
440 East Burgess Street Pittsburgh,
PA 15214 www.elcoro.org
NEWS RELEASE
412.322.0281 mr@estetacommunications.com
Ernesto Contenti, Coro Latinoamericano
412.377.5850 contenti@telerama.com
Coro Latinoamericano-Pittsburgh To Be First Multi-national
Folk Choir
From United States to Perform At Cantapueblo Choral
Music Festival
·
Choir prepares for trip to Quito,
Ecuador, Nov. 13-19, 2001
·
Artistic Director and Conductor Sharon
Rotuna, Ambridge, PA, to lead choir
·
Group to join other choirs to perform
Misa Criolla by renowned composer Ariel Ramirez
·
Local filmmakers to document event
PITTSBURGH, PA (November 2, 2001) – Coro
Latinoamericano – Pittsburgh (Latin American Choir of Pittsburgh) is headed to
Quito, Ecuador, Nov. 13 through 19, as the first multi-national folk choir from
the United States to participate in Cantapueblo, an annual choral music
festival featuring performances from choirs from around the world. Plans
call for local filmmakers to
join Coro Latinoamericano to document the event, which unites the Americas in
culture, the musical arts and global good will.
Cantapueblo is held each
year in a specific country or

designated regions of Latin America. Following last year’s festival,
held concurrently in Mendoza, Argentina, Vina del Mar,
Chile,
and Quito, organizers learned of Coro
Latinoamericano’s success
in Western Pennsylvania. They invited members to become part
of
“more than 300 voices” by
traveling to Quito for Cantapueblo
in 2001.
Coro will be the first choir from the U.S. to participate in the
the Quito Cantapueblo event.
Coro Latinoamericano recently performed at Leisure Acres Llamas farm, New Bethlehem,
PA. A local filmmaker covered the event to
produce the choir’s first
promotional video.
Coro Latinoamericano is unusual because it is a multi-
national Latin American choir –one of
only a few choirs of its C
kind in the U.S. Coro is composed of about 20 Western
Pennsylvanians who perform folk songs
from North, Central,
and South America and the Caribbean. Most of its members come from a variety of Latin American countries and retain their
cultural ties or citizenships.
Together, they join with U.S.- born members to promote a closer
understanding of Latin American music and cultural heritage.
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Coro Latinoamericano to Perform at Cantapueblo
Ecuador /11-2-1—Add One
Leading Coro
Latinoamericano in song is Sharon Rotuna, Ambridge, PA, artistic
director and conductor, Coro Latinoamericano. Rotuna is also an assistant
conductor, Bach Choir of Pittsburgh;
conductor, Westminster College Women’s Choir, New Wilmington, PA; and music
teacher, Aquinas Academy, Wildwood, PA.
“As the first multi-national folk choir from the United States to
participate in Cantapueblo, Coro Latinoamericano-Pittsburgh is both
honored and proud. We’re a group of
Western Pennsylvanians with diverse backgrounds. Many of us were born in Latin American countries – others in the
U.S.A.,” said Sharon Rotuna, artistic director and conductor, Coro Latinoamericano-Pittsburgh. “United in culture and song, we now have a
chance to vocalize our pride in America, as well as help shape harmony and good
will worldwide.”
During the five-day
event, Coro Latinoamericano will perform
songs from Latin American countries, along with two U.S.
selections: an African-American
spiritual and a tribute to Pittsburgh-born composer Stephen Foster.
Coro
Latinoamericano-Pittsburgh – Program for Cantapueblo, Quito, Ecuador
Alma Llanera
- Venezuela
Noches Larenses
- Venezuela
Cancion con Todos
- Argentina
Luna de Xeleju
- Guatemala
Cantemos Bailemos
- Peru
Keep
Your Lamps – USA
Apamuy
Shungo - Ecuador
Tribute
to Stephen Foster – USA
El
Humahuaqueno – Argentina and Bolivia
Contributing to a “one world voice,” Coro
Latinoamericano will join choirs from
other countries in singing La Misa Criolla (High Mass) composed by Ariel
Ramierez of Argentina. Ramirez is the
most highly renowned modern-day composer of Latin American folk music.
Coro Latinoamericano
will perform in Quito and neighboring towns including Otavalo, Ibarra and
Cuenca, Ecuador, in the Andes Mountains.
In anticipation of the trip, Coro members recently performed at Leisure
Acres Llamas farm, New Bethlehem, PA, where they donned colorful ponchos, played instruments from the Andes and sang
folk favorites atop the “altiplanos” of central Pennsylvania. They also enlivened activities at the annual
llama back-packing and hiking trail event hosted by Sonja and Chuck Leach,
Leisure Acres Llamas farm, New Bethlehem, PA, (814) 275-2400, llamas@llamalove.com,
http://www.llamalove.com
Coro Latinoamericano
holds spring and holiday concerts in Pittsburgh and performs at a wide range of
events including ethnic festivals and educational forums. Plans call for Coro to take its music to
schools and student groups in the coming year.
Based in Pittsburgh,
PA, Coro Latinoamericano (Latin American Choir) is a singing group of about 20
men and women committed to “uniting the Americas” through a closer
understanding of Latin American music and culture. Members represent various countries of North, Central and South
America and the Caribbean. http://www.elcoro.org NOTE: Images are
available in format of choice. ###