(dramatic orchestral music) - [Melissa] We are live at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis, with performances, interviews, and more.

- Music is exuberant.

- Beautiful and uplifting, - Joyful and profound.

- Exhilarating.

- [Melissa] This is Minnesota Orchestra.

(audience applauding) (audience cheering) - There we go.

Good evening!

Good evening and Buenas Noches.

Welcome to Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis.

I am William Eddins, your host for tonight's program, and what a program we have for you this evening.

This is the holiday season, and of course, one of the great traditions is Handel's "Messiah."

Tonight, you will hear a timely and unique rendition of this masterpiece, incorporating musical traditions from Latin America, and switching seamlessly between English and Spanish.

Choral ensemble, Border CrosSing, led by artistic director Ahmed Anzaldúa, joins the Minnesota Orchestra, El Mesías.

(audience applauding) (audience cheering) This is a wonderful bilingual cross-cultural fusion of George Frideric "Handel's Messiah" and "Navidad Nuestra," a Christmas cantata by Argentinian composer, Ariel Ramírez.

The choir, vocal soloists, Indian instruments, and Baroque orchestra blur the line between Western Classical and South American folk traditions.

And now it's my pleasure to welcome to the stage making his Minnesota Orchestra debut this evening, Ahmed Anzaldúa, the artistic director and founder of Border CrosSing, to introduce this wonderful evening that we have tonight.

(audience applauding) (audience cheering) Ahmed, we obviously already have a wonderful and enthusiastic audience here this evening.

Why don't you tell them what we're going to experience tonight?

- (chuckles) Thank you.

Today, what we're gonna hear is Part I of "Handel's Messiah" which is the nativity portion, the Christmas portion, as well as the "Hallelujah Chorus" and "Navidad Nuestra" by Ariel Ramírez.

But instead of performing them one and then the other, we've mashed them up into a single thing that we call "El Mesías."

So, the nativity story takes place in present day Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, and "Handel's Messiah" transplants this story to the 1700's in Great Britain and to a baroque classical sensibility.

So we hear this story brought alive by dances from that time, sicilianas and minuets, and arias sung in a sort of operatic style.

And "Navidad Nuestra" does share the same thing.

It transplants the nativity story to Argentina and Chile.

And the movements are brought alive by Andean folk songs and dances such as chacareras and huaynos and takidares.

So they're actually pretty similar, even though they're 300 years apart.

And what we found performing it, we've been doing this piece for the last five years in St. Paul on the West Side, is that these two pieces fit really well together.

Because they tell parallel stories, and they tell them from two different points of view.

And somehow, they bring out the best of each one.

So I found that "Navidad Nuestra" makes us listen to "Handel's Messiah" as if it's just the first time we've ever heard it.

And at the same time, people that are familiar with "Handel's Messiah" are often not familiar with "Navidad Nuestra," and my reaction has always been that I'm delighted by it.

"Navidad Nuestra" occupies a similar role in South American Spanish-speaking countries that "Handel's Messiah" does here in the States.

So when it's Christmas, every choir sings it, and people will often recognize movements such as "Los Reyes Magos", just like English speakers will often recognize the "Hallelujah Chorus" when they hear it.

And it's been wonderful working with this orchestra this whole week.

It's an honor for Border CrosSing singers and Andean Ensemble.

And we're very excited to bring this to you here.

- Ahmed Anzaldúa.

(audience applauding) Thank you all for coming this evening.

We are now honored to present "El Mesías" with the Minnesota Orchestra for your holiday enjoyment.

(audience applauding) (soft string music) (audience applauding) ("Messiah Symphony" by Handel) ("Comfort Ye, My People" by Handel) (soloist singing in Spanish) ♪ Speak ye comfortably ♪ ♪ To Jerusalem ♪ (soloist singing in Spanish) ♪ And cry unto her ♪ ♪ That her warfare ♪ ♪ Her warfare ♪ ♪ Is accomplished ♪ ♪ That her iniquity ♪ ♪ Is pardoned ♪ ♪ That her iniquity ♪ ♪ Is pardoned ♪ (soloist singing in Spanish) (soloist singing in Spanish) ("Ev'ry Valley Shall Be Exalted" by Handel) ♪ Every valley ♪ (soloist singing in Spanish) ♪ Shall be exalted ♪ (soloist singing in Spanish) ♪ And ev'ry moutain and hill made low ♪ (soloist singing in Spanish) ♪ The crooked straight, the crooked straight ♪ ♪ And the rough places plain ♪ ♪ And the rough places plain ♪ (soloist singing in Spanish) ♪ Every valley ♪ (soloist singing in Spanish) ♪ The crooked straight ♪ ♪ The crooked straight ♪ ♪ The crooked straight ♪ ♪ And the rough places plain ♪ ♪ And the rough places plain ♪ ♪ And the rough places plain ♪ ♪ The crooked ♪ ♪ Straight ♪ ♪ And the rough places ♪ ♪ Plain ♪ ♪ The rough places plain ♪ ("And the Glory of the Lord" by Handel) (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ And the glory, the glory of the Lord shall be revealed ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ And all flesh shall see it together ♪ ♪ And all flesh shall see it together ♪ ♪ And all flesh shall see it together ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ And all flesh shall see it together ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ And all flesh shall see it together ♪ ♪ The glory of the Lord ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ And all flesh, and all flesh, and all flesh ♪ ♪ Shall see it together ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ And all flesh, all flesh shall see it together ♪ ♪ For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it ♪ ♪ For the mouth of the Lord ♪ ♪ The mouth of the Lord ♪ ♪ Hath spoken ♪ ♪ It ♪ ("The Annunciation" by Ramírez) (choir singing in Spanish) (singing in Spanish) ("Thus Saith the Lord") (singing in Spanish) (singing in Spanish) (singing in Spanish) ("But Who May Abide the Day of His Coming?"

By Handel) (singing in Spanish) ♪ But who may abide ♪ ♪ The day of his coming ♪ ♪ And who shall stand when He appeareth ♪ ♪ And who shall stand ♪ ♪ When He appeareth ♪ (singing in Spanish) ♪ For He is like ♪ ♪ A refiner's fire ♪ ♪ For he is like ♪ ♪ A refiner's ♪ ♪ Fire ♪ ♪ Who shall stand ehen He appeareth ♪ ♪ For he is like a refiner's ♪ ♪ Fire ♪ ♪ For he is like a refiner's ♪ ♪ Fire ♪ ♪ And who shall stand when He appeareth ♪ ♪ But who may abide ♪ (soloist singing in Spanish) ♪ And who shall stand ♪ ♪ And who shall stand ♪ ♪ When he appeareth ♪ ♪ When he ♪ ♪ Appeareth ♪ ♪ For he is like ♪ ♪ A refiner's fire ♪ ♪ Like a refiner's fire ♪ ♪ And who shall stand when He ♪ ♪ When He appeareth ♪ ♪ And who shall stand ♪ ♪ When He appeareth ♪ ♪ For he is like ♪ ♪ A refiner's fire ♪ ♪ And who shall stand ♪ ♪ When He appeareth ♪ ♪ When He appeareth ♪ ♪ For he is like ♪ ♪ A refiner's ♪ ♪ Fire ♪ ♪ For He is like ♪ ♪ A refiner's ♪ ♪ Fire ♪ ("And He Shall Purify" by Handel) (choir singing in Spanish) (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ And He shall purify the sons of Levi ♪ ♪ The sons, the sons of Levi ♪ ♪ That they may offer unto ♪ ♪ The Lord an offering in righteousness ♪ ♪ In righteousness ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ And He shall purify ♪ ♪ Shall purify ♪ ♪ And He shall purify ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ And He shall purify ♪ ♪ And He shall purify the sons of Levi ♪ ♪ The sons of Levi ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ And he shall purify ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ That He shall purify, shall purify the sons of Levi ♪ ♪ That He shall purify ♪ ♪ The sons ♪ ♪ Of Levi ♪ ♪ Purify ♪ ♪ That He shall purify ♪ ♪ The sons of Levi ♪ ♪ That they may offer unto the Lord ♪ ♪ An offering in righteousness ♪ ♪ In righteousness ♪ ("The Pilgrimage" by Ramírez) (choir singing in Spanish) (choir singing in Spanish) (choir singing in Spanish) ("O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings to Zion" by Handel) (singing in Spanish) ♪ O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion ♪ ♪ Get thee up into the high mountain ♪ (singing in Spanish) ♪ O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem ♪ ♪ Lift up thy voice with strength ♪ ♪ Lift it up, be not afraid ♪ ♪ Say unto the cities of Judah ♪ ♪ Say unto the cities of Judah ♪ ♪ Behold ♪ ♪ Your God ♪ ♪ Behold ♪ ♪ Your God ♪ ♪ Say unto the cities of Judah ♪ ♪ Behold ♪ ♪ Your God ♪ (soloist singing in Spanish) ♪ Arise, shine, for thy light is come ♪ (soloist singing in Spanish) ♪ And the glory ♪ ♪ Of the Lord ♪ (soloist singing in Spanish) ♪ Is risen, is risen ♪ ♪ Upon thee ♪ (soloist singing in Spanish) ♪ O thou that tellest, o thou that tellest ♪ ♪ O thou that tellest, o thou that tellest ♪ ♪ Good tidings to Jerusalem, good tidings to Jerusalem ♪ ♪ Arise ♪ ♪ Arise ♪ ♪ Say unto the cities of Judah the glory of God ♪ ♪ Behold the glory of the Lord ♪ ♪ Is risen ♪ ♪ Upon thee ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ("For Behold, Darkness Shall Cover the Earth" by Handel) (soloist singing in Spanish) ♪ And His glory ♪ ♪ Shall be seen ♪ ♪ Upon thee ♪ (soloist singing in Spanish) ("The People That Walked in Darkness" by Handel) (soloist singing in Spanish) ♪ The people that walked ♪ ♪ That walked in darkness ♪ ♪ That walked in darkness ♪ ♪ The people that walked in darkness ♪ ♪ Have seen a great light ♪ (soloist singing in Spanish) ♪ And they that dwell ♪ ♪ That dwell in the land of the shadow ♪ ♪ Of death ♪ ♪ And they that dwell ♪ ♪ That dwell in the land ♪ ♪ That dwell in the land of the shadow ♪ ♪ Of death ♪ ♪ Upon them hath the light shineth ♪ (soloist singing in Spanish) ♪ Upon them hath the light shine ♪ ("The Birth" by Ramírez) (choir singing in Spanish) (choir continues singing in Spanish) ("For Unto Us a Child is Born" by Handel) (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ For unto us a child is born ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ For unto us a child is born ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ And the government shall be upon His shoulder ♪ ♪ And the government shall be upon His shoulder ♪ ♪ And the government shall be upon His shoulder ♪ ♪ And his name shall be called ♪ ♪ Wonderful ♪ ♪ Counselor ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ The Prince of Peace ♪ ♪ Unto us a child is born ♪ ♪ Unto us a child is born ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ Unto us a child is born ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ And the government shall be upon His shoulder ♪ ♪ And the government shall be upon His shoulder ♪ ♪ And his name, and his name shall be called ♪ ♪ Wonderful ♪ ♪ Counselor ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ The Prince of Peace ♪ ♪ Unto us a child is born ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ Born, unto us a child is born ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ Unto us a Son is given ♪ ♪ And the government shall be, shall be upon His shoulder ♪ ♪ And the government shall be, shall be upon His shoulder ♪ ♪ And the government shall be upon His shoulder ♪ ♪ And his name shall called wonderful ♪ ♪ Counselor ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ And the Prince of Peace ♪ ♪ Unto us a child is born ♪ ♪ Unto us a child is born ♪ ♪ Unto us a Son is given ♪ ♪ Unto us a Son is given ♪ ♪ Unto us a Son is given ♪ ♪ And the government, and the government ♪ ♪ Shall be upon His shoulder ♪ ♪ And the government, the government ♪ ♪ Shall be upon His shoulder ♪ ♪ And his name shall called wonderful ♪ ♪ Counselor ♪ ♪ The Mighty God, the Everlasting Father ♪ ♪ The Prince of Peace ♪ (singing in Spanish) ♪ The Prince of Peace ♪ (audience applauding) (audience cheering) - You've been listening to music from part one of "Handel's Messiah", and the first three parts of "Navidad Nuestra" by Ariel Ramírez.

A performance with the Minnesota Orchestra joined by Border CrosSing, which tonight includes a choir of 24 singers and a band of five musicians playing an array of instruments from South America.

Conductor Ahmed Anzaldúa is the founder of Border CrosSing, and tonight he's making his Minnesota Orchestra debut, asking those instrumentalists to stand.

And also our soloists tonight.

They include alto Gabriela Solis, tenors Matthew Valverde, and Juan Carlos Mendoza, and bass Justin Staebell.

I'm Melissa Ousley, your radio host, and Bill Eddins is backstage tonight.

Hey there, Bill.

- [Bill] How are you, Melissa?

- I am so good.

I think the word of the night for me is transitions.

And I'm just amazed at going from Spanish to English, the two ensembles, the two different pieces.

When the charango joined the orchestra at the end of that chorus "and the Glory of the Lord", and then they launched into the Ramírez, I practically fell outta my chair.

- Yes, it's really been amazing.

Transitions are, of course, the the things that we trip over the most when we're professional musicians.

You get into a middle of a piece and things just are going along and everything's fine.

But you get those little corners in there, and that's where you tend to trip.

And it's been really interesting hearing how this has all come together, and there's almost just seamless transitions from the Handel to the Ramírez.

- Yeah.

Another one that really made me smile happened just a few minutes ago, and that was "For Unto Us a Child Is Born".

Just before that is a section from the Ramírez called "The Birth", and we don't get that in "The Messiah".

- No, we don't.

Handel kind of glosses over the birth a little bit.

He's just, okay, the child is here, let's get on with it, because it's an Easter oratorial.

But here with the Ramírez, it's all about the wonderful birth scene.

And it's really great how they tie it in together.

- Speaking of birth, word has it today is your birthday?

- Guilty as charged.

- Oh, Bill, happy birthday.

Thank you for spending it with us.

- It's my pleasure, Melissa.

Well thank you, everyone, and thank you, Melissa.

Every culture has its own singing tradition.

Our friends at Border CrosSing set out to integrate historically segregated vocal traditions, and their audiences, through choral music.

Let's learn more about this unique ensemble.

- I came to the United States in 2012, sorta fleeing the cartel violence in Mexico.

And I went to Michigan to get a master's degree in piano performance.

And while I was there, I just absolutely fell in love with choral music.

Oddly enough, it was "Messiah" that convinced me that I really wanted to go into choral music.

I landed on the University of Minnesota.

I really wanted to study with Kathy Romey, and I was lucky enough to be accepted into her program as a doctoral student.

And during my first year there, that's when I started Border CrosSing.

Back in 2017, Border CrosSing was a small group that I started with some friends.

I am Mexican-Egyptian, and in classical music and choral music, and I wasn't seeing my culture represented the way I wanted to on the stage.

There was a lot of music I wanted to hear.

So I got a bunch of friends together and started performing Latin American music here in the Twin Cities.

And over time we realized that it had to be about more than just Latin American music.

(classical choral music) The Twin Cities is affectionately known as the city of 10,000 choirs.

There is a choir in every corner, but it is segregated, in that we are all doing our own thing in our own little pockets, and not really aware of what other people are doing.

And there's a vibrant immigrant culture in town, and we don't realize how we can connect with each other.

So Border CrosSing is an organization dedicated to integrating a choral landscape that is segregated right now.

We really do believe that the work we do is really the work of relationship.

You know, I can say our mission over and over again, "To integrate a historically segregated choral landscape", but ultimately, when I say "to integrate", what I'm really talking about is to build and create relationships where there aren't any.

- I feel that Ahmed's work with Border CrosSing is absolutely essential to our choral community in terms of broadening our work, our thinking, our connection with audiences in terms of access and breaking down barriers.

- Border CrosSing is an organization that includes a community chorus, a professional chorus, a sheet music publishing, an educational program.

So it's got a wide variety of branches and things that we do.

Heritage Choir is a really old idea in our organization.

So in our third year, we finally got enough funding and enough people involved to make it happen.

And then the pandemic hit.

- Your vocal parts, it's like another Kina to me.

- Then it turned into a podcast series because we couldn't meet in person, but people were still connecting using Zoom.

And this was all motivated by my friend Natalia Romero Arbeláez, who's a wonderful choral singer, educator, performer.

Very quickly I realized that she was much more capable and qualified to lead something like Heritage Choir than I am.

- I feel like community is formed in two ways quickly, around a table like breaking bread or sharing a meal with someone, or when you get to make art with somebody.

(upbeat choir music) (singing in Spanish) Heritage Choir, when we envisioned it, was this idea to create like a place for people seeking a musical home, right?

And Heritage Choir is about our stories, and how music intertwines with our life, our culture, our heritage.

It's an interesting mix of people.

Some of the community that is part of Heritage Choir is Latino or Chicano.

So for some of us it's about getting to sing in Spanish and make music in Spanish.

Other people just love singing in Spanish, and they haven't found a place where they can do it.

(Natalia singing in Spanish) One of the areas that I really have been pushing is education and community outreach.

And then now, more formally, I'm working as our education coordinator with a Chorus America Grant that we received where we're working with four partner schools and bringing in residencies, musicians.

And my role is to kind of create curriculum centered around what teachers need, and what Border CrosSing has or where we can, you know, provide our expertise into the classroom.

- Education is a big pillar of Border CrosSing's work, simply because a lot of the music that we perform is not taught in music schools.

A lot of teachers don't know how to do it, or feel a little worried about approaching repertoire that they're not culturally familiar with.

So we started visiting schools, at first as part of Class Notes, a program that is run by Minnesota Classical Public Radio.

And then we started a partnership with Chorus America and we started own educational program this year.

We really want to create something that's sustainable, and I'm hoping that the students that are listening to our performances now will be future ensemble members, audience members, supporters, or just people that sing and play, and appreciate their cultural heritage or others in any way.

- And what I think is so exciting is to see how much the ensemble has connected with many different parts of our community.

Whether that's through education, whether that's through civic performances, professional performances, recording.

I think that Ahmed has really brought an incredible vision to his work with Border CrosSing, and there are no limits for Ahmed.

- The Minnesota audiences are smart and nuanced, and they are used to good music.

My dream is for us to be a nationally recognized organization, and to keep sharing this idea of we live in communities where so many of us are crossing borders, so many of us exist in this duality, so let's find music, or let's program music, or let's commission music that reflects those identities.

- It was sort of unexpected that of all places in the world, that St. Paul, Minnesota was a place where exciting things in Latin American music were all of a sudden happening.

It's been wonderful to see how Border CrosSing is growing into a larger and larger community, not just in the Twin Cities, also abroad.

(lively choral music) This is also the first time that I've looked at Border CrosSing and felt a certainty that we're still gonna be here 10 years from now.

- (chuckles) Really meaningful play on words by Ahmed Border-Cross-Sing.

Well, now it's my pleasure to introduce a gentleman I first met some 30 years ago when I first moved here to Minnesota, my friend Manny Laureano, the longtime principal trumpet of the Minnesota Orchestra.

Welcome, Manny.

- Bill, it's great to get a chance to talk to you, and do a little off camera reminiscing.

- (laughs) Absolutely!

We gotta give a shout out to our friend Doc Severinsen, who would love this tonight.

He would really love this.

- And you know what he'd love, I think, is the incredible variety - Absolutely.

- of the evening, right?

I mean, from being able to hear something that's so familiar, and then in the middle of it, turning to Spanish, and then suddenly you hear an accordion, and then you hear the harpsichord.

I mean, there's just so much going on in all this.

And what it reminds me of is when I was growing up in New York City, in East Harlem, since we're both New Yorkers.

And being able to have conversations with all of my Puerto Rican mates, start off in Spanish, finish in English, start in English, finish in Spanish.

I mean, then that's what this whole night is like.

So it's really, really a delight.

- The glory of Spanglish.

- Right, Spanglish!

- Spanglish, and when that became part of the actual national conversation.

- Absolutely.

- Yeah, it was wonderful, wonderful.

So listen, you're obviously trumpet player.

The trumpet doesn't really appear that often in "Messiah", but when it does, it's very prominent.

But that it only appears in a couple of the pieces, it gives you a lot of time to observe what's going on.

What have you observed, the differences between "Handel's Messiah" and tonight's "El Mesías"?

- I have just so enjoyed what Ahmed has done in terms of taking a Baroque style interpretation and being able to to kind of cross it with the very polyphonic character of what Mr. Ramírez has also done.

It makes you look at the piece in a very, very different way.

And I'm just enjoying sitting back for a change and just seeing the artistry within the artistry, in other words, genius reveals itself by showing the possibilities of what can happen, not just what is there.

- Right, exactly.

Well, you know what we've gotta do?

We've gotta contact our buddy Doc, and we've gotta send him a link to this.

He would absolutely love it.

- No, he'd watch it over and over.

- Over and over.

Thank you so much for being here tonight, Manny.

It's been a real pleasure.

We look forward to hearing you in the second half of "El Mesías".

- Thank you so much, Bill.

- So we've also heard tonight how Ahmed Anzaldúa has masterfully woven together Spanish and English texts in "El Mesías", and considered the cross-cultural complexities of the translations.

So let's listen to how Ahmed conceived of and constructed this piece.

(elegant classical music) - "El Mesías" was one of the very first programs that Border CrosSing started.

I wanted to perform a concert at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in September of 2017.

Initially, it was just gonna be a simple thing with piano and a few singers.

And then somehow we managed to raise some money and were able to hire an orchestra and get more singers involved, and the Minnesota Chorale jumped in.

Then, as we were putting it together, we realized that in that space it was okay to perform "Messiah", but wouldn't it be fun if some of this were in Spanish.

So we started translating it to Spanish.

"Navidad Nuestra" is a cantara that in South America gets performed for Christmas all the time, wouldn't it be cool if we perform this?

So then we performed "Messiah" and "Navidad Nuestra".

So what is "Mesías"?

"Messias" is a mashup of "Navidad Nuestra" and "Handel's Messiah" part one.

This piece can't all be in Spanish.

There was more power in the two languages interacting with each other and going back and forth and just hearing it once.

The other thing that I realized is that I can't just make up text.

That made it tricky because that meant finding words that had the same number of syllables, finding words that had the accent on the right syllable, (chuckles) so that it matched with the music.

And also there are things where Handel does text painting, where a really famous passage is in the aria, "Every Valley".

You have (plays piano notes) ♪ The crooked ♪ So on the word crooked you have all these notes going up, ♪ Straight ♪ and just a single note on the word straight.

Or when the soloist sings the word "plain".

♪ Plain ♪ (soft piano music) It's just these long notes.

So that also needed to match.

In the Spanish translation, when we say (speaks Spanish), we need to make sure that when the soloist is actually saying the word torcido, the melody is twisting around.

But then as we were going "Messiah", and you know, a lot of music that we performed from hundreds of years ago has elements that are problematic now or insensitive now that weren't considered so back then.

With "Messiah", there's been books written about the anti-Semitic language in part two, and so the anti-Semitic and ableist language in part one.

And as I was translating, I realized that some of those Spanish translations that I was looking at didn't have the same issues.

An example I really like is the recitative before "He Shall Feed His Flock" and "The Eyes of the Blind Shall be Opened" because I have a friend in choir who's blind, and she always sort of cringed at the words ♪ And the eyes of the eye blind shall be opened ♪ But the Spanish translation isn't "the blind", it's (speaks Spanish), "the ones that will not see".

In our opinion, it's a little bit more deeper, and in some ways more profound.

(lively classical music) This is the first time that we are performing the entirety of part one of "Messiah" in this translation.

And in the second half we have the new translation of "He Shall Feed His Flock" with the recitative right before it, then "The Eyes of the Blind Shall be Opened".

And we're also performing in the second half the full pifa.

So every time we perform this, we're adding a bit that's new, and trying to just make it better every time.

A few years ago the Minnesota Orchestra, they took this fabulous initiative to perform one of my favorite pieces in the world, which is "La Pasión según San Marcos" by Argentine composer Osvaldo Golijov.

And they were going to collaborate with La Schola Cantorum de Venezuela, but the Venezuelan singers couldn't all come.

And the only really local choir that was equipped to do a piece like that was Border CrosSing.

So that was our first collaboration with the Minnesota Orchestra.

Border CrosSing performed for "La Pasión" with Venezuelan conductor Maria Guinand.

- Border CrosSing, from the very first moment I met them was a choir, not only beautifully prepared, but so intelligent to learn what was behind the notes, what was the cultural process and the cultural message of "La Pasión".

I think that also the work that was done by the Orchestra, being so concentrated, so close together to the singers, the scenic proposal that Marcela was creating.

All that was a mixture of elements that produced unique experience for the audience.

And we felt from the audience, we felt that gratitude and that reaction and response.

- I worked with members of Border CrosSing very closely in a capacity, not only as stage director, but as movement coach for them.

I just applaud every time that an institution takes such huge risks, because the payoffs are enormous.

And what we learned from that, and what the orchestra contributed to the community is huge.

- So we all felt that we should do something again (chuckles) at some point, as we tend to say.

So I reached out and said, hey, we would love to do "Mesías" with the Orchestra.

This is the first time that only Border CrosSing will be on stage with the Minnesota Orchestra as equal musical partners.

The part that I'm most excited about is that the third performance we get to take the Minnesota Orchestra with us to Church the Ascension.

- For so many Spanish speakers to hear this particular piece of music, hearing the familiar tunes, but in another tongue, hearing the lyric differently, that only affirms what we're trying to do in this community in bringing people of very different life experience and cultures.

I mean, this collaboration with Minnesota Orchestra is so wonderful because, of course, the culture of encounter, which is at the heart of Border CrosSing, might touch a lot of folks.

- When I have to explain what "Mesías" is all about in a short sentence, it's just really hard because that's not how it was created.

It sort of came together and we kept adding pieces to it.

I remember a review we got about it a couple of years ago where the reviewer said, "You know, on paper this feels like it shouldn't work, but it does, it somehow works."

- A fascinating look behind the genesis, pun intended, of "El Mesías".

This kind of collaborative organic creation is not what we're necessarily used to in classical music.

This genre is dominated by the single composer who provides their vision of something, a symphony, a conchero or whatever.

But on occasion, the opposite happens.

And what seems like random elements can come together to make something ingenious and beautiful.

So intermission is coming to an end here at Orchestra Hall, and I'll see you on stage in a few minutes.

(audience chattering) (audience applauding) Welcome back, everyone.

We hope you're enjoying the evening and the magic of the season.

(audience applauding) (audience cheering) So we come now to the core of tonight's performance of "El Mesías", and it's also the most intimate part, with the focus squarely on the Holy family and the newborn Christ figure.

Now interestingly enough, though, our two composers, Handel and Ramírez approach this part of the story in very different ways.

For Handel, once the birth of the Christ is announced by the angel, and the glory to God chorus is sung, with of course, the chorus of angels enhanced by heavenly trumpets, he quickly moves on to the stories of Christ's healing and redemption, and then on to the Passion, part the second, and the Day of Judgment part the third.

Remember, "Handel's Messiah" is an Easter oratorio, and so his focus is on the events of the Holy Week, the Resurrection and the End of Days.

But for Ramírez, the Birth of Christ and the ensuing stories of the Christian mythos are the centerpiece of his "Navidad Nuestra".

This is a true Christmas oratorio, and even though the stories are not part of "Handel's Messiah", they will be familiar to anyone from the Christian tradition.

First, Los Pastores, the shepherds in the field who bring the simple gifts of flowers and herbs.

Then they are the three Magi, the kings, right, Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar, who bring the regal gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

And lastly, Ramírez set La Huida, the flight to Egypt, the escape from the threat of King Herod.

Ramírez focuses on the child Christ, leaving the stories of the Passion and the Day of Judgment to others.

One other thing to mention this evening, despite its rapturous reception in Dublin in 1742, "Messiah" was slow to catch on in London.

And Handel made numerous revisions to the score over the years in order to try and widen its public appeal.

"Navidad Nuestra", however, was embraced immediately in Latin America and became wildly popular from its premiere.

A personal observation, I worked in Dublin as the principal guest conductor of that orchestra for five years.

And I always used to chuckle whenever I walked past the place where a "Messiah" was premiered.

In typical Irish humor, the pub on the corner is called, wait for it, The Handel Bar.

(audience laughing) I couldn't make that up, I really couldn't.

Thank you all for being here this evening.

Enjoy the rest of "El Mesías", and come back and see us again.

Thank you, and goodnight.

(audience applauding) (soft string music) (audience applauding) ("Pifa" by Handel) (There Were Shepherds Abiding in the Fields" by Handel) (soloist singing in Spanish) ♪ And suddenly there were with the angels ♪ ♪ A multitude of our Heavenly Hosts ♪ ♪ Praising God, and saying ♪ ♪ Glory to God, ♪ ♪ Glory to God in the Highest ♪ ♪ And peace ♪ ♪ On Earth ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ Good will toward men ♪ ♪ Toward men ♪ ♪ Good will ♪ ♪ Good will toward men ♪ ♪ Good will toward men ♪ ♪ Glory to God ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ And peace ♪ ♪ On Earth ♪ ♪ Good will toward men, good will toward men ♪ ♪ Good will, good will, good will, good will ♪ ♪ Good will, good will, good will, good will toward men ♪ ♪ Good will ♪ ♪ Toward men ♪ ("The Shepherd" by Ramírez) (choir singing in Spanish) ("Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion" by Handel) ♪ Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice greatly ♪ ♪ Rejoice, o daughter of Zion ♪ ♪ O daughter of Zion, rejoice, ♪ ♪ Rejoice ♪ ♪ Rejoice ♪ ♪ O daughter of Zion ♪ ♪ Rejoice greatly ♪ ♪ Shout, o daughter of Jerusalem ♪ ♪ Behold, thy King cometh unto thee ♪ ♪ Behold, thy King cometh unto thee ♪ ♪ Cometh unto thee ♪ (soloist singing in Spanish) ♪ Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice greatly ♪ ♪ Rejoice ♪ ♪ Greatly ♪ ♪ O daughter of Zion ♪ ♪ Shout, o daughter of Jerusalem ♪ ♪ Behold, thy King cometh unto thee ♪ ♪ Rejoice ♪ ♪ Rejoice ♪ ♪ And shout, shout, shout, shout ♪ ♪ Rejoice ♪ ♪ Greatly ♪ ♪ Rejoice greatly, o daughter of Zion ♪ ♪ Shout, o daughter of Jerusalem ♪ ♪ Behold, thy King cometh unto thee ♪ ♪ Behold, thy King cometh ♪ ♪ Unto thee ♪ ("Then Shall the Eyes of the Blind be Opened" by Handel) (soloist singing in Spanish) ("He Shall Feed His Flock Like a Shepherd" by Handel) (soloist singing in Spanish) ♪ He shall feed his flock ♪ ♪ Like a shepherd ♪ ♪ And He shall gather ♪ ♪ The lambs with His arm ♪ ♪ With His arm ♪ ♪ And carry them ♪ ♪ In His bosom ♪ ♪ And gently lead those ♪ ♪ That are ♪ ♪ With young ♪ (soloist singing in Spanish) ♪ And gently ♪ ♪ Lead those that are ♪ ♪ With young ♪ ♪ Come unto ♪ ♪ Him ♪ ♪ All ye that labor ♪ ♪ Come unto Him ♪ ♪ All ye ♪ ♪ That are heavy laden ♪ ♪ And He will give you rest ♪ ♪ Come unto ♪ ♪ Him ♪ ♪ All ye that labor ♪ ♪ Come unto Him all ye ♪ ♪ That are heavy laden ♪ ♪ And He will give you rest ♪ ♪ Take His yoke ♪ ♪ Upon you ♪ ♪ And learn ♪ ♪ Of Him ♪ ♪ For He is ♪ ♪ Meek ♪ ♪ And lowly of heart ♪ (soloist singing in Spanish) ♪ And ye shall find rest ♪ ♪ Unto ♪ ♪ Your soul ♪ (soloist singing in Spanish) ("His Yoke is Easy") (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ His yoke is easy, so easy ♪ ♪ His burden is light, his burden is light ♪ ♪ His yoke is easy ♪ ♪ His burden, his burden ♪ ♪ His burden is light ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ His burden, his burden is light ♪ ♪ His burden is light ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ His burden is light ♪ ♪ His burden, His burden is light ♪ ♪ His yoke is easy, easy ♪ ♪ His burden is light ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ His yoke is easy ♪ ♪ His burden is light ♪ ♪ His burden is light ♪ ♪ His burden, His burden, His burden is light ♪ ♪ His burden is light ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ His burden is light, His burden is light ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ His burden is light ♪ ♪ His burden is light ♪ ♪ His burden ♪ ♪ Is light ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ His yoke is easy, his burden is light ♪ ♪ His yoke is easy ♪ ♪ And his burden ♪ ♪ Is ♪ ♪ Light ♪ ("The Three Kings" by Ramírez) (choir singing in Spanish) (singers cheering) (choir singing in Spanish) ("Hallelujah!"

by Handel) ♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ For the Lord God ♪ ♪ Omnipotent reigneth ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ For the Lord God ♪ ♪ Omnipotent reigneth ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ For the Lord God ♪ ♪ Omnipotent reigneth ♪ ♪ For the Lord God ♪ ♪ Omnipotent reigneth ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ For the Lord God ♪ ♪ Omnipotent reigneth ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ The kingdom of this world ♪ ♪ Is become ♪ ♪ The kingdom of our Lord ♪ ♪ And of His Christ, and of His Christ ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ King of kings ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ And Lord of lords ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ King of kings ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ And Lord of lords ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ King of kings ♪ ♪ Forever and ever, hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ And Lord of lords ♪ ♪ King of kings and Lord of lords ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ King of kings ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ King of kings and Lord of lords ♪ ♪ King of kings and Lord of lords ♪ ♪ And He shall reign forever ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ Forever and ever ♪ (choir singing in Spanish) ♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ("The Flight" by Ramírez) (choir singing in Spanish) (audience applauding) (audience cheering) (audience chattering)