Music

The pasacalle of Villa El Salvador is a communal art form that incorporates Peru’s indigenous ritual practices and Afro-Brazilian–derived drum music. This lecture by Dr. Carlos Odria of the University of Massachusetts Boston explores how pasacalle artists fine-tune their drumming skills and strengthen Andean values of mutuality and reciprocity. Sponsored by the Music Department. Free

This high-energy acoustic ensemble performs original compositions and arrangements of jazz standards and Latin American popular music. Upright bass, drums, percussion, and nylon string guitar combine to deliver an exciting blend of international styles such as bossanova, Afro-Peruvian festejo, and rumba flamenco with an improvisational approach inspired by American jazz. Sponsored by the Department of Music. Free

The Passions of J.S. Bach are among Bach’s most revered and respected music, yet that music is grounded in specific religious context far removed from today. Is Bach’s music truly universal, or is there another way to understand how Bach’s Passions resonate in the modern era? This talk is an introductory event to the Middlebury Bach Festival, in which John Butt will conduct J. S. Bach’s “St John Passion,” Saturday April 28 and Sunday April 29. go/bachfest/

Some of the College’s top jazz instrumentalists and singers will present selections from their term’s work. It’s a celebration of the music that’s been called America’s National Treasure.

The performance is free and the public is invited.

Some of the College’s top jazz instrumentalists and singers will present selections from their term’s work. It’s a celebration of the music that’s been called America’s National Treasure. Free

Ethnomusicologist Frank Gunderson of Florida State University explores the connections between Tanzanian singer and band leader Muhidin Gurumo’s 1973 musiki wa dansi dance genre piece Nimwokoe Nani? (Whom Should I Rescue?) and Trinidadian Lord Kitchener’s 1950s calypso song “Wife and Mother.” A Music Department event. Free

Gloria Breck ‘18, piano student of Diana Fanning, presents the culmination of four musical years at Middlebury with a recital of solo works by Bach, Chopin, Rachmaninov, and Tan Dun.

Student performers present an interesting and varied selection of piano works in this popular event. Free