Last month, the musicology department and the Latin American Music Center partnered up to present the event series Sounding Latinidades: Exploring Ainadamar in preparation for the opening of Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar at IU. Adjunct professor of Musicology and Music in General Studies, Christine Wisch, opened the series on January 23rd with her lecture “The Musical Language of Osvaldo Golijov’s ‘Ainadamar'” in which she explored how Golijov brings different musical worlds together to create a powerful score. The series continued with a presentation and discussion on Flamenco music and culture in Ainadamar, presented by flamenco singer and scholar Alfonso Cid. Composer Osvaldo Golijov was additionally invited to Professor Wisch’s Introduction to Latin American Art Music class where he answered questions submitted by students.
Aindamar opened on Friday, February 3rd, and was met with vibrant praise from the audience. After the show, Professor Wisch and Osvaldo Golijov were joined by six other contributors for a post-performance “Talkback” giving audience members the opportunity to ask questions and interact with the composer, artistic team, and performers. Conductor David Neely, stage director Jeffrey Buchman, choreographer Rosa Mercedes, vocalist Gavin Hughes, dancer Jayda Hazelett, and cajón player Thomas Frost, discussed their personal relationship to the work and the process of incorporating flamenco techniques into their otherwise predominantly classical training. As the 2023 performances marked the first time IU presented a fully-staged version of Ainadamar, audiences were eager to learn about the opera and also completely filled the pre-concert talks with standing room only on all four nights.
Dr. Wisch, a 2022 graduate of the musicology Ph.D. program, was an important contributor to the series and a primary contact for Golijov during his visit. Like many historians, musicologists often become more accustomed to working with documents than people. For Wisch, the opportunity to form such close relationships with the composer, director, and cast was a unique and unforgettable experience. Wisch remarked that “we rarely get to meet the people behind the music we love and study, and in the case of Golijov, I have been overjoyed with getting to know him and discover that his creative brilliance is equally matched by his kindness and sincerity.”
Professor Christine Wisch presented the pre-performance lectures, and first-year musicology PhD student Monika Franaszczuk wrote the program notes. Both contributors are dual musicologists and affiliates of the Latin American Music Center.
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