Naperville Chorus features renown bandoneonist Richard Scofano May 6

The Naperville Chorus will present Martin Palmeri's "Misa a Buenos Aires," a tango Mass, and Vivaldi's "Magnificat," both with full professional orchestra, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 6, at the Wentz Concert Hall on the campus of North Central College in Naperville.

Misa a Buenos Aires was written by Martin Palmeri in 1995-1996 in the Nuevo Tango musical style. It is an Ordinary Mass in Latin, in a Latin American musical style. The accompaniment makes use of a string orchestra and a bandoneon, an Argentinian instrument similar to the accordion. The bandoneon was developed in Germany and made its way to Latin America, where its history is intertwined with that of tango music.

Richard Scofano, a superlative master of the bandoneón, was born in Paso de los Libres, Argentina. Descendant of three generations of bandoneón players, Scofano is considered one of today's most important bandoneonists. Beyond his recognized virtuosity at his instrument, Scofano is also an accomplished composer (creator of the New Chamamé), arranger, producer and musical director. He began his studies at the age of five, with his father Ricardo Scofano, a living legend in the Argentine musical genre of Chamamé. Scofano grew up in an environment surrounded by music and folkloric traditions and, thanks to the support of his family, quickly became an expert and an authority in both Chamamé and Tango. At the age of fifteen, he graduated as Master of Music. At eighteen he was named the first bandoneonist at the Folkloric Orchestra of Corrientes. Richard always nurtured interest for the music of Paraguay and Brazil (neighboring countries) and is passionate about the study of the European classical traditions. In 2015 Richard wrote the score for the This is Tango Now's production of Carmen de Buenos Aires, a 90-minute work inspired on the music of G. Bizet. This past October 2016 Scofano premiered his Concerto for Bandoneón and Orchestra, the IBERÁ, with the Oistrakh Symphony Orchestra of Chicago (IL) under conductor Mina Zikri.

Accompanying the tango mass the Chorus will also treat its audience with a performance of the rarely heard Magnificat by Antonio Vivaldi.

Tickets for this event are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $10 for students. Tickets may be purchased by phone (630) 637-SHOW (7469), at finearts.northcentralcollege.edu, or in person from the North Central College Box Office located in the Fine Arts Center and Wentz Concert Hall (open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For more information please go to napervillechorus.org.