March Is Music 2022

Friday, March 4, 8PM – VIVA LA MÚSICA (International Jazz & Fusión) – A live celebration kicking off a two-year international collaboration between The Rolling Stones’ saxophonist Tim Ries, pianist and Pregones/PRTT’s Musical Director Desmar Guevara, and high-octane NYC-based artists including vocalist and violinist Jasia Ries, guitarist Rez Abbasi, bassist Álvaro Benavides, drummer Jerome Jennings, percussionist Anthony Carrillo, and Flamenco masters Sonia Olla and Ismael Fernández. The ensemble will jam, and preview works in development inspired by real and imagined travels and adventures. Realized in association with Netherlands-based producer Arno Brouwer, this is an exclusive and intimate first look at a spectacular new creative exchange! BUY TIX

Sunday, March 6, 4PM – NELSON OJEDA + FRIENDS (Classical | Bronx Piano Sundays) – Nelson Ojeda Valdés is a celebrated pianist, who has been a soloist with the Pacific Symphony, Southeast Symphony, California State University Fullerton Wind Ensemble, and Lloyd Rodgers’ Diverse Instrument Ensemble. For this special concert titled Women of Romanticism, Nelson will be joined onstage by fellow pianist Christopher Bradshaw, soprano Stefanie Izzo, and cellist Kate Dillingham. The program highlights historically underrepresented musical works by Clara Wieck Schumann, Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, Josephine Lang, and Ethel Smyth. Free Event. GET TIX

Saturday, March 12, 8PM – ANGÉLICA NEGRÓN + BRONX ARTS ENSEMBLE (New Music) – Creator of the massive and triumphant Chorus of the Forest installation for the New York Botanical Garden, and winner of the 2022 Hermitage Greenfield Prize, composer, and multi-instrumentalist performer Angélica Negrón joins the also formidable Bronx Arts Ensemble in a much-awaited concert program featuring Marejada for string quartet and other original works. This MIM concert was first announced in spring 2020, proving that good things come to those who wait! “Wistfully idiosyncratic and contemplative” (WQXR Q2). “Mesmerizing and affecting” (Feast of Music). BUY TIX

Sunday, March 13, 4PM – SARAH TUAN (Classical | Bronx Piano Sundays) – Born and raised in San Jose, California, pianist Sarah Tuan made her concerto debut at 10, recital debut at 12, and has dazzled audiences at concerts and competitions including the Philadelphia International Piano Competition, the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition, Virginia Waring International Piano Competition, and the Fryderyk Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw, among others. She has also has been featured on NPR’s From the Top and Philadelphia’s WRTI Radio. “In a world with social standards and expectations of ‘containing yourself,’ it is hard to express real, raw emotion and tell a story that people can truly accept and feel,” says Sarah, “that is why music is important to everyone.” For this concert she will perform compositions by Bach, Grieg, and Schumann. Free Event. GET TIX

Friday, March 18, 8PM – PLENA SENTADA FOR TITO MATOS (Afro Puerto Rican) – “Para cantarle a un Plenero…” For one night only, Pregones Theater transforms into a gathering space for practitioners of the traditional Puerto Rican musical forms Bomba y Plena. They come together to celebrate, shine a light, and honor the life, legacy, and influential voice of Héctor René “Tito” Matos Otero (1968-2022). Master percussionist, teacher, composer, and cultural activist, Matos spent a decade in New York City and during his time here forever changed the course of NuyoRican music. Members of renowned ensembles Los Pleneros de la 21, Alma Moyó, and Los Hijo ‘e Plena, play their panderos and barriles to sing songs and raise memory, from Plena Lamento to soul purifying Bomba, in reverence of Tito Matos… cherished Plenero, gone before his time.  This memorial event is Livestream Only. There will be no in-person audience — please join the musicians via FREE broadcast. RSVP HERE

Saturday, March 19, 8PM – RICARDO PONS (Latin Jazz) – A soulful reed player known for his skilled mastery of the saxophone and the flute, Ricardo Pons is also a gifted arranger, composer and teacher, musical director of contemporary Bomba y Plena sensation Viento de Agua (with Tito Matos), and former musical director of Pregones Theater. He has worked with legends like Chick Corea, Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, Mario Bauzá, Willie Colón, and Celia Cruz. He has played many of the great Jazz and Folk festivals around the world, from Sydney to Chicago to New York. Now based in Puerto Rico, Pons travels to his former creative home in The Bronx to perform new and recent compositions for Latin Jazz ensemble. BUY TIX

Sunday, March 20, 4PM – GABRIELLE CHOU (Classical | Bronx Piano Sundays) – Gabrielle Chou is a NYC-based pianist and violinist seeking to defy genres and break barriers in performance. A graduate of The Juilliard School, she has been a soloist with orchestras in the US, Austria, Italy, Spain, and Taiwan. She has performed in venues such as David Geffen Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, National Sawdust, and the Taipei National Theater and Concert Hall. Gabrielle is an avid proponent of new music and contemporary collaborations and teaches at Weissman/Baruch College and Juilliard. In her free time, she likes to frequent art museums and aquariums, play video games, and read science fiction. For this concert she will perform works by Bach, Tchaikovsky, Rzewski, and Bolcom. Free Event. GET TIX

Saturday, March 26, 8PM – JARANA BEAT (Afro Amerindian Folk) – Jarana Beat is a 10-piece band known for their spirited cross-cultural sound and energized style of performance. Their work blends Mexican folk and Afro-Amerindian musical traditions with the percussive footwork of dancers in traditional costume. Led by composer Sinuhé Padilla-Isunza, the band gathers performers from Mexico and all over the world, drawing on elements from styles such as Son Jarocho, Son Guerrerense, Son Huasteco, Salsa, Cumbia, Samba, and Rumba. TimeOut New York says “[this] Mexico-via-Brooklyn combo weaves intricate rhythms and delicate plucks with rich, yearning vocals to gorgeous and surprisingly jolly effect. Great stuff!”  BUY TIX

Sunday, March 27, 4PM – ENRIQUETA SOMARRIBA (Classical | Bronx Piano Sundays) – Praised by the New York Concert Review for her “aplomb” and “natural, individual interpretation,” Spanish pianist Enriqueta Somarriba develops her career in the US and Europe as a soloist, chamber musician, and educator. Her MIM concert program, titled Nature, Religion, and Myth—Musical Impressions of Ribeira Sacra, will feature works by Isidro Maiztegui, Claude Debussy, Luciano Berio, Henry Cowell, Ricardo Lorenz, and Franz Liszt. Free Event. GET TIX

Per current Key to NYC mandate, all visitors must show proof of full vaccination against COVID19 and matching photo I.D. prior to gaining entry to Pregones/PRTT’s Bronx and Manhattan theaters. We also require audience members to wear a face mask at all times. By acquiring a ticket and/or asking for entry to our events, you agree to abide by these rules.

FULL VACCINATION: To gain entrance under the Key to NYC public mandate, U.S.-based patrons must have received full vaccination including “booster” from Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson. Acceptable proof of vaccination must clearly indicate which make of vaccine was received. International guests must show equivalent proof regardless of vaccine make.

VACCINATION PROOF
To be presented with matching government-issued I.D., valid documents of vaccination status include:

• NYS Excelsior Pass
• NYC COVID Safe App
• CDC Vaccination Card
• NYC Vaccination Record
• Proof of overseas vaccination

FACE MASKS
Mask must be worn at all times in the building. Masks must cover nose and mouth. Masks should fit snuggly against the sides of the face.

For additional information, please visit the City’s Key to NYC website here: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-vaccines-keytonyc.page

This program is made possible, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature. For a full list of our funders, visit www.pregonesprtt.org.

PREGONES THEATER
575 Walton Avenue (b/w 149 & 150 Streets)
The Bronx, NY 10451

Subway #2, 4, 5 to 149 Street & Grand Concourse
We’re just one short block away from the station!

For more information call us at 718-585-1202.