In Celebration of the Human Voice - The Essential Musical Instrument
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This exceptional ensemble, founded by its director Jose Galvan in 1990, has focused its artistic energy on the highly colorful arena of Mexican culture; nevertheless, it is capable of interpreting with equal success a wide variety of music, from pieces of Mexican colonial polyphony from the 16th and 17th centuries, songs in native tongues and/or with African influences, up to folklore and music of living Mexican concert composers. As if this repertoire weren't versatile enough, the group has also presented programs consisting of European composers, including motets and madrigals; Latin-American music, from tangos to Cuban music and Brazilian bossa-nova; negro spirituals, etc., etc. It is within the context of this great talent, vocal aplomb, charisma, and interpretative flair, in which each member of Voz en Punto places his or her own seal. The end result is an audience which becomes-to quote the group's press notes-"Ecstatic", "On Fire", or "Delirious". Such adjectives would hardly seem to describe a vocal group which achieves its effects without the aid of microphones or other paraphernalia. Voz en Punto is, indeed, the irrefutable proof that the voice is the most glorious instrument which humankind has always had at its disposition. The quintet began to make itself known by becoming the first Mexican vocal group to emerge triumphant in the world's most prestigious specialized competitions. While its members were still students at the National University's Music School, Voz en Punto took Second Place honors in the International Choral Festival held in Tampere, Finland in 1991. In 1995 the ensemble won Second Prize in the International Choral Festival of the Low Countries, receiving this distinction from the hands of some of the world's most important figures in this genre, such as The King's Singers' Simon Carrington, John Potter-founder of the Hilliard Ensemble-and The Swingle Singers' creator, Ward Swingle. Since these auspicious beginnings, Voz en Punto has set out on a meteoric career, having won over audiences in countries such as Germany, France, Russia, Switzerland, Austria, Finland, the U.S., Egypt, and -naturally- Mexico, where they have become established concert artists and were awarded the Mexican Music and Theater Critics' Circle annual award as among the "Most Outstanding" of 2001. In the realm of recordings, the group's CD "Mexico a Capella" (Quindecim, QP 118) was one of the winners during the Second Tribune of Mexican Music in 2002 within the Folklore category; this same CD was later chosen to represent Mexico at the Tenth Musical Tribune of Latin America and the Caribbean, where it racked up yet another resounding triumph, resulting in the selection of four of its pieces to form a permanent part of UNESCO's International Council of Music's archives. In December of 2003, Voz en Punto's CD "Mexico en Navidad" ("Christmas in Mexico") (Quindecim, QP 111) became the season's number-one seller in Mexico's record stores, and by March of 2004, was declared the winner of the Vice-Regal category in the Fourth Tribune of Mexican Music. Awards |
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