NOCHE DE MUERTOS

Press Kit Contents

p. 1 Table of Contents Sheet p. 2-3 Noche de Muertos One-Sheet p. 4-5 Sol y Canto One-Sheet p. 6 Melodic Vision One-Sheet P. 7 People en Español Magazine feature on Amadors p. 8-11 Press Release in English p. 12-16 Press Release in Spanish p. 16-24 Program Book p. 25-31 Selected Lyrics p. 32 Sol y Canto Critics Quotes p. 33 Sol y Canto Performance Highlights p. 34-35 Sol y Canto Artist Biographies p. 36-37 Melodic Vision Artist Biographies p. 38 Sol y Canto Discography p. 39 Noche de Muertos Stage Plot p. 40-41 Noche de Muertos Technical Rider

WWW.SiegelArtist.com

Now Booking for October and November

Photo: Rick Grossman Photo: Susan Wilson

NOCHE DE MUERTOS: WELCOMING OUR ANCESTORS HOME

Boston Music Award-winning Sol y Canto joins Melodic Vision for Noche de Muertos, an extravagant multi-media production combining dynamic live music with stunning giant projected photographic images of Michoacán’s profound and yet irreverent Día de los Muertos celebrations. The result is a heartfelt homage to ancestors and a lighthearted excuse for family gatherings, creative crafts, food, floral arrangements, dance, pageantry, and poking fun at the grim reaper! The production features Sol y Canto’s live interpretations of beloved Mexican classics, including the haunting “La Llorona,” as well as evocative new compositions by award-winning Musical Director/Guitarist Brian Amador (New Mexico), described by the press as a “Spanish modernist poet in the guise of a musician.” Featured vocalist Rosi Amador (Puerto Rico/Argentina) moves listeners to tears with her soul-baring renditions of songs both aching and exuberant. The couple is joined by their Pan-Latin group of seasoned virtuoso musical partners on bass, piano, saxophones, flute and the Peruvian cajón (percussion box). Melodic Vision Music Director Rebecca Strauss’s soaring viola and violin complete the musical mosaic. Melded with the compelling storytelling and vivid imagery of Melodic Vision Artistic Director Susan Wilson, the Days and Nights of the Dead come alive, bringing the spirits home with melody, photography, and soul. Presenters are encouraged to enlist community artists to construct community altars decorated with flowers, photos, fruits and “papel picado” (colored, cut paper designs); and/or to serve hot chocolate, tamales and traditional “pan de muertos” (Day of the Dead bread) in the lobby or other theater area to recreate a Mexican Day and Night of the Dead atmosphere in their venue. For adult audiences: 45-90 minutes; for high school/middle school audiences 45-60 minutes

Tech requirements: LCD Projector and AV Person; White screen/projection surface; Minimum 15'x15' for large auditoriums recommended- Minimum 8'x8' for small venues; lighting and sound.

THIS SHOW IS RECOMMENDED FOR ADULT AUDIENCES & CHILDREN 11 & UP.

TESTIMONIALS "Many thanks for a wonderful concert…an exceptional night of music, culture and history!"

-Mervon Mehta, VP Programming and Education, Kimmel Center, Philadelphia

“Through storytelling, music and images that transported you to a live festival and put in touch with real people, colors and sounds of Mexico. Brian’s compositions were beautiful and the themes resonated with many in the audience. Rosi‘s sweet and crystal clear voice brings the songs to life. I would love to bring you back.”

- Brigitte Blachere, Program Manager, The Smithsonian Associates

“Noche de Muertos is a treasure for the senses -- an artful presentation that consummately weaves poetry, voice, music and visuals to animate history, culture and community spirit. It made my heart sing as I was enveloped in the ritual, the rhythms, the color, -- not only learning about the traditions, but feeling part of it! A dynamic and entertaining experience for all ages with lots of rich layers for learning.” –Libbie Shufro, Boston Center for the Arts

"Bridging cultures through a wonder-filled program." - Earl Lawrence Tucker, Director, Trinity Concerts, NYC

Photos: Susan Wilson Photos: Susan Wilson Visual Visual Artist César Viveros-Herrero

Smithsonian, Washington, D.C. – 10/ 24/08 César Viveros-Herrera, Philadelphia-based Mexican artist, creates an altar, lobby of Philadelphia venue 10/28/07

"I have to tell you it was incredible! Your voice and the photographs really transported me back to my childhood, when I used to help my grandmother prepare everything for Día de los Muertos, and await that day with grand expectation as if it was Christmas. Please congratulate your husband and your very talented musicians...With your voice and your husband's lyrics, Sol y Canto were magnificent!" -Mónica Orozco, Director, Mexican Cultural Center Philadelphia, PA

“Sublime ambassadors

of Pan-Latin music” -The Boston Globe

”Rousing guitar!” -Washington Post

“Rosi Amador has a smile that

melts glaciers

and a voice to match” -Daily Hampshire Gazette

“Stars of 2007” in People en Español Magazine

Winner of three Boston Music Awards for “Outstanding Latin Act”

“Best of Boston” winner -Boston Magazine

Symphonic Suite commissioned by

Bank of America Celebrity Series

Parents’ Choice Award-winning bilingual family album on Rounder Records

“Standout vocals and top-notch playing…” –World Roots

Now Touring Noche de Muertos and Cada Día un Regalo

Artist Phone: 617-492-1515 Artist Email: info@solycanto.com

Artist Website: www.solycanto.com Artist EPK: www.sonicbids.com/solycanto

Represented by Siegel Artist Management

www.siegelartist.com

When Rosi and Brian Amador met and fell in love in 1984, they didn’t know their relationship would blossom into the

musical project of their dreams…

Puerto Rican/Argentine singer and bongo player Rosi Amador and New Mexican guitarist and composer Brian Amador have been lucky enough to spend more than two decades composing, arranging and performing music that moves people inside and out; songs that combine poetic lyrics, commitment to social change, and sabor, the "tastiness" of music that draws you into its story or makes you want to get up and dance. Singing of a longing for peace or of taking care of our planet, telling the story of a solitary kiss or the sadness of losing a loved one, celebrating the Mexican "Night of the Dead" - has put them in touch with people who share their concerns and joy in celebrating Latin culture and what they offer: a personal, idiosyncratic language of music and lyrics revealing a common, human language. Sol y Canto is their three-time Boston Music Award winning Latin roots ensemble and the culmination of their musical vision. Featuring Rosi's crystalline voice, Brian's lush Spanish guitar, and accompanied by virtuoso musicians from Uruguay, Perú, Panamá and Argentina on piano, winds, bass, and percussion, the sextet has established a reputation for its quirky original compositions. Since 1994, Sol y Canto has brought audiences to their feet from the Kennedy Center, the White House, and Boston's Symphony Hall to the California World Music Festival, Puerto Rico's Museo de Arte and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Sol y Canto is known for making their music accessible to Spanish- and non-Spanish speaking audiences of all ages. Brian Amador was the first Latino ever to be commissioned by Boston's preeminent Celebrity Series to compose a Latin orchestral suite, Prisma de amores, which tours nation-wide with classical ensembles from symphony orchestras to string quartets. In December 2007, in People en Español Magazine selected Rosi and Brian for Hyundai’s “Descúbrelo tú mismo” program, featured in its 2007 “Stars of the Year” issue, highlighting four inspiring Hispanics who have used their passion, conviction, creativity and self discovery to achieve success.

Cada Día un Regalo (Each Day a Gift), Sol y Canto’s latest work, combines original compositions with several hand-selected classics from Chile, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Cuba. Released by MusicAmador Productions, it represents a musical breakthrough for the ensemble, featuring eight original compositions by Brian Amador, and the tightest ensemble they have ever put together. Sol y Canto is now represented by Siegel Artist Management.

PROGRAMS AVAILABLE

Cada Día un Regalo: Latin roots show from duo to sextet

paying homage to love, life, death, and living fully in the present.

Noche de Muertos: Welcoming Our Ancestors Home

Multimedia concert combining live performance with projected images of

Mexico’s Days/Nights of the Dead

Sabor y Memoria: A Musical Feast in Seven Courses Brian

Amador’s newest program with Sol y Canto and string quartet is about a

favorite topic: Latin food!

Bilingual Children’s Shows: Award-winning music for young

audiences and families

Workshops/Master Classes

Artist Residencies

New England Funding www.nefa.org/grant/prog/nest

Melodic Vision

Weaving music, photography, and history into a seamless artistic event, Melodic Vision creates enlightening, heartfelt journeys that are both educationally engaging

and spiritually transforming. Whether you are a corporation, school, museum, library, historic site, or social, cultural, or environmental organization, Melodic Vision

productions can educate and entertain your targeted audience with performances that are unforgettable.

Melodic Vision’s artistic team tackles subjects ranging from powerful and difficult contemporary social issues to explorations of peoples, places, and cultures. Their highly acclaimed works include Soul Survivor (a story of healing from childhood

sexual abuse), Sacred Grounds, Sacred Sounds (honoring the musical residents of Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris), and Noche de Muertos (chronicling the traditional

Mexican celebration). They have performed their evocative multimedia shows—featuring both live and recorded music—in venues large and small.

Melodic Vision’s Susan Wilson Image From Noche De Muertos & Rebecca Strauss Show

Chosen by People magazine

“!e rich and natural har-monies of Brian and Rosi Amador, founders of the group Sol y Canto, reach audi-ences worldwide. Singing their dreams for a better world, they found their own style in the interpretation of Latin music. You too can "nd yours…”

PeopleEnEspanol.com/hyundai

People en Español selected Brian and Rosi Amador for Hyundai’s “Descúbrelo tú mismo” program, featured in its 2007 “Stars of the Year” issue

Hyundai’s “Descúbrelo tú mismo” highlights four inspiring Hispanics who have used their passion, conviction, creativity and self discovery to achieve career success.

–PRESS RELEASE- rock paper scissors, inc.

PO Box 1788, suite 137, bloomington, in 47402-1788 USA [t] +1.812.339.1195 • www. rockpaperscissors.biz

A Matter of Life and Death:

Sol y Canto and Melodic Vision Make Every Moment Worth Living in

NOCHE DE MUERTOS: WELCOMING OUR ANCESTORS HOME

Multi-Media Celebration of Mexican Day of the Dead Marks Release of New Sol y

Canto CD, CADA DÍA UN REGALO (EACH DAY A GIFT)

These days everyone seems to be obsessed with time; stopping time, to be more precise. Nobody wants to get old and everyone is running out of time. But the pan-Latin band Sol y Canto and their artistic collaborators Melodic Vision may hold the key to a musical fountain of youth: death! Or at least respect for it. A multi-sensory celebration of the Mexican Day and Night of the Dead, Noche De Muertos: Welcoming Our Ancestors Home combines the musical talents of Sol y Canto and Melodic Vision violist/violinist Rebecca Strauss with giant projected photographs created by photographer Susan Wilson documenting the celebration of the holiday in the rural Mexican state of Michoacán. Images of traditional dancing skeletons, marigold bouquets, bustling market places, and the faces of celebrants in the town of Pátzcuaro, epicenter of Day of the Dead festivities, are accompanied by live interpretations of beloved Mexican classics and original songs composed for this show in a haunting and lively combination of Mexican and pan-Latin rhythms. This show is recommended for adult audiences and children no younger than 11 years of age. The performance embodies an emerging ethos that questions living life on overload, always feeling behind, and not appreciating the moment, drawing on Mexican and Pan-Latin philosophies that maintain that by celebrating death people can appreciate life and stay connected to their past. Or to put it in the words of the poet Octavio Paz, “To the people of New York, Paris, or London, ‘death’ is a word that is never pronounced because it burns the lips. The Mexican, however, frequents it, jokes about it, caresses it, sleeps with it, celebrates it; it is one of his favorite toys and most steadfast love.” The same sentiments are echoed in Cada día un regalo (Each Day a Gift), Sol y Canto’s latest album, whose release coincides with the Noche De Muertos tour. Noche de Muertos has had as profound an impact on its creators as it has on audiences. Sol y Canto lead singer Rosi Amador lost both of her parents within two recent years. Last fall, on the exact anniversary of her father’s death (to the minute), she found herself performing the work two blocks away from Ground Zero in New York. She was taken by how powerful the holiday was for reconciling feelings of loss for loved ones. “I wish I had something like this in the middle of my grief,” says Rosi, who moved to the mainland U.S. from Puerto Rico as a teenager. “It would have been a wonderful gift for me to do something like this. It really struck me what a beautiful tradition it was.” Brian, who was born and raised in New Mexico, recalls an interview with a Buddhist monk who claimed that the secret to happiness was to spend five minutes a day thinking about death. “What I took away from that is the idea that death is not something we have to avoid speaking of or being aware of. It’s a part of life, you need to accept it. Be aware of the temporariness of your life. That is the only way you can live it fully.” About the Noche De Muertos Artists

Melodic Vision weaves music, photography, and history into a seamless artistic event, creating enlightening and heartfelt journeys that are both educationally engaging and spiritually transforming. Artistic director Susan Wilson is a highly respected photographer, writer, educator, and lecturer who has exhibited her artwork in dozens of shows, and gained national recognition for her images of

performing and literary artists. Music director and violist Rebecca Strauss is known as a fine performer, professional businesswoman, and beloved educator in the Boston arts scene. An alumna of Oberlin Conservatory of Music, she has played with ensembles such as the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, the Boston Ballet Orchestra, Opera Boston, Boston Lyric Opera, and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, and performed with popular artists ranging from Marc O'Connor and Andrea Bocelli to Led Zeppelin and K.D. Lang. Melodic Vision website: http://www.melodicvision.com

Sol y Canto is descended from an exceptional musical lineage – lead singer Rosi Amador is the daughter of influential Puerto Rican vocalist and Broadway actress Josephine Del Mar, whose band gave “The Mambo King” Tito Puente his start. Award-winning New Mexican guitarist/musical director Brian Amador, whose fresh compositions and arrangements anchor the sextet’s unique sound, is a past winner of the Mass Cultural Council “Excellence in Composition” grant. Accompanied by an ensemble of seasoned Latin musicians from Perú, Panamá, Uruguay and Argentina, Sol y Canto’s soaring angelic vocals, sumptuous Spanish guitar, bass, flutes, and percussion promise a Latin musical feast. Invited to perform in venues as diverse as the White House, the Kennedy Center, Symphony Hall in Boston and Springfield, MA, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Getty Center and the Museo de Arte in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Sol y Canto has established a national reputation for its unique interpretations of Latin music. This fall, Rosi & Brian celebrate their 23rd year as “Boston’s sublime ambassadors of the pan-Latin musical tradition” – Boston Globe. They’ve won "Best Latin Act" from the Boston Music Awards and “Best of Boston” from Boston Magazine. Musicians

Rosi Amador - lead vocal, bongos Brian Amador - guitar, composer Jorge Roeder - bass Nando Michelin - piano Renato Thoms - percussion Bernardo Monk - sax, flute Rebecca Strauss – violist/violinist

Nueva Canción Connects in the U.S.:

Latin Ensemble Sol y Canto Sings of Hope from Here to the Moon

New Sol y Canto CD, Cada día un regalo (Each Day a Gift) Released in Conjunction

with Noche de Muertos Tour

The origins of Latin roots music ensemble Sol y Canto are in musical hope-making. Founders Brian and Rosi Amador’s musical collaboration began when they joined a peace expedition to Nicaragua; U.S. artists going to perform and to witness what was really happening there in the 1980s. “We were struck by so many people living in extreme poverty, in dangerous and horrible conditions,” says composer and guitarist Brian, “and still they were able to smile and laugh and dance and sing.” The couple fell in love on that trip and committed themselves not only to coming home and telling fellow Americans what was happening in Nicaragua, but in carrying on the message of hope in adversity. That spirit lives on with their latest recording, Cada Día un Regalo (Each Day a Gift). The album combines original compositions about social justice and love—including a precious lullaby written for the Amadors’ twin daughters—with a couple of hand-selected classics from Latin America and Cuba. The overall effect is inspirational, as if Eckhart Tolle—the Oprah-endorsed self-help philosopher who advocates living in the moment—joined Nueva Canción, the 1960s and ’70s pan-Latin movement that united poetry, music-making, and grassroots social consciousness. None of this is new for Sol y Canto. “We make music that is authentic, that speaks to people and connects us,” says Brian, who was born and raised in New Mexico. “It’s like when people turned on the radio in Chile and heard songs in English, and said, ‘That does not reflect our reality.’ It’s about people taking up musical arms to express their own realities, not the reality being fed to us.” Upon their return from Nicaragua, the Amadors made a name playing at benefits and demonstrations for America’s Latin American solidarity movement. Out of that came their life mission of sharing the cultures of Latin America and bringing together audiences that include a diversity of people of Latino descent and those of other heritages. Along the way, Sol y Canto built a dedicated base of fans who tell profound stories of the effect of the Amadors’ music. One man buys every album they release, remembering that their first cassette in 1986 saved his marriage. “He came up to me at an intermission and held my hands,” remembers Rosi, the group’s lead singer. “He said ‘I was commuting far away from my wife. I would play your album, and this is what kept my marriage together. I listened to those lyrics and I knew we would make it through an incredibly rough spot.’ I was in tears by the end of the conversation.” Another fan called and said “I want you to know how much your music means to me. My child has a developmental disability and the only thing she responds to is music, specifically your CD. She is able to focus and look at me and be happy and listen to what I say. It is so clear that it is your voices, your rhythms. Everything you put into the CD.” Sol y Canto walks a fine line between the exotic and the familiar. Is it Latin music or folk music? Is this a Buddhist message or a universal one? Their concerts draw diverse crowds; Latinos of all backgrounds, and non-Latinos alike. “Ultimately, I feel the most important thing is the connection,” says Rosi, who moved to the mainland U.S. from Puerto Rico as a teenager. “The connection between what we are singing and as often as possible, the universal message. Everyone can relate to these messages, no matter where they came from.” “Woody Guthrie famously said that he hates any song that makes you feel like you are nothing,” says Brian. “Music is something that exists at the core of everybody. That’s where it’s coming from: something that everybody can share.”

About the Songs on Cada Día un Regalo

Like much of Sol y Canto’s fifteen years of performance, Cada Día un Regalo draws on a variety of Latin musical traditions. “Como Volar” is an instrumental in a Venezuelan merengue rhythm in five. “Beso Discreto” is a humorous take on the old 1930s and ’40s favorite by the Cuban singing sensation Miguel Matamoros in which the band enlists the audience to join the chorus of rhythmic, lip smacking kisses. Sol y Canto’s version of the widely recognized Mexican song “La Llorona” starts off with an instrumental version of the popular song “Gracias a la Vida” by Chilean folklorist and singer Violeta Parra. Sol y Canto also tackles heavy social and political issues, but in a genuine, hopeful way. Original composition “La Colmena” (which means The Beehive) is a humorous allegory of democracy in the U.S. “It seemed like a good idea to get rid of the queen,” Brian explains the lyrics. “Now the ones in charge are the drones. They don’t produce honey, they don’t fight the wars. They kept the royal jelly. We see the downfall of the metropolis because they’ve taken all the propolis.” The song “Ojo por Ojo” (An Eye for an Eye), about the cycle of vengeance and retribution, ends with the refrain from which the album’s title derives: “Each life a miracle, each day a gift.” “Credo” rails against fundamentalism of any stripe: “Again they impose their beliefs, again they disguise them as science, again they reinterpret history, as always, they promise heaven.” Their songs can also have a more personal side. “‘Hasta La Luna’ is a love song for our daughters, which I wrote when they were tiny,” Brian explains, “It says, ‘To the moon, the stars, the planets, the skies; that’s how much I love you today and forever. Look at the moon and you’ll know.’ It was based on something we always told them at night. I turned it into a song. I love the space imagery to describe the endlessness of a parents’ love for their kids.” “When he first played it for me,” says Rosi, “I started weeping in the living room, thinking, ‘How am I ever going to sing this?’ On the one hand, it is a way to share our love, but ‘even when I am not with you…’ that sends me to a future when I am not here. And it hurts me to think of them without me. But they will always have this song.” All of these messages—from the political to the personal, from the traditional to the original—come together in “Manifiesto,” a song that was written by the seminal Chilean Nueva Canción figure Victor Jara. At every concert someone comes up and asks which album this song was on, so Brian and Rosi knew it was time to include it on the new album. “It’s about your reasons for singing,” says Brian. “‘I don’t sing just to sing, or because I have a good voice. I sing because the guitar has feeling and reason.’”

–Comunicado de Prensa- rock paper scissors, inc.

PO Box 1788, suite 137, bloomington, in 47402-1788 USA [t] +1.812.339.1195 • www. rockpaperscissors.biz

Un Asunto de Vida y Muerte:

Sol y Canto y Melodic Vision Hacen Valer la Pena

Vivir Cada Momento en “NOCHE DE MUERTOS:

Welcoming our Ancestors Home”

La Celebración Multi-Media del Día de los Muertos

Marca el Lanzamiento del Nuevo CD de Sol y Canto,

CADA DÍA UN REGALO (Each Day a Gift)

Hoy en día todo el mundo parece estar obsesionado con el tiempo, parar el tiempo, para ser más preciso. Nadie quiere envejecer y todo el mundo se está quedando sin tiempo. Pero

puede ser que la banda panamericana Sol y Canto y sus colaboradores artísticos Melodic

Vision tengan la llave de una fuente de la juventud musical: ¡la muerte! O al menos el respeto por ella. Una celebración multisensorial del Día y Noche de Muertos Mexicano, Noche De Muertos:

Dando la Bienvenida a Casa a Nuestros Ancestros combina los talentos musicales de Sol y Canto y la violista/violinista Rebecca Strauss de Melodic Vision con proyecciones gigantes de fotografías creadas por la fotógrafa Susan Wilson documentando la celebración de la fiesta en el estado rural mexicano de Michoacán. Imágenes de tradicionales esqueletos danzando, ramos de caléndulas, mercados bulliciosos, y los rostros de los celebrantes en la ciudad de Pátzcuaro, epicentro de las celebraciones del Día y Noche de los Muertos, son acompañadas por interpretaciones en vivo de clásicos mexicanos y canciones originales compuestas para este espectáculo en una combinación fascinante y vivaz de ritmos mexicanos y panamericanos. El espectáculo es recomendado para públicos adultos y niños no menores de 11 años. La actuación encarna una ética emergente que cuestiona vivir la vida sobrecargado, sintiéndose siempre atrasado, y no apreciar el momento, influenciado en filosofías mejicanas y panamericanas que sostienen que al celebrar la muerte, la gente puede apreciar la vida y estar conectada con el pasado. O, poniéndolo en las palabras del poeta Octavio Paz, “Para el habitante de Nueva York, París o Londres, la muerte es la palabra que jamás se pronuncia porque quema los labios. El mexicano, en cambio, la frecuenta, la burla, la acaricia, duerme con ella, la festeja, es uno de sus juguetes favoritos y su amor más permanente.” Los mismos sentimientos se hacen eco en Cada día un regalo (Each Day a

Gift), el último album de Sol y Canto, cuya presentación coincide con la gira de Noche de Muertos. Noche de Muertos ha tenido un profundo impacto en sus creadores tanto como lo ha tenido en las audiencias. La cantante principal de Sol y Canto, Rosi Amador, perdió ambos sus padres en menos de 2 años recientes. El otoño pasado, exactamente en el aniversario de la

muerte de su padre (en el minuto), ella se encontró a sí misma actuando a dos cuadras de Ground Zero en Nueva York. Ella fue tomada por cuán poderosa fue la celebración para reconciliar sentimientos de pérdidas de seres queridos. “Desearía haber tenido algo como esto en medio de mi pesar”, dice Rosi, quién se mudó a U.S. continental desde Puerto Rico en su adolescencia. “Hacer algo como esto hubiera sido un regalo maravilloso para mí. Realmente me impactó lo bella que es la tradición”. Brian, quien nació y se crió en Nuevo Méjico, recuerda una entrevista con un monje Budista quien indicaba que el secreto de la felicidad era pasar cinco minutos diarios pensando sobre la muerte. “Lo que tomé de eso es la idea de que la muerte no es algo de lo que debemos evitar hablar o estar al tanto. Es parte de la vida, necesitas aceptarla. Tienes que estar al tanto de la temporariedad de tu vida. Esa es la única manera en que puedes vivirla completamente.” Sobre los Artistas de Noche De Muertos

Melodic Vision entreteje música, fotografía e historia dentro de un evento sin costuras, creando viajes ilustrativos y sinceros que son ambos educacionalmente atractivos y espiritualmente transformantes. La directora Artística Susan Wilson es una fotógrafa altamente respetada, escritora, educadora, y catedrática que ha exibido sus obras de arte en docenas de demostraciones, y ha ganado reconocimiento nacional por sus imágenes de artistas y figuras literarias. La directora musical y violinista Rebecca Strauss es conocida como una fina intérprete, mujer de negocios profesional, y bien amada educadora en la escena de las artes de Boston. Una ex alumna de Oberlin Conservatory of Music, ha tocado en conjuntos tales como la Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, la Boston Ballet Orchestra, Opera Boston, Boston Lyric Opera, y la Boston Modern Orchestra Project, y ha actuado con artistas populares desde Marc O'Connor y Andrea Bocelli a Led Zeppelin y K.D. Lang. Melodic Vision website: http://www.melodicvision.com

Sol y Canto desciende de un linaje musical excepcional – la cantante principal Rosi Amador es la hija

de la influencial vocalista y actriz puertorriqueña de Broadway Josephine Del Mar, cuya banda le dió su

comienzo al “Rey del Mambo” Tito Puente. El reconocido guitarrista/director musical de Nuevo Méjico,

Brian Amador, cuyas composiciones y arreglos frescos son ancla del sonido único del sexteto, ha sido

ganador de la subvención del Mass Cultural Council premiada por “Excelencia en Composición.”

Acompañado por un conjunto de músicos latinos experimentados del Perú, Panamá, Uruguay y

Argentina, las voces sublimes de Sol y Canto, la suntuosa guitarra española, bajo, flautas y percusión

prometen un festín musical Latino. Invitados a actuar en sitios tan diversos como la Casa Blanca

(durante el término de Clinton), el Centro Kennedy, el Symphony Hall en Boston y Springfield, MA, el

Museo de Arte de Philadelphia, el Centro Getty y el Museo de Arte en San Juan, Puerto Rico, Sol y

Canto ha establecido una reputación nacional por sus interpretaciones únicas de la música Latina. Este

Otoño, Rosi y Brian celebran su vigésimo cuarto año como “Embajadores sublimes de Boston de la

tradición musical Panamericana” – Boston Globe. Ellos han ganado el “Mejor Acto Latino” de los

Premios Musicales de Boston y “Lo Mejor de Boston” de la revista Boston Magazine.

Nueva Canción Conecta en los Estados Unidos:

El Conjunto Latino Sol y Canto Canta por Esperanza de Aquí Hasta la Luna

EL Nuevo CD de Sol y Canto, Cada día un regalo (Each Day a Gift) Lanzado en

Conjunto con el Tour de Noche de Muertos

Los orígenes del conjunto latino Sol y Canto están en la creación de esperanzas musicales. La colaboración musical de los fundadores Brian y Rosi Amador comenzó cuando ellos se unieron a una expedición por la paz en Nicaragua; artistas Americanos yendo a actuar y a ser testigos de lo que realmente estaba sucediendo allí en los años ochentas. “Fuimos impactados al ver tanta gente viviendo en extrema pobreza, en condiciones horribles y peligrosas,” dice el compositor y guitarrista Brian, “y todavía podían sonreir y reirse, bailar y cantar.” La pareja se enamoró en ese viaje y allí se comprometieron a no solo volver a su hogar diciéndoles a sus compañeros Americanos lo que estaba pasando en Nicaragua, pero también en llevar el mensaje de esperanza en la adversidad. Ese espíritu vive en su última grabación, Cada Día un Regalo. El album combina composiciones originales sobre jsuticia social y amor – incluyendo una preciosa canción de cuna escrita para las hijas mellizas de los Amador – con un par de clásicos de Latino América y Cuba cuidadosamente seleccionados. El efecto total es inspirativo, como si Eckhart Tolle— filósofo de auto-ayuda respaldado por Oprah quien es partidario de vivir en el momento – se hubiera unido a la Nueva Canción, el movimiento panamericano de los sesentas y los setentas que unió a la poesía, la música, y la conciencia social. Nada de esto es nuevo para Sol y Canto. “Hacemos una música que es auténtica, que habla a la gente y nos conecta” dice Brian, quien nació y se crió en Nuevo Méjico. “ Es como cuando la gente encendió la radio en Chile y escuchó canciones en Inglés, y dijo, ‘Eso no refleja nuestra realidad.’ Es sobre gente tomando armas musicales para expresar sus propias realidades, no la realidad que nos imponen.” Una vez regresados de Nicaragua, los Amador se hicieron un nombre tocando en conciertos benéficos y manifestaciones para el movimiento de solidaridad con América Latina. De allí surgió su misión de vida de compartir las culturas de América Latina y reunir audiencias que incluyen una diversidad de gente de descendencia Latina y aquellos de otras ascendencias. En su camino, Sol y Canto construyó una dedicada base de fans que cuentan historias profundas de los efectos de la música de los Amador. Un hombre compra cada uno de los álbumes que lanzan, recordando que su primer cassette en 1986 salvó su matrimonio. “El se me acercó en un intervalo y tomó mis manos,” recuerda Rosi, la cantante principal del grupo. “Me dijo que ‘Estaba viajando mucho, lejos de mi esposa. Escuchaba su album y esto es lo que mantuvo mi amtrimonio unido. Escuchaba esas letras y supe que pasaríamos este momento increíblemente difícil.’ Terminé la conversación con lágrimas en los ojos.” Otro fan nos llamó y nos dijo “Quiero que sepan cuanto significa su música para mí. My hija tiene un impedimento de desarrollo y la única cosa a la que ella responde es a la música, específicamente el CD de ustedes. Ella puede concentrarse, y mirarme y ser feliz y escuchar lo que digo. Es tan claro que son sus voces, sus ritmos. Todo lo que ponen en el CD.” Sol y Canto camina la línea divisoria entre lo exótico y lo familiar. ¿Es música latina o música folclórica? Es un mensaje budista o uno universal? Sus conciertos arrastran multitudes diversas; latinos de todos los orígenes, tanto como no latinos.

“Fundamentalmente, yo siento que lo más importante es la conexión,” dice Rosi, quién se mudó a U.S. continental desde Puerto Rico en su adolescencia. “La conexión entre lo que estamos cantando y en cuanto sea posible, el mensaje universal. Cada uno puede relacionarse con estos mensajes, no importa de donde venga.” “Woody Guthrie famosamente dijo que odia cualquier canción que te haga sentir que no eres nada,” dice Brian. “La música es algo que existe en el centro de cada persona. De allí es de donde viene: algo que todo el mundo puede compartir.”

Sobre las canciones en Cada Día un Regalo (Each Day a Gift)

Como gran parte de los quince años de actuación de Sol y Canto, Cada Día un Regalo

(Each Day a Gift) es influenciado en una variedad de tradiciones musicales latinas. “Como volar” es un instrumental en el ritmo de merengue venezolano, en cinco por ocho. “Beso Discreto” es una toma humorosa de un favorito de los años treintas y cuarentas del cantante estrella cubano Miguel Matamoros, en el cual la banda anima al público a unirse al coro de besos rítmicos. La versión de Sol y Canto de la reconocida canción mejicana “La Llorona” comienza con una versión instrumental de la popular canción “Gracias a la vida” de la folclorista y cantante chilena Violeta Parra. Sol y Canto también aborda graves asuntos políticos y sociales, pero de una manera genuina y esperanzada. La composición original “La colmena” es una alegoría humorosa de la democracia en los Estados Unidos. “Parecía buena idea deshacerse de la Reina”, Brian explica la letra. “Ahora los que mandan son los zánganos. No producen miel, no van a la guerra, la jalea real, se han queda’o con ella. Ya se está cayendo la metrópoli porque se llevaron todo el própolis.” La canción “Ojo por Ojo” sobre el ciclo de la venganza y la retribución termina con el refrán del que deriva el título del album: “Cada vida un milagro, cada día un regalo.” “Credo” va en contra de fundamentalismos de cualquier franja: “De nuevo imponen sus creencias, de nuevo las disfrazan de ciencia, de nuevo reinterpretan la historia. Como siempre, prometen la gloria.” Sus canciones también pueden tener un lado más personal. “’Hasta la Luna es una canción de amor para nuestras hijas, que escribí cuando eran muy pequeñas,” explica Brian, “Dice, ‘Hasta la luna, el cielo, los planetas, y las estrellas, y mucho más allá, así te quiero, hoy día y para siempre. Mira la luna, y lo sabrás.” Fue basada en algo que les decía siempre por la noche. Lo convertí en una canción. Me encanta la imagen del espacio que describe lo interminable del amor de los padres hacia sus hijos.” “Cuando la tocó para mí por primera vez’” dice Rosi, comecé a llorar en la sala, pensando, “Cómo voy a llegar a cantar esto?’ Por un lado, es una forma de compartir nuestro amor, pero ‘aún cuando no esté contigo...’ eso me transporta hacia un futuro cuando yo no esté aquí. Y me duele pensar en ellas sin mi. Pero siempre tendrán esta canción.” Todos estos mensajes – desde lo político a lo personal, desde lo tradicional a lo original- se unen en “Manifiesto”, una canción escrita por uno de los progenitores de la Nueva Canción chilena, Victor Jara. En cada concierto alquien aparece y pregunta en qué album se encuentra esta canción, así que Brian y Rosi supieron que era hora de incluirla en el nuevo disco. “Se trata de las razones para cantar,” dice Brian. “Yo no canto por cantar, ni por tener buena voz. Canto porque la guitarra tiene sentido y razón.”

Sol y Canto and Melodic Vision

present

Noche de Muertos:Welcoming Our Ancestors Home

and

The release of Sol y Canto’s new CD,

Cada Día un Regalo/Each Day a Gift

About the Performance

The first half of tonight’s special show is a celebration and sampler of music

from Sol y Canto’s brand new CD, Cada Dia un Regalo (Each Day a Gift),

and features original compositions by Brian Amador with themes of life, death,

living in the present, social justice, and love.

The creative team of Melodic Vision joins Boston Music Award-winning

Latin band, Sol y Canto, to illuminate one of Mexico's favorite holidays, Noche

de Muertos. The Days and Nights of the Dead include both a heartfelt homage to

our ancestors and a colorful, community-centered excuse for family gatherings,

music, marigolds, crafts, food, dance, pageantry—and poking fun at the grim

reaper!

During the second half of the performance, house lights will be dimmed

as Sol y Canto’s dynamic ensemble blends with the rich sound of bowed

string instruments, compelling storytelling, and stunning projected imagery by

photographer Susan Wilson of Melodic Vision.

Through this creative collaboration, Noche de Muertos comes alive,

bringing the spirit home with melody, photography, and soul.

photo © Brian Amador

photo © Susan Wilson

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Program

Music from Cada Día un Regalo Selections will be announced from the stage.

– Intermission –

Noche de Muertos: Welcoming our Ancestors Home

Photo © Rick Grossman

Sol y Canto Melodic Vision

Brian Amador (New Mexico) Rebecca Strauss

Musical director, compositions, arrangements, Violist/Violinist, Music Director, Manager

Spanish guitar, vocals

Rosi Amador (Puerto Rico/Argentina) Susan Wilson

Company Director, Lead vocals, bongó, Photographer, Artistic Director

percussion

Bernardo Monk (Argentina)

Saxophones, flute, vocals

Renato Thoms (Panamá)

Congas, percussion, vocals

Nando Michelín (Uruguay)

Piano, vocals

Jorge Roeder (Perú)

Bass

Come join us in the lobby immediately following the performance.

El cascabel Anon., Mexico

Nereidas Pérez Dimas, Mexico

Dos arbolitos Chucho Martínez Gil, Mexico

Canción para un niño deseado Cacho Tirao, Argentina

Tu jardín Brian Amador, USA

Chispita Cacho Tirao

Alejandro’s Ghost Brian Amador

La llorona Anon., Mexico

Imagen de ti Brian Amador

Tu jardín (reprise) Brian Amador

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A Note from the Photographer

A few years ago I had the opportunity to join a

small group of artists who were invited to immerse

themselves in—and to chronicle in photographs,

prose, and poetry—the Mexican Days and Nights

of the Dead. We were based in a converted mission

near the center of Pátzcuaro, from which we made

daily excursions to historic sites,

private homes, small crafts studios, marketplaces,

shops, and, of course, local cemeteries.

Though we were all from the U.S., our bilingual

guides and contacts were local residents, all of whom offered us

understanding, insight, and artistic opportunities that extended far

beyond the tourist experience. Perhaps most compelling was our

housekeeper, Lupe, who invited us to join her family for an afternoon

as they created and prayed at a home altar dedicated to her recently

deceased father-in-law. Lupe and her extended family graciously shared

their food, their love, and their stories, then invited us to accompany

them to their family cemetery for the all-night vigil.

When I returned to the U.S., I immediately assembled a short slide show

with recorded music, which was presented to appreciative audiences at

Forest Hills Cemetery in Boston. Rebecca Strauss helped select, time,

and edit the Mexican music—a collaboration that inspired us to begin

developing other multimedia productions as Melodic Vision.

After working on other Melodic Vision productions and performances,

Rebecca and I had an epiphany: why not resurrect, revamp, and expand

the Day of the Dead slide show, and see if our friends Rosi and Brian

Amador, directors of Sol y Canto, might want to collaborate in a live

performance setting. The rest, as they say, is history.

We hope you enjoy the results of our mutual inspiration and labors!

—Susan Wilson

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A Note from the Composer

I wrote two brand-new songs for this show - Tu

Jardín, in an infectious 6/8 Jarocho-style rhythm,

featuring the Peruvian cajón (box), soprano sax and

violin, as well as a killer piano solo by Nando; and

Imagen de ti, a sentimental huapango tailor-made

for Rosi’s soaring, sustained high notes. Alejandro’s

Ghost, written some years ago (one of my few songs

in English), has returned to the repertoire, and

seems to fit perfectly with the images in Noche de

Muertos. Also featured are some popular Mexican

classics such as La Llorona and Dos arbolitos, as

well as some evocative South American solo guitar and guitar/violin

instrumentals. I think long-time Sol y Canto fans will be in for some

pleasant surprises! We’re thrilled to be including most of these songs on

our newest album, CADA DIA UN REGALO (Each Day a Gift). On our

own MusicAmador label, the new recording features mostly originals

that I’ve been writing over the last few years, along with a few classics

from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Chile and Mexico. Themes of life, death,

and living fully in the present are woven through an eclectic musical

collection that we feel is the finest Sol y Canto recording to date. We’d

love to autograph a copy for you in the lobby following the performance.

Please come and say hello!

–Brian Amador

4

Sol y Canto

Sol y Canto’s new CD, Cada Día un

Regalo/Each Day a Gift (MusicAmador

Productions), released October 2008,

combines original compositions by mu-

sical director, Brian Amador, on themes

of life, death, living fully in the present,

social justice, and love with a couple

of hand-selected classics from Latin

America and Cuba.

Founded in 1994 by Puerto Rican/Argentine singer/bongo player, Rosi

Amador & New Mexican guitarist/composer Brian Amador, Sol y

Canto® (sun and song) has brought audiences to their feet from the Ken-

nedy Center and White House to Puerto Rico’s Museo de Arte and Los

Angeles’ Getty Center. Sol y Canto features Rosi Amador’s crystalline

voice and Brian Amador’s lush Spanish guitar accompanied by virtuoso

musicians from Uruguay, Perú, Panamá and Argentina on piano, winds,

acoustic and electric bass, and percussion. The sextet has established a

national reputation for its unique interpretations of Latin music, and for

making their music accessible to non-Spanish and native speakers alike.

Sol y Canto features Brian Amador’s quirky and profound original com-

positions, as well as the breathtaking poetry of other contemporary La-

tino songwriters. Their lyrics address social and global aspiration as well

as matters of the heart. The Amadors were two of the founding members

of the Billboard-charting Latin Boston-based Nueva Canción (New

Song) band, Flor de Caña (1984-1994) which also toured nationally. The

Boston Globe has called the Amadors “Boston’s sublime ambassadors of

the Pan-Latin tradition.” Music critic Norman Weinstein of the Christian

Science Monitor and the Boston Phoenix wrote: “Always they evoke the

sensual splendor of simply being vitally, vividly alive in a magical and

mysterious universe. Brian Amador is a Spanish modernist poet, in the

5

guise of a musician...Together, Rosi and Brian Amador create a musi-

cal marriage made in heaven.” Rosi’s singing has been described by

the Boston Globe as “like clean spring water: it’s smooth, it’s clear, and

somehow, you come to believe that it’s necessary for life.”

New Mexican composer/guitarist/musical director Brian Amador

(Rosi’s husband) plays the Spanish guitar and composes and creates fresh

arrangements that forge the sextet’s unique sound. He is a graduate of

New England Conservatory where he studied classical guitar and impro-

visation after studying flamenco guitar in Madrid. In 1995 he received a

highly competitive artist grant awarded to the state’s “exceptional artists”

by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, for music composition. He was

the first Latino ever to be commissioned by Boston’s Celebrity Series to

compose a Latin orchestral suite, “Prisma de amores,” which premiered

in September, 2001 at the historic Sanders Theatre in Cambridge, MA.

Since then, Sol y Canto has toured the suite nationwide with classical

ensembles from symphony orchestras to string quartets.

Awards and Discography

“Stars of 2007,” People en Español Magazine

“Best of Boston for Latin Rhythms,” Boston Magazine, 1994

“Outstanding Latin Act,” Boston Music Awards, 1995

“One of the ten best recordings of 1994,” Boston Globe: Sancocho

Rounder 1994

“One of the best of the year (1996),” Hispanic Magazine: Sendero del Sol

Rounder 1996

En Todo Momento Red Wing Music 1999

“Parents’ Choice Award”: Twice as Many Friends/El Doble de Amigos

Rounder Kids 2003

Visit Sol y Canto’s website at www.solycanto.com for mailing list,

concert calendars, video, music and updates.

6

Melodic Vision

Weaving music, photography, and

history into a seamless artistic event,

the women behind Melodic Vision

create enlightening, heartfelt journeys

that are both educationally engag-

ing and spiritually transforming. In

their live performances, compelling

photographs are projected on a large

elevated screen, while evocative

sounds flow from the instruments of

the musicians playing below.

Melodic Vision’s Artistic Director is Susan Wilson, a highly respected

photographer, writer, educator, and lecturer. Music Director Rebecca

Strauss is a violist and violinist known as a fine performer, professional

businesswoman, and beloved educator in the Boston arts scene. The mu-

sic group performing with them will vary with the program, but always

features the finest talents in Greater Boston.

Melodic Vision grew out of Susan’s love for photography and history,

Rebecca’s love of music and multiculturalism, and their mutual inter-

est in enlightening and educating through art and storytelling. Their

shared love of travel, nature, and diverse styles of music have led them

to Mexico, South Africa, Europe, and back home to Boston, exploring

subjects ranging from powerful and difficult contemporary social issues

to explorations of peoples and places.

7

Since their debit in 2001, Melodic Vision’s productions have garnered

an unusual amount of praise. Monica Higgins, Program Director at the

Boston Athenaeum, called one work “the highlight of our season!” Poet

and musician Charles Coe noted, “With their imaginative and enlight-

ening… collaboration, Susan and Rebecca offer a program that satis-

fies both the intellect and the emotions…This is an absolute ‘must-see’

event.”

Patricia Van Ness, composer-in-residence at First Church in Cam-

bridge, wrote, “I believe the artists took many risks—which I admire—

in integrating text, photos and live music in this unique multi-media

production. It is an exquisite piece that I believe deserves widespread

viewing.” Sylvia McDowell, president of the Boston Women’s Heritage

Trail, observed, “The … program was the one of the most enjoyable

ones I have experienced in I don’t know how long. Susan Wilson’s

photos were wonderful. I simply loved the program and was almost in

tears at its conclusion. I hate to gush but it was such a lovely and gra-

cious event.”

For more information visit www.melodicvision.com.

8

El Cascabel Traditional, México Bonito tu cascabelVida mía ¿quien te lo dió?Vida mía ¿quien te lo dió?Bonito tu cascabel

A mí no me lo dió nadiea mí no me lo dió nadiemi dinero me costóy el que quiera el cascabelque lo compre como yo

Ay como retumba y suenaAy como retumba y suenaretumba y va retumbandoretumba y va retumbandomi cascabel en la arena

Yo tenía mi cascabel con una cinta moradacon una cinta moradayo tenía mi cascabel

Y como era de oropelY como era de oropelse lo dí a mi prenda amadapara que juegues con élallá por la madrugada

Ay como retumba y suenaAy como retumba y suenaretumba y va retumbandoretumba y va retumbandoo, o, o. . .

The Bell

How beautiful your bell, who gave it to you, my love?

Nobody gave it to me it cost me money and whoever wants a bell should buy it as I did.

Oh, how it rings and resounds rings and rings some more my bell in the sand.

I had my bell, with a purple ribbon

And since it was just a trinket I gave it to my beloved to play with it at dawn.

Oh, how it rings and resounds rings and rings some more my bell in the sand.

Dos arbolitos Chucho Martínez Gil, México

Han nacido en mi rancho dos arbolitos dos arbolitos que parecen gemelos y desde mi casita los veo solitos bajo el amparo santo y la luz del cielo.

Nunca están separados uno del otro porque así quiso Dios que los dos nacieran y con sus mismas ramas se hacen caricias como si fueran novios que se quisieran.

Arbolito, arbolito bajo tu sombra voy a esperar que el día cansado muera y cuando estoy solito, mirando el cielo pido pa' que me mande una compañera

Arbolito, arbolito me siento solo quiero que me acompañes, hasta que muera.

Two Little Trees

Two little trees have been born on my ranch two trees that look like twins and from my house I seen them alone beneath the holy shelter and the light of the day.

They are never separated, one from the other for that is how God wished them to be born and with their own branches they caress one another as if they were lovers.

Little tree, little tree, beneath your shade, I will wait for the tired day to die and when I am alone looking at the sky I'll ask it to send me a companion.

Little tree, little tree, I feel lonely I want you to be with me until I die.

Tu jardín Brian Folkins-Amador

Quiero arar tu jardín, sembrar mi semillita para que lleves de mí siempre una cosita.

Quiero regar tu jardín con alegría que pueda sobrevivir siempre toda sequía.

El día que tú naciste el zenzontle te cantó con sus cuatrocientas voces tu belleza exaltó.

El día que tú naciste florecieron tantas flores se llenó todito el valle de perfumes y colores.

I want to till your garden, sow my seed So that you’ll always carry A little something of me.

I want to water your garden with joy So it can always survive Any drought

The day you were born The mockingbird sang to you, With its four hundred voices It proclaimed your beauty.

The day you were born So many flowers bloomed The whole valley was filled With color and perfume.

Alejandro’s Ghost Brian Folkins-Amador

Alejandro's ghost thought he was deadbut he was only lost and wandering outside his headdidn't think that death amounted to much:he could still see and hear, he could even laugh,he just couldn't touch.Meanwhile, Alex behaved in mysterious ways.

Often he would walk miles at a time,but not because he had some destination in mindchanting ancient songs, he’d wander alonefrom the filthy streets down where misery livespast palatial homes.Still, he saw what he saw, and the years went by. . .

Distant thoughts, a hollow sound,he hears a voice, looks around.No one there, just the wind.How did that dream go?

Alejandro’s ghost found him one day.

Distant thoughts, a hollow sound,he hears a voice, looks around.No one there, just the wind.How did that dream go?

La llorona Traditional, Mexico

Todos me dicen el negro, llorona,Negro pero cariñosoYo soy como el chile verde, llorona,Picante pero sabroso

Dicen que no tengo duelo, llorona,Porque no me ven llorarHay muertos que no hacen ruido llorona,Y es más grande su penar

Ay de mí llorona, llorona,Llorona de ayer y hoyAyer maravilla fui llorona,Y ahora ni sombra soy

Ay de mí llorona, llorona,Llorona de azul celesteY aunque la vida me cueste llorona,No dejaré de quererte

Everyone calls me the dark one, lloronaDark but affectionateI’m like green chile, llorona,Spicy but delicious.

They say I’m not in mourning, lloronaBecause they don’t see me cry.There are the dead who make no noise, lloronaAnd their suffering is greater.

Oh, my, llorona, lloronaLlorona of yesterday and todayYesterday I was a wonder, lloronaAnd now I’m less than a shadow.

Oh, my, llorona, llorona,Llorona of celestial blueEven if it costs me my life, llorona,I’ll never stop loving you.

Imagen de ti Brian Folkins-Amador

Tengo una imagen de tique no se borra nunca.De la distancia tu vozme llega y me siento menos sola.Te llevo dentro de mí, siempre latente.Yo envejezco y tú no,para mí sigues igual –tu pasado es mi presente.

¿Será que un día me iréadónde tú te fuiste?¿Será que yo alguna vezcruce ese río y vuelva a verte?En sueños vienes a mí, indiferente.Yo amanezco y tú no,llega el día y ya no estás –tu pasado es mi presente.

I have an image of youthat is never erased.From the distance your voicereaches me and I feel less alone.I carry you within me, always living.I grow old and you don’t,for me you’re always the same –your past is my present.

Could it be that one day I’ll gowhere you went?Could it be that some day I’llcross that river and see you again?In dreams you come to me, nonchalant.I awake and you don’t,day arrives and you’re no longer there –your past is my present.

Critical Acclaim

“Folk: Soprano Rosi Amador has one of the great voices in folk music. Amador and her Boston-basedLatin group, Sol y Canto, have a pair of performances this weekend at Ruth Eckerd Hall's MurrayStudio Theater, Clearwater. Tonight at 7:30, they play music from Puerto Rico, Cuba, Peru and Chile.Songs by Brian Amador, Rosi's husband, are also on the agenda.”

PEOPLE EN ESPAÑOLSTARS OF 2007 ISSUE feautured Rosi & Brian Amador“Hyundai’s “Descúbrelo tú mismo” highlights inspiring Hispanics who have used their passion,conviction, creativity and self discovery to achieve career success. The rich and natural harmonies ofBrian and Rosi Amador, founders of the group Sol y Canto reach audiences worldwide. Singing theirdreams for a better world they found their own style in the interpretation of Latin music.”

“Sol y Canto hit the stage and immediately activated ... the crowd of nearly 900 to clap theirhands to a bewitchingly merry Puerto Rican plena song.... They encored with [a] rollickingdance tune in the Cuban son rhythm, an ancestor of salsa music. As the sextet buoyantlyswapped solos - flute to guitar to keyboard to percussion - their exuberance ... brought thecrowd to its feet....”-Scott Alarik

“...Sol y Canto [brings] the warm equatorial flavor of its brand of Cuban-Afro-Latin folkmusic...rousing!”

"I say any weekend that includes both Greg Brown and Rosi Amador of Sol y Canto is aweekend from booking heaven. Rosi Amador has a smile that melts glaciers and a voice tomatch …I would hitchhike to Buenos Aires to hear them! -John Stifler

Sol y Canto is represented by MusicAmador 617.492.1515 • fax 617.649.0299 • rosi@musicmador.com • www.solycanto.com

PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS

Somerville Theater, Somerville, MA (2003)

CD release concerts for new Rounder Records release

“El doble de amigos/ Twice as Many Friends”

Presented by World Music

Sanders Theater, Cambridge, MA (November 2001)

Bank of America Celebrity Series Commission Latin Suite

Composed by Brian Amador for Sol y Canto and Orchestra

White House Easter Celebration

Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.

WGBH Public TV, Channel 2’s LA Plaza

Broadcast documentary on Sol y Canto

(1999)

Springfield Symphony Orchestra, Springfield, MA (2004)

California World Music Festival, Grass Valley, CA

Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico

Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA

Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago, IL

Kravis Center, West Palm Beach, FL

ARTIST BIOS

Brian Amador - Musical director, composer, arranger,

acoustic guitar, voice

A Chicano/Gringo mongrel from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Brian was one of the

founding members of Flor de Caña, arranging much of the band's material and co-

producing two recordings. He studied classical guitar, composition, and improvisation at

New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, and flamenco guitar in Albuquerque and

Madrid. For five years Brian was principal guitarist of the Ramón de los Reyes Spanish

Dance Theatre. He was awarded an "outstanding artist" grant from the New England

Foundation for the Arts, and was commissioned by the Celebrity Series to compose the

orchestral suite PRISMA DE AMORES, which Sol y Canto debuted with the Boston

Modern Orchestra Project in 2001. Brian's guitar style is as mixed as his heritage,

combining flamenco, classical, Cuban son, Latin American styles, and jazz.

ROSI AMADOR-LEAD VOCALS, BONGO, PERCUSSION, COMPANY

DIRECTOR Of Argentine and Puerto Rican heritage, Rosi was raised by performer parents, who passed on to her their love of Latin American rhythms and musical styles. Her mother was a dancer, singer and actress, appearing

in the U.S.on Broadway, in Europe with Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin among others, and in

Mexico with comic actor "Cantinflas" (Mario Moreno). Her father began in radio in Buenos Aires and later became an actor, touring all over Latin America. With ten years of training as a classical singer, Rosi was

one of award-winning Flor de Caña's founding members and manager for ten years. She has been deeply influenced by popular Latin music, jazz, North American folk, blues and contemporary African vocal styles.

She is the director of her Latin music agency, MusicAmador. With her husband she joyfully parents identical

twin daughters Sonia and Alisa, born in April 1996.

Renato Thoms - percussion

Born in Colón, Panamá, Renato began his music training at the Conservatory of the

National University of Heredia in Costa Rica. After earning a Bachelor of Music

Performance degree at Berklee College of Music, Renato received his Master of Music

degree in Jazz Studies at The Boston Conservatory in 1998. Renato has performed with

numerous well-regarded musicians and ensembles, including Rubén Blades, Eddie

Palmieri's Latin Jazz & Salsa Orchestra, the Danilo Pérez Quintet, Brian Lynch, Hilton

Ruiz, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jon Lucien, Sol y Canto, Paquito D'Rivera,Victor Mendoza,

Conrad Herwig, Antonio Hart, and the late Pete "El Conde" Rodriguez. Mr. Thoms was a

finalist in the 2000 Thelonious Monk Hand Druming competition, and cast member-

musician of the 2005 Broadway production of the Mambo Kings.

Bernardo Monk - Flute, sax

From Buenos Aires, Argentina, Bernardo graduated from the Contemporary Music

School in Buenos Aires and worked as a professional musician in his home country for

ten years. He has performed and recorded with many artists in very different styles, such

as jazz, latin jazz, tango, fusion and musical comedies, as well as soloist projects.

Bernardo recently studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA where he majored

in Jazz Performance and graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2003. His career in Boston

includes performances and recordings with Oscar Stagnaro, Patricia Vlieg, Ryle's Jazz

Orchestra, Fenway BrassArt Ensemble, and the Berklee Rainbow Big Band.

Nando Michelin - Piano, keyboards

After a very successful career in his homeland Uruguay, Nando Michelin came to Boston

to develop his skills as piano player and composer at the Berklee College of Music. Since

his graduation in 1991, he has recorded extensively here and in Uruguay with several

acclaimed artists such as singer Teresa Inez and jazz trumpeter Tony D’Aveni, and his

own band, comprising Jerry Bergonzi, Fernando Huergo, Steve Langone and Sula Da

Silva. Nando also did the musical direction for tango/jazz singer Katie Viqueira's album

"El Otro Lado" (The Other Side), has recorded a series of monthly performances with

singer Giana Viscardi at the Acton Jazz Café, and serves as pianist for the Felipe Salles

group. Other artists he has collaborated with include MPB icons Jair Rodrigues, Flavio

Venturini, and Celso Adolfo. Currently he teaches at Berklee College of Music,

Brookline Music School, and Tufts University.

JORGE ROEDER - Acoustic and Electric Basses

A native from Lima, Peru, Jorge has performed a wide range of styles, including

Peruvian Creole and Folkloric music, Jazz, Central and South American music, Classical

and Rock. He began playing cello and electric bass at age 14, and later he switched to

Double Bass at age 19, performing mostly Classical music and Jazz. He became assistant

principal bassist of the Lima Philarmonic and Opera orchestras on the 2001-2002 season.

After moving to Boston in the fall of 2002, Jorge got a degree in Jazz Performance from

the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Danilo

Perez, Bob Moses, John Lockwood, Oscar Stagnaro and Charlie Banacos. Jorge has

performed and recorded with artists such as Alex Acuna, Herbie Hancock, Victor

Mendoza, Steve Turre, Roy Haynes and Bob Moses among others. Most Recently, Jorge

has been awarded first prize at the 2007 International Society of Bassists Biennal Jazz

Competition.

ARTIST BIOS

SUSAN WILSON – Photographer, Writer, educator,

lecturer

A highly respected artist who has exhibited her artwork in dozens of shows, and

gained national recognition for her images of performing and literary artists. Her

client list over the years has included such well-known names as Rebecca Parris,

Bill Harley, the Borromeo String Quartet, Keith Lockhart, Pete Seeger, Holly

Near, Cris Williamson, Alison Krauss, Patty Larkin, Bill Morrissey, Anita

Diamant, and Stephen McCauley. An alumna of the Museum School of the

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and both undergraduate and graduate studies in

history at Tufts University, she has served on the faculty of the New England

School of Photography since 1982, and is director of NESOP's Crosscurrents

seminar series. Between 1978 and 1996 Susan regularly wrote and photographed

stories about arts, music, international travel, and Boston history for the Boston

Globe. Her books—which feature her original research, writing, and photos—

include Boston Sites and Insights, The Literary Trail of Greater Boston, and

Garden of Memories. An active board member of the Boston Women's Heritage

Trail, the Old South Association, and the Boston History and Innovation

Collaborative, Susan has won accolades for her animated and informative slide

lectures on cultural and historic topics, which have frequently been featured on the

WGBH Forum Network.

REBECCA STRAUSS - Violist

Known as a fine performer, professional businesswoman, and beloved educator in

the Boston arts scene. An alumna of Oberlin Conservatory of Music, she has

played with ensembles such as the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, the Boston

Ballet Orchestra, Opera Boston, Boston Lyric Opera, and the Boston Modern

Orchestra Project, and performed with popular artists ranging from Marc

O'Connor and Andrea Bocelli to Led Zeppelin and k.d. lang. As a longtime

member of the New England String Ensemble, she has performed live on WGBH

radio, served as Director of Education, and introduced composers and their music

to New England high schools through the New England Musical Heritage

Initiative. Creator and music director of Riverview Chamber Players, founded in

1993, Rebecca has garnered praise as a versatile performer who plays, books, and

organizes chamber music concerts and private and corporate events. In addition,

she regularly performs in the Chamber Music Foundation of New England concert

series, and has been featured on Chronicle (WCVB-TV) and "The Total Woman"

TV show (WCAT-TV). Rebecca's communication skills with corporate and non-

profit clients, wedding professionals, and fellow musicians have been honed in

graduate studies at Lesley College and through years of teaching violin and viola.

Discography

Cada Día un Regalo (MusicAmador Productions 2008)

Twice as Many Friends / El Doble de Amigos (Rounder Records 2003) Parent’s Choice Silver Honor Award National Parenting Publications Award (NAPPA) Early Childhood NEWS Director’s Choice Award

En Todo Momento (Redwing Music 1999) A “top ten hit” by People en español

Sendero del Sol (Rounder Records 1996) Produced by Panamanian Jazz star Danilo Pérez One of the ten best albums of 1996 – Hispanic Magazine

Sancocho (Rounder Records 1994) One of the ten best recordings of 1994 – The Boston Globe

SOL Y CANTOStage Plot

Noche de Muertos – Sextet + Viola/Violin

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TRACK LIST:1. Guitar vocal (Brian)2. Lead vocal (Rosi)3. Conga Vocals4. Piano mic5. Piano mic6. Guitar xlr (pickup)7. Guitar xlr (internal mic)8. Bass XLR9. Bongos

10. Congas11. Congas12. Flute13. Sax14. Violin/Viola

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TECH REQUIREMENTS:

“Noche de Muertos”

LIGHTING/VISUAL 1. LCD PROJECTOR

• LCD projector and projectionist. Projector should be 3000-5000 lumens depending on the size of the venue and screen. Projectionist will be present for the tech check and entire performance and be prepared to adjust color, contrast, sizing, and other issues to optimize visuals. Photographer will plug her own Apple iBook into it to run the show on iPhoto.

• Elevated table, gallery, or other place for placement of LCD projector, that will not impede audience viewing and can project over the heads of the musicians on the stage.

• Electrical extension cord with at least two three-pronged outlets available at the LCD projector table.

2. SCREEN • As large a flat white projection screen or surface as possible; an

oversized screen (8x8 feet) is best since it gives the viewers the sense of “being there.” For larger crowds, a bigger screen is recommended (if crowd is over 150 screen should be a minimum of 12x12 feet).

3. LIGHTING • Standard Stage lighting (wash); • Capability of darkening entire room so light won’t spill onto the

screen.

STAGE SETUP

1. Raised stage at least 12’ x 24’; 2. 3 comfortable chairs with no arm rests; 3. Podium with microphone; microphone should be removable from

podium, with a cord long enough to allow speaker to move around; 4. 1 table, approx. 18”w x 24”d x 36”h (for placing small percussion

instruments); 5. Electrical outlets for amps and music stand lights; 6. 6 lit music stands SOUND 1. 4 vocal microphones (SM58 or better); 2. 8 instrument microphones, DI for bass, 2 mic cables for direct xlr

connection to guitar amp; 3. Mixing console(s), at least 16 channels; 3 monitor mixes preferred,

minimum 2;

4. House speakers; 5. 4-6 floor monitors with 12" or 15" speaker + horn and compression

driver; 6. Monitor amplifiers sufficient to provide 250w to each speaker; 7. 12 microphone stands, at least 9 with booms. BACKLINE (may not apply for driving tours; please discuss with

manager) 1. Grand or baby grand piano, tuned, if available; if piano is not

available, depending on travel requirements, band or venue provides electric keyboard

a. (if no piano) Keyboard amplifier, Roland Jazz Chorus or equivalent;

b. (if no piano) Keyboard stand; 2. Bass amplifier, at least 100w with at least a 15” speaker; 3. Pair of conga drums, heads measuring 11 3/4” and 12 1/2” in

diameter, Latin Percussion (LP) or equivalent (other good brands are Toca and Afro);

4. Pair of bongo drums on sturdy stand, LP or equivalent TECH CHECK

• Musicians and photographer are available for a sound/ AV check 90 minutes-2 hours before the performance.

Technical questions? For the visual part of the show:

please contact Melodic Vision’s Susan Wilson at 617.547.5457 • swilson547@aol.com

For Sol y Canto:

Brian Amador at 617.504.0885 (cell)• brian@musicamador.com