On June 11, the Santa Rosa Symphony will perform the world premiere of Enrico Chapela Barba’s Los Braceros (The Laborers) Cantata for Mariachi and Orchestra in a performance originally planned for May 2020 but postponed due to the pandemic. The California-based orchestra commissioned the work, which features a blend of traditional mariachi and classical music and a story of romance and family loyalty amid the 1942-64 agreement between the United States and Mexico for agricultural worker migration. The Mariachi Champaña Nevin ensemble and four vocalists, including Mexican actor and singer Rafael Jorge Negrete, will join the orchestra, led by Music Director Francesco Lecce-Chong. The program will also include Marquez’s Danzon No. 2 and Respighi’s Fountains of Rome. Printed lyrics for Los Braceros will be available, with English translation, at the venue. Lecce-Chong said, “I am so excited for the long-awaited world premiere of a large work for four singers, mariachi ensemble, and orchestra. It brings together a beautiful and poignant story against the backdrop of the Braceros program, which is such an important part of the history of Santa Rosa.”
Change font size
