For all the Saints - Latin American Baroque

Orchestra of New Spain opens its 38th season at Christ the King Catholic Church on Sunday, October 18, with a program titled For all the Saints. It's the first concert of the 26/27 season for the AT&T Performing Arts Center, and it kicks off the orchestra's broader theme for the year, Looking South Anew, which puts the spotlight on composers from Mexico and South America.

The music comes from archives in Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, Cuba, and Brazil, and was written in honor of venerated saints and sacred images. It's Baroque music from the Iberian New World—cathedrals, churches, and missions that produced work rivaling that of Seville, Toledo, or Zaragoza. Much of it was written for religious use, but it carries a secular lean, influenced by Spanish theatrical music and Italianate opera. The program features Spanish, Italian, and Criollo composers, including Antonio de Salazar, Manuel de Sumaya, and Juan de Araujo.

Guest conductor Billy Traylor is leading the ensemble. He's a doctoral candidate in musicology at the University of North Texas and the founder and artistic director of the Austin Baroque Orchestra. Along with the archived works, he's bringing in devotional pieces of his own choosing to round out the set.

The concert is at 6 PM on Sunday, October 18, at Christ the King Catholic Church, 8017 Preston Rd, Dallas, TX 75225. Tickets are $30, with a $10 student price.