12th Annual Guitarras de Navidad Concert Nov. 22 at TAMIU

With Thanksgiving knocking on our doors, it'll soon be time to hear sleigh bells ring and guitars strum at Texas A&M International University’s 12th Annual “Guitarras de Navidad” Friday, Nov. 22 at 7:30 p.m. in the Center for the Fine and Performing Arts (CFPA) Recital Hall.

Sponsored by the TAMIU College of Arts and Sciences’ department of Fine and Performing Arts and co-sponsored by the Women’s City Club, this event is one of the University’s concert traditions and is free and open to the public. The program draws from the sounds of the season and features the TAMIU Classical Guitar Ensemble, directed by Dr. Gilberto D. Soto, professor of Music Education/Guitar.

“Among the brand-new selections the Ensemble will perform are special guitar arrangements of the famous Menuett by Luigi Bocherini, Granada by Issac Albeniz, Let it Be by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Si No Te Hubieras Ido by Marco Antonio Solís and other selections,” said Dr. Soto.

“The Ensemble will also present special Spanish arrangements of popular Christmas classics such as Noel for Guitars, O Santissima, and The Little Drummer Boy. To close the night, the public will be invited to sing along some of the traditional Christmas songs, including Angels We Have Heard on High, Silent Night, and “Joy to the World,” Soto added.

A special presentation of the famous Canon In D  by Johann Pachebel and the Hornpipe from George Frederick Handel’s Water Music includes a special performance by the department’s newest faculty addition, Dr. Colin A. Campbell, performing on the Sharkey Corrigan Organ.

Members of the TAMIU Guitar Ensemble include Patricia González, Jennifer Navarro, Mark Martínez, Alejandro Peña, José Sánchez, Leonel Salinas, Miguel Ruíz, José Macias, Roberto Coronado, and Jaime Almonte Bryan.

The Ensemble includes music major guitarists as well as instrumentalists from other disciplines who share experiences in the reading and performing of guitar literature for small instrumental ensembles.   It focuses on encouraging, pursuing and promoting scholastic and artistic studies of the guitar and has enriched the lives of students and community residents for more than 12 years by offering free cultural programs, concerts and other events at no cost. 

Active in the community, the Ensemble performs at numerous functions throughout the year.  It also promotes the cultural heritage of Laredo and the South Texas Region and goodwill as community ambassadors.  It is dedicated to the promotion of local talent and providing quality programming to the community.

For more information, please contact Dr. Soto at 326.3046, e-mail gsoto@tamiu.edu or visit offices in CFPA 216A.

For a list of upcoming arts events, click on tamiu.edu/coas/fpa/coe or for a recorded weekly calendar, please call 326.ARTS (2787).

Additional information is also available @txamiu on Facebook and Twitter.

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at prmis@tamiu.edu