The program will feature two works, the scenic cantata Comala by Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, which will be presented in collaboration with La Coperacha Puppet Company, and Daniel Pesca’s Nocturnes, a world premiere written specially for Zohn Collective with poetry by Irving Feldman. Guests are invited to a discussion with the composer before the concert at 3:00PM, as well as a reception that will follow directly after the performance.

Zohn Collective is a contemporary music collective that seeks to produce and perform artist-driven projects generated by its members. Zohn Collective released its first CD under the Oberlin Music label in 2018 and has performed at the Festival Cultural de Mayo in Guadalajara, Mexico, and across the U.S., most recently at the University of Kentucky (Lexington), Belmont University, Northern Kentucky University, and Notre Dame University. Upcoming engagements include performances at the Beijing Modern Music Festival, and an artistic residency at Vanderbilt University. Zohn Collective has been awarded grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Mid Atlantic Foundation and the Paul R. Judy Center for Innovation and Research, among others.

Over its 40 years of existence, La Coperacha has established itself as one of the most relevant and groundbreaking cultural institutions in Mexico. That this unique puppet and theater company has thrived in a country where independent (non-governmental) artistic projects rarely endure, attests to the vision, talent, and resilience of its founder and director, Antonio Camacho. The art of La Coperacha stands out for the originality and beauty of its puppetry, the direct and purposeful narrative of their stagings, and its syncretic visual style. Their work draws inspiration from popular culture, contemporary pictorial work, and diverse musical genres.

Free and open to the public. 

PORTALS is co-sponsored by the Howard Hanson Institute for American Music, International House Global Voices Performing Arts Series, The John E. Bishop Fund at International House, the Chicago Latino Music Festival, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Chicago Center for Contemporary Composition, and Oberlin College. The program is also supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. Participation of La Coperacha in PORTALS is possible thanks to a grant from the program “Mexico en Escena” of the Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes (Mexico). 

To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.