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A point of Pride: New Mexico Gay Men's Chorus delivers Latin flair with 'Orgullo!'
The New Mexico Gay Men鈥檚 Chorus will bring 鈥极谤驳耻濒濒辞!鈥� to Albuquerque and Santa Fe for three concert events.
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The New Mexico Gay Men鈥檚 Chorus is celebrating Pride with a Latin flair.
鈥淥rgullo!鈥� (Spanish for pride) features Latinx and Hispanic music from Broadway, film and folk. The show will open at the Lensic Performing Arts Center in Santa Fe on Friday, June 21, before moving to Albuquerque on Saturday, June 22, and Sunday, June 23, at the National Hispanic Cultural Center.
鈥淚鈥檝e been wanting to do a Latin concert,鈥� said director Aaron Howe. 鈥淲e live in a state where 50% are of Latin or Spanish descent. LGBTQ people are part of the Latinx heritage. It鈥檚 basically a celebration of Latin music.鈥�
The concert will feature Mexican folk songs, as well as songs by Selena, plus arrangements from the 2017 movie 鈥淐oco.鈥� The chorus will shift to Broadway with 鈥淐arnaval del barrio鈥� from 鈥淚n the Heights.鈥�
鈥淚 really love the movie 鈥楥oco,鈥� 鈥� Howe said. 鈥淭hat was a movie that was done right in terms of cultural identity.鈥�
The NMGMC will sing Gloria Estefan鈥檚 鈥淐oming Out of the Dark鈥� as a celebration of the healing power of togetherness.
Howe gathered some of his Hispanic friends for input on the program.
鈥淭his isn鈥檛 appropriation,鈥� he said.
From 20% to 30% of the chorus is Hispanic, he added.
鈥淚 wanted to add more people from that culture.鈥�
The guest artists include University of New Mexico assistant professor of voice Olga Perez Flora, a mezzo-soprano, who will join UNM lecturer Jamie Flora, tenor, along with bass-baritone Javier Ortiz and classical guitarist Adolfo Estrada.
The all-female, Santa Fe-based Mariachi Gran Victoria will also perform.
鈥淚鈥檓 very delighted by the program,鈥� Howe said. 鈥淚t has that idea of culture and history. We are taking it on very sensitively.鈥�
