.  

Performing Poulenc’s Sonata alongside Che Buford’s new work Spirituals, Brahms’ Violin Sonata No. 1, and Ravel’s “Kaddish” and “Tzigane,” Midori gives voice to expressions of sorrow that depict, as she puts it, “spiritual verities that tie humanity together.”

This performance is a presentation of Celebrity Series of Boston. All sales and questions should be directed to the Celebrity Series of Boston Box Office. 

Alastair Moock and Friends return to the Cabot with their unique brand of upbeat, socially-conscious Americana music for all ages! Joining them for this special performance is the Teen Tour Choir of Boston City Singers from Dorchester, MA. Moock, a Grammy-nominated family musician, has worked closely with Boston City Singers for years, ever since his daughter joined the group in second grade. The Tour Choir travels all over the world, bringing with them their joy of singing and drumming and a repertoire that spans the music of Civil Rights, vocal jazz and classical pieces, and folk tunes from around the globe.