The Cicada Also Sings: An Evening of Latin American Songs
Saturday, April 19 at 6 p.m. in the Social Room
You are invited to a live performance of contemporary songs from Argentina, Chile, Cuba, and Uruguay that foster peace, resilience, and empathy. This concert will introduce the audience to salient Latin American songwriters and include a presentation on the cultural and musical features of all songs. Lyrics will be shared and explained in English. Please come prepared to fully enjoy an hour of music and conversation. The event will include refreshments.
The traditional repertoire of Latin American music in Spanish expanded in innovative ways by the middle of the twentieth century. Due to international advances in sound media, the strong turn towards folk music experienced in the first half of the twentieth century increasingly shared the soundscape with rock and roll in Spanish. Having embraced instruments and rhythms from folk and indigenous traditions, musicians began to introduce electronic effects in their compositions. In addition, a more expansive spirit, open to the clashing realities of life in larger cities, reshaped their lyrics. The widespread creation and distribution of music videos has clearly increased the iconic presence of these performers while massive attendance at their concerts has kept them in direct contact with generations of music lovers.
Oscar Sarmiento (guitar and vocals) is Professor Emeritus and former chair of the Modern Languages department at SUNY Potsdam. He has played guitar, Venezuelan cuatro, and performed at many local venues as member of the Caramelo Trio for the last ten years. Caramelo Trio -and previously Piquant- featured his compositions. His song “Migrant Child” premiered at a student choir concert at the Crane school of music in 2022. Excerpts from his compositions often air on NCPR.
Mark Seymour (percussion), born in Canton NY, has collaborated with local musicians as a drummer and percussionist since the early 90’s. Mark enjoys playing music with musicians with various backgrounds from around the world, as it’s always a great way to deeply connect with people. Performance for new listeners expands the connection. For nearly 20 years Mark has played with Oscar Sarmiento in the music group Piquant and more recently as one of the Caramelo Trio.
Caron Collins (percussion and native American flutes) is Professor Emerita of music education from The Crane School of Music. After 40 years’ experience in teaching instrumental music, she now designs and leads community music-making with The Pierrepont Players. Through these community events and musical instruction, she shares peace-building practices from her training with Musicians Without Borders. Her current musical interests are improvisation on Native American flute, Persian frame drumming, indigenous and environmental percussion.
This performance is part of the World Spirituality Practices Project (WiSPP) supported by a grant from the Unitarian Universalist Association.