Baroque Fiesta

Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre

Sparks are bound to fly when two dynamic guest artists, Spanish violinist and guest director Lina Tur Bonet and Mexican-American mezzo-soprano Cecilia Duarte, return to our stage for a baroque music dialogue between the old and new worlds.

Tur Bonet thrilled Tafelmusik audiences in Toronto and Ottawa last year with her “dazzling, robust, and edgy” performance style (Musicweb International). She joins Duarte, whose “creamy” (The New York Times) voice is showcased in arias by European composers including Handel and Vivaldi, and works by Sebastián Durón and José Marin, exemplars of the Spanish Golden Age.

Crossing the Atlantic, our musical journey takes a deep dive into baroque music from Latin America. This exploration includes works by Guatemalan composer Rafael Castellans and selections from the Codex Martinez Compañón, a collection of music from Peru that is rich with African, Indigenous, and Spanish influences.

Box Office

Tafelmusik

(416) 964-6337 | Email

Running Time

120 minutes

Style of Music

Baroque vocal soloist & orchestra

Guest artists

Lina Tur Bonet

Director and violin soloist

Internationally recognized for her virtuosity, energy, and her mix of creativity and stylistic rigour, violinist Lina Tur Bonet has developed a versatile and unique career. She has toured the world as a soloist, and has appeared as guest director with orchestras in Norway, France, Austria, Germany, and in her native Spain. She serves as concertmaster of Jordi Savall’s Le Concert des Nations, and founded MUSIca ALcheMIca, an ensemble that has performed across Europe the Americas, and Japan in collaboration with artists from a wide range disciplines.

Tur Bonet’s solo recordings and albums with MUSIca AlchemMIca have received international acclaim. Her recent Ravel recording À Moune was voted Best CD of the Year in Japan (2022).

Lina has premiered lost works by Vivaldi, Boccherini, and Mendelssohn, as well as works newly composed for her. She performs works for violin and orchestra ranging from the baroque period to Bartok and Piazzolla.

Tur Bonet teaches at the Reina Sofía School of Music in Madrid and is Professor of Baroque Violin and Viola at the MHS Franz Liszt University in Weimar.

Cecilia Duarte

Mezzo-soprano

Born in Chihuahua, Mexico, Cecilia Duarte is a versatile singer who has performed around the world singing a variety of music styles, with special emphasis on early and contemporary music. She has premiered roles in numerous new operas, including several for Houston Grand Opera. She is widely recognized for creating the role Renata in the Mariachi Opera Cruzar la Cara de la Luna by Martínez, produced across the US as well as in Europe and South America. Cecilia’s early music experience includes appearances with Ars Lyrica Houston, Early Music Vancouver, Pacific Music Works, The Boston Early Music Festival, Mercury Houston, Seraphic Fire, and the Bach Collegium San Diego, among others. Recordings include her first solo album, Reencuentros, and soloist in the Grammy-winning album Duruflé: The Complete Choral Works.