A Plea for Venezuela (La Pasión según San Marcos)
This summer, the Minnesota Orchestra as part of its yearly Sommerfest decided to program works of Hispanic origin. As part of the endeavor, they brought Venezuelan composer María Guinand to conduct the work with which she is most famously associated, La Pasión según San Marcos by Osvaldo Golijov. The work calls for three specialized percussionists, jazz piano, plucked bass, operatic soprano solo, Brazilian jazz mezzo solo, capoeira dancers, string orchestra, brass, and a chorus that utilizes extended techniques throughout. The performers become a family as they put together one of the most difficult modern works in the choral-orchestral repertoire. To my knowledge, the work has never been performed with chorus members not part of the Schola Cantorum de Venezuela, a choir that has premiered worked by Pederecki and Adams, among other composers, in their history.
Rehearsal for La Pasión with conductor María Guinand
I became a member of this chorus because of the troubles that have occurred in Venezuela that played a part in the United States closing their embassies and consulates in the country. For members of the Schola to fly to the United States, they would have to visit the U. S. consulate in Bogota, Columbia. That was a hardship not feasible to execute, and so they found additional singers outside of the MSP area to join with Schola alumni who are now living in the United States and a core of MSP singers to mount La Pasión.
As María arrived and coached the chorus, she shared the problems that Venezuela has experienced and her hope and assuredness that good times will come again in her country. I felt for her situation and lamented with her that her colleagues could not come to sing with us. Although her country is in a dire situation, she continues her work as a conductor and ambassador for the people of Venezuela.
Our rehearsal of La Pasión
My plea to those around me is to consider how we may help this woman who has touched so many around her with her music and continues to look forward to a better future. We should bring this woman to share her story with as many people as will listen. It is a story that transcends political posturing and promotes patriotism and hope for happiness and security. Moreover, La Pasión is a singular work that María knows better than almost anyone else and people deserve to know the monumental accomplishment of Golijov and her interpretation of it. I hope that it will be performed in every major venue in the United States.
Finally, those who have means and feel strongly about her mission can donate to the Fundación Schola Cantorum de Venezuela and directly impact a non-profit organization that has contributed to the lives of people around the globe, but especially the people of Venezuela.