The Catholic University Chamber Symphony, led by music director Simeone Tartaglione, gave a special performance showcasing the music of Spain at the Former Residence of the Ambassadors of Spain earlier this month. The concert, which was a partnership between the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music and the Cultural Office of the Embassy of Spain, featured Spanish soprano Amaya Arberas, who was the first-prize winner of the International Shining Stars Competition in 2014.
The program for the Oct. 2 concert represented several generations of Spanish music, with pieces that included the overture to Il Barbiere di Siviglia by Gioachino Rossini; Siete Canciones Populares Españolas by Manuel de Falla; Carmen, Suite No. 1 by Georges Bizet; and El Sombrero de Tres Picos, Suite No. 1 by Manuel de Falla. Doctoral candidate Antonio Espinal conducted two numbers from the Carmen suite.
During his introduction of the concert, Dean Grayson Wagstaff called the collaboration between the School of Music and the Embassy of Spain a “perfect connection” because of the University’s great heritage of studying Iberian and Latin American music through its Latin American Center for Graduate Studies in Music.
David Lowe, who is pursuing his master’s in performance for bass, said the concert was a “wonderful experience.” He enjoyed being able to play pieces that were new for him in a unique and historic venue.
“I really loved the way the room sounded and I enjoyed the intimacy of the venue,” he said. “It was really a spectacular night.”
Freshman music major Maggie McNulty said she also enjoyed the opportunity to perform at the Former Residence of the Ambassadors of Spain.
“It was an honor to be here,” she said. “Performing in venues like this helps get you ready for the professional world.”