SOCORRO, N.M. – Music lovers will be treated to a free classical concert Friday, Nov. 10, 2023, at New Mexico Tech’s Macey Center. Camerata del Sol, an innovative group of top-notch musicians from Las Cruces, El Paso and Ciudad Juárez, aims to bring unique chamber music experiences to the tristate borderlands region. The group’s performance in Socorro is the second of four free concerts sponsored by the 2023-2024 Presidential Chamber Music Series and the New Mexico Tech Performing Arts Series (NMT PAS).

The Nov. 10 concert at Macey Center will feature string quartet works by Jewish composers, including Osvaldo Golijov from Argentina; Felix Mendelssohn, a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period; and Alexander von Zemlinsky, an Austrian composer, conductor, and teacher.

The works to be performed include a stunning piece called Tenebrae by Golijov. This piece also happens to be very tragically topical, as it was written in response to violence in Israel and Palestine in 2001.  And two Romantic works: String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 13, noted as one of Mendelssohn’s  most passionate works, written when he was 18 years old; and String Quartet No. 1 in A Major, Op. 4, described as a “masterpiece,” by Alexander von Zemlinsky, who “garnered praise from the elderly Brahm.”.

PAS Director Ronna Kalish encourages students, community members and families to attend the free concert.

“We are excited and delighted to welcome Camerata Del Sol back to Socorro,” she said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to enjoy classical music performed by an outstanding regional ensemble. They were so well received in their concert last Spring.”

Founded by New Mexico State University professor and Latin Grammy award-winning violinist Daniel Vega-Albela, Camerata's mission is to fill an important gap in the regional musical scene by performing rarely-heard chamber music works. The flexible ensemble ranges in size from small chamber groups like duos, trios, quartets, to large chamber ensembles such as the string orchestra and sinfonietta. In addition to their role as a professional ensemble, the Camerata also serves as a training ensemble for exceptional students at New Mexico State University and the University of Texas at El Paso.

According to the music ensemble’s founder, Camerata Del Sol was conceived to explore the string ensemble repertoire that full symphonies seldom perform due to the large nature of those orchestras. Camerata Del Sol is a conductorless ensemble that requires each of its members to be responsible for bringing every score they prepare to life as well as to become an integral part of the creative process.

The Presidential Chamber Music Series, which sponsors several free concerts each season for NMT students and community members, began more than 30 years ago, conceived by Adam Gonzalez, a faculty member in the New Mexico Tech Music Program under Director Michael Iatauro. The tradition continues with sponsorship by NMT Interim President Dr. Daniel H. López. The next free community concert in the series will be Thursday, Jan. 18 2024, featuring the Alash Ensemble, Tuvan throat singers and instrumentalists. More info is at nmt.edu/pas