Chamber players take reservations for Easter season serenades

The Camerata Del Sol Chamber Players, under the direction of violinists Amalia Zeitlin and Daniel Vega-Albela, is offering a Serenade Special in various locations throughout Las Cruces and El Paso, to commemorate the Lent, Easter and Mother’s Day season.

“We are a flexible ensemble,” said artistic director Vega-Albela. “This would have been our third-year concert for Easter and Lent. Instead, what we are offering this year is a short 20-minute concert we can perform for private occasions, driveway serenades.”

Vega-Albela and his cohorts started the chamber orchestra group to serve the Las Cruces and El Paso areas at an affordable cost, providing classical music for everyone.

“The whole point is that symphonies are very large groups and perform works for larger groups,” he said. “Most are not interested in smaller venues and smaller pieces. There is a whole swath of work intended for smaller string groups.”

Camerata Del Sol also functions as a training ensemble and works with the more advanced students at New Mexico State University and the University of Texas-El Paso. Vega-Albela is a violin professor at NMSU.

The group has anywhere from two to more than 20 musicians at any given time. In addition to offering their Easter slate to folks at home, they will be playing for some local churches this season.

“We wanted to offer the opportunity to have beautiful music,” he said. “If you want 20-plus minutes of beautiful music in your backyard, contact us.”

Camerata del Sol is asking for donations of $170 per performance, which features the music of Georg Friedrich Händel and Johann Sebastian Bach. The funds gathered are for musicians and music programs. They provide free music instruction for high school students in the area.

On this occasion, Camerata Del Sol Chamber Players join forces with soprano Heather Dials, who makes her debut with the ensemble.

Dials is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. She made her New York debut at Alice Tully Hall – part of the Carnegie Hall complex – at the age of 21, while still a student at Curtis. She has shared the stage with many of today’s biggest names in opera including Luciano Pavarotti, Juan Diego Florez, Anna Netrebko, Eric Owens and Stephanie Blythe, among others.

In her role as Anne Trulove in “The Rake’s Progress,” Opera News wrote, “Ms. Dials was sublime in the slower, melancholy passages. Her last-act lullaby was ravishing.”

Dials has won numerous awards and competitions including the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions, first place in the Rosa Ponselle International Competition and first place in the Mario Lanza Competition.

 “[the Serenade Special] is a unique musical selection that we put together in honor of a holiday or special occasion, such as Lent or Easter, Mother's Day,” Camerata Del Sol’s Executive Director Amalia Zeitlin said. “Whether you are observing Lent or Easter, or you simply love beautiful music, we hope this program will bring you comfort and solace in what has been a difficult year for all.”

To book a Serenade Special, contact Amalia Zeitlin at director@cameratadelsol.org. For more information about the group, visit www.cameratadelsol.org.