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Bryn Mawr Musician brings Sol Y Canto to the Kimmel
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Ambler Gazette, Bryn Mawr Musician brings Sol Y Canto to the Kimmel >>
Just in time to celebrate the Mexican holiday known as the "Day of the Dead," the award-winning musical group Sol Y Canto arrives at the Kimmel Center for the performing Arts on Saturday, Oct. 25.
The three-time Boston Music Award winner will interpret beloved Mexican classics as well as new works from its album "Cada Dia un Regalo" ("Each Day a Gift"), which has just been released.
The "Day of the Dead" draws on Mexican and Pan-Latin philosophies that celebrate death, life and becoming more connected to one's past. Projected on a full screen behind the musicians will be imagery of traditional dancing skeletons, marigold bouquets, bustling marketplaces and faces of celebrants in the town of Patzcuaro, the center of festivities.
Rosi Amador, the company director, lead vocalists, as well as bongo player and percussionist, explained the origins of the group--as well as her own. Of Argentine and Puerto Rican heritage, Amador was raised by performer parents who passed on their own love of Latin American rhythms and musical styles.
"They moves us from Puerto Rico to Rosemont when I was in my teens to attend the Baldwin School. They wanted my sister and I to move into an educational context they felt was more rigorous," Amador explains. "I finished my education there and eventually graduated."
While at the Baldwin School, she goes on, and living across the street from Bryn Mawr College, she had the opportunity to meet some Bryn Mawr women.
"I loved the philosophy there. I was still getting to know the area when I was admitted to the college. I was so excited and so glad I had the opportunity to attend."
Majoring in romance languages--French and Spanish--and minoring in psychology, Amador never gave up her love of music.
"I always loved singing, and since both my parents were performers they always encouraged me to sing, but not necessarily to become a professional performer."
However, it was obvious that performing was in the cards for Amador, especially after she moved to Cambridge, Mass., and eventually had the opportunity to participate in a cultural exchange tour to Nicaragua, where, in 1984, she met her soon-to-be-husband, Brian Amador.
The couple not only married, but when on to form their first Latin music ensemble, which traveled the country and lasted for a decade.
"But as we grew, we had different ideas on what we wanted to do. People left to go on with their own lives and their own priorities, but Brian and I were not ready to give up on our music. And so, Canto Y Sol was born.
It's been almost 25 years that the husband-and-wife team has been composing, arranging and performing. As part of their core mission, their poetic lyrics and commitment to social change transcend barriers of language, making Latin music accessible to both newcomers and native-speakers.
Since its inception, Sol Y Canto has performed at such prestigious venues as the White House, the Kennedy Center, Boston's Symphony Hall, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Today, Rosi Amador, who insists she continues to have "a very special place in her heart for Bryn Mawr," loves the travel associated with making music and especially returning to Philadelphia.
She says, "We are so very happy with what we are doing, particularly playing in Philadelphia as we have for many years. We play for audiences of all ages, and realize that Philadelphia audiences have grown up with us, often bringing their on children to hear our music and meet with us. What a great feeling that is."
-- by Rita Charleston 10/29/08
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