On Dec. 8, Atherton Auditorium was treated to a Fiesta, specifically the Fiesta Barroca.
Put together by Dr. Bruce Southard, Delta College instructor of choral studies, Fiesta Barroca was a concert that took a journey through the history of Mexican music dating back to the 16th century.
“A part of the reason for presenting it was because a lot of that music was what was performed in missions in California,” said Southard.
It celebrated the music of the Mexican Baroque and California Mission eras.
The vocalists and musicians also performed songs from modern day artists such as: Sumaya, Padilla, Franco, Zespedes, Sancho and Fernandez.
“When I came here last year, one of the first things I saw were posters for different events and I thought there’s gotta be music that is historical, that fits a choir setting,” said Southard.
Delta College Choirs, Delta Singers and Delta’s Guitar Ensemble were brought together to perform the musical classics.
The groups made performing in the words of a different language look easy.
“That was the toughest part for me personally, there would be times when syllables would be on the same note, there would be two syllables on a note and you had to fit them within the note and it was really hard, the fluidity was hard to do,” said Nick Anhorn, a member of the Delta College Choirs.
The learning process may have been tough but when it was show time, Anhorn and the rest of the performers executed.
“Repetition, I just had to keep looking at it, understanding how to pronounce everything, understanding where each syllable fit and just singing it over, and over, and over and over again until it felt natural,” said Anhorn.
Anhorn played a large role in the grand finale of the night that felt similar to a Lion King soundtrack with a Latin twist.
“The last song our Convidando, I love the repeat, the duet sings and the whole choir repeats, there’s a lot of instrumentals going, it’s really cool,” said Anhorn.
The entire performance had a total of 13 songs.
From acapella to instrumental and the both of them together, the Fiesta Barroca was a night that put Mexican music on display.
