Author: Susan WilsonSol y Canto Quintet
It’s time to shrug off that blizzard-induced lethargy and start celebrating the return of Neighborhood Arts, a collaboration between the Celebrity Series of Boston and Madison Park Development Corporation. Saturdays at 2 p.m., from Feb. 28 through March 14, the two organizations present renowned professional artists and gifted young performers in free events at Hibernian Hall in Dudley Square.
Kicking off the three-week series is the ensemble Sol y Canto. Known for “quirky original compositions that address matters of the heart” and their “unique and driving interpretations of contemporary Latin music,” the band has performed in venues from Boston’s Symphony Hall to the Kennedy Center to the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico in San Juan. La Piñata, a Latin American youth ensemble based in Jamaica Plain, will perform with Sol y Canto on Feb. 28.
The following week, the Guy Mendilow Ensemble will perform world music, including pieces from their recent recording Tales of the Forgotten Kingdom. Also performing on March 7 is the Boston City-Wide String Orchestra, a multi-generational ensemble made up of string players from the Boston area ranging from 9 years old to adulthood.
Closing out the series on March 14 is the Boston Public Quartet, made up of devoted music teachers who hold advanced degrees from such institutions as the New England Conservatory of Music, Boston University and the Eastman School of Music. The quartet will be joined by the group Cantare of the Boston City Singers, founded in Dorchester in 1995 “to provide outstanding opportunities for children to come together through music in their own neighborhood.”
According to Robin Baker, manager of community performances for the Celebrity Series of Boston, the professional ensembles will rehearse with the student groups several times.
“The high standards of these award-winning professional ensembles will amaze you and make you want to clap, sing, laugh and dance,” Baker said. “You’ll hear music from the Caribbean, South America and Spain on instruments rarely seen before.”
