The magic of December brings back the Christmas Musical Encounter at the San Roque church, after two years of being held virtually due to the health restrictions caused by Covid-19. The event will take place on Sunday 11, at 8:30 p.m. Your admission will be free.
It is organized by the Association for Art and Culture (APAC). “This meeting has been taking place since the year 2000 with the desire to promote a Christmas celebration that promotes spirituality and the values of peace and solidarity through music,” said Ana Luisa Arce, a member of the APAC board of directors.
Five choirs will participate in the event: Cantoría Juvenil de Santa Cruz de la Sierra, the Choir of the Military School of Engineering (EMI), the Fundación Coral y Orquesta ArteCanto, the UPSA Cantar Cruceño Choir and the Tempus Vocal Ensemble.
There are around a hundred artists who will be on stage, under the baton of Marcelo Santa Cruz, who will act as guest director. It should be remembered that, after his participation in the “Misiones de Chiquitos” International Music Festival, the musician won a scholarship from Florida International University to pursue a Master’s Degree in Choral Direction and currently lives in the United States. In his hands, four female directors will leave their artists.
Santa Cruz knows the Christmas Musical Encounter very well: he has participated in it as a chorister for invited casts, as an organist for Arakaendar, also as a chorister for this group, and now he will do so by taking the baton at the APAC December event. “It will be a luxury show and for my part I will give everything I always give on stage, to be able to deliver these moments of music that the public longs for,” she said.
Angélica Vaca, from the Santa Cruz de la Sierra Youth Cantoría, said that a series of Christmas carols and a popular play called “Our Christmas” will be performed. “With our music, the public will revive the Christmas spirit,” she said.
For her part, Giovanna Montaño indicated that 40 choralists make up the Choir of the Military School of Engineering (EMI) and the Choral Foundation and the ArteCanto Orchestra. For her it was a challenge to prepare them in full civic strike and have virtual rehearsals. “I have been able to work with this team on several occasions and I am sure that we will have a magnificent result”, she pointed out.
The same experience was lived by the 25 members of the UPSA Cantar Cruceño Choir with Paula Castro. “Unemployment made it difficult for us; Despite this, everyone’s enthusiasm was contagious and these difficulties will become anecdotes that we will surely remember fondly in years to come,” she said.
Tempus Vocal Ensemble also promised to surprise. This was stated by its director Ana Carla Pérez, who trusts in the talent of her choir singers: “The challenge is always to meet the expectations of the public, because the increasing demand is notorious given the cultural movement that exists in the city. We are excited to be a part of the event.”
About APAC
The Association for Art and Culture (APAC) is a non-profit cultural management organization, made up of volunteers, which since 1998 has been carrying out work to democratize and revitalize art and culture. APAC provides opportunities for artistic training, preserving and disseminating cultural heritage through promotion and cultural tourism, in such a way that the historical wealth and living culture existing in this region is valued.