Conceived by performer, composer and American Modern Opera Company (AMOC*) member Keir GoGwilt, Zarabanda Variations bring together a group of visionary composers, improvisers and performers, inspired by musical histories of 16th- and 17th-century New Spain.
The zarabanda is a dance with possibly Spanish, American and Arab origins, a plausible etymology from the Bantu nsala-banda, which eventually transformed into a courtly European Baroque dance. This performance sounds the archival gaps of early American music, creating a surprising and vibrant synthesis of European and Latin Baroque, folk, and contemporary musical traditions.
The American Modern Opera Company (AMOC*) is one of the most exciting and innovative new music collectives operating today. AMOC*, founded in 2017 by Matthew Aucoin and Zack Winokur, is a group of dancers, singers, musicians, writers, directors, composers, choreographers, and producers united by a core set of values. AMOC* artists pool their resources to create new pathways that connect creators and audiences in surprising and visceral ways.
The performance features Jonny Allen (percussion), Vicente Atria (composition), Mariana Flores Bucio (singer), Iva Casian-Lokas (cello), Carrie Frey (viola), Chris Otto (violin), Keir GoGwilt (composition, violin, band leader), Alec Goldfarb (guitars), Kyle Motl (composition, bass), and Wilfrido Terrazas (composition, flutes).
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