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The inaugural Festival Internacional de la Musica Espanola y Latinoamericana presented an evening filled with art song and Zarzuela last Thursday night in Lawrence, Kansas.  The beautifully restored Liberty Hall is a venue filled with 19th century charm and a perfect setting for a night of music composed in that era.  Mix in some 20th century composers such as Heitor Villa-Lobos and Alberto Ginastera, and audiences were treated to some of the most passionate music in the vocal repertoire.

The female performers embraced the steamy song cycles wearing slinky summer dresses and flowers in their hair.  First on the program was Wisconsin native Holly Wrensch who sang three of the six Canciones Castellanas by Jesus Guridi.   Spanish-Portuguese pianist Yara Gutkin accompanied with understanding, but occasionally overwhelmed, Wrensch, whose voice sounded a little tired after a long week of vocal study.

Local soprano Olivia Betzen, sang an impressionistic piece by Enrique Granados called La maja y el ruisenor from his Goyescas.  Her voice is both dark and bright, and her powerful high notes rang throughout the hall. When the voice is well placed, this space responds thrillingly. Julio Alexis Munoz,vocal coach and pianist for the program, supported the young singer with dramatic grace. 

The Siete Canciones Populares Espanolas by Manuel de Falla have only recently become part of the standard repertoire as teachers search for songs outside of the traditional Italian, French and German offerings. These quick, charming songs were split between five of the students and Mezzo instructor, Helen Tintes-Schermann.   The interpretations were spot on.  The diction was clear and easy for even this beginning Spanish speaker to understand although translations in the program could have added more dimension for the listeners.  
 
Included was the ever-popular Aria from Bachianas Brasilerias No. 5 by Villa-Lobos, performed admirably by Ms Betzen.  It was accompanied not by the standard multiple cellos but by Argentinian classical guitarist Carlos Gutkin, which gave it an intimate folk-like feel.  He also arranged the other Villa-Lobos piece on the program Jardines de luz which was effectively sung by Sara Matarranz.  It might have been perfect had she memorized the piece and not relied on her music. 
 
After intermission, Zarzuela selections were featured. Zarzuela is a hybrid of art song and theater - not quite opera but a little higher art than what we understand in America as Musical Theater.  Zarzuela has been evolving since the 17^th century, but really flourished in the Baroque and Romantic periods.  Six Zarzuela arias were presented by the students highlighting dramatic and theatrical delivery.

The festival was conceived by KU tenor professor Genaro Mendez as a way for students to immerse themselves in the music of Spain and Latin America. Throughout the week world famous mezzo-soprano Teresa Berganza put the singers through their paces in daily master classes.  Held in the reverberant acoustic of the auditorium at Central Jr. High in Lawrence, although now retired, the still dynamic Berganza shaped and honed the singer's stylistic understanding of Spanish music.  Not only has she made over 80 recordings, she also has shared the stage with some of the mid-20th century's best known opera singers, Placido Domingo and Jose Carerras to name just two; she was considered 'the' mezzo to Maria Callas' soprano.   
 
I attended the Wednesday afternoon master class. Sitting in the maple veneer seats waiting for the singers to arrive, I realized that the memorial auditorium, built in 1923, hasn't been touched by time.  From the hallway a magnificent sound penetrated the space. Teresa Berganza's voice had arrived. The sound came closer and closer until the surprisingly tiny diva entered the auditorium.  The shiver that went down my spine wasn't due to the unnaturally cold space - although concerned about the temperature, she had wrapped her shawl tightly around her body. Presenting her first master classes in the United States, she got straight to work.  
 
Spanish baritone, Damian del Castillo took the stage and together they polished and punched-up the first two selections from the de Falla set mentioned above.  Dedicated to the clarity of the composer's intention, Berganza encouraged the singer to accentuate the melismatic nature of the pieces.  Using her own voice to demonstrate, it was clear that she still has a grand instrument.

Mendez put together a well-rounded summer program for young singers. They were able to delve into the culture and language of Spanish and Latin American art song, take classes in flamenco and various Latin-inspired dance forms, polish their Spanish diction and benefit from the experience and advice of world-class professionals.  The International Festival of Spanish and Latin American Music will certainly attract the highest caliber new talent, as word spreads of this excellent educational opportunity. 

REVIEW 
Inaugural Festival Internacional de la Musica Espanola y Latinoamericana 
Featuring singers from the program 
Thursday June 25 at 7:30 p.m. 
Liberty Hall 
642 Massachusetts, Lawrence, KS 66044 
For more information visit the website www.fimel.org

By Megan Browne Helm

Classical, Vocal and Theatre Contributor

Megan Browne Helm grew up singing, dancing and acting.  Inspired by Emma Kirkby as a high school student in St. Louis she went on to study voice and sing with the Collegium Musicum at the Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio where she also had a radio show of contemporary classical music on WOBC.  At the University of Kansas she had the pleasure of working with former Kings’ Singer, Simon Carrington in his Collegium Musicum and Oread consort. Years later, she was a choral fellow at the Yale School of Music’s  Norfolk Chamber Music Festival.  She is currently singing with the Kansas City Symphony Chorus under the direction of Charles Bruffy. 

 As a freelance music and culture writer her work can be found on KCMetropolis.org, presentmagazine.com, the Lawrence Journal World, Shawnee Magazine, Leawood Lifestyle Magazine and KC Parent.  She was one of 26 journalists in the country chosen as a NEA Institute Fellow for Classical Music and Opera at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. 

Her current interest is how classical music remains relevant through active collaborations with artists in different fields, including science.  She also sees a connection between classical music, travel and food as a way to engage all of the senses in a 360 degree cultural experience.  She blogs at raworganum.wordpress.com.