¡Latin Fiesta! officially opened the season on September 29 with a celebration in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month at the West Las Vegas Library Theatre. General Director Jim Sohre narrated stirring tributes to superstars like Placido Domingo, Montserrat Caballe, and Jose Carreras, while introducing a good dose of Zarzuela (Spanish operetta). The spirited audience cheered every selection. And why not, with such accomplished vocalists?
As a small sample: Soprano Sheronda KcKee mesmerized the audience with a lengthy scene from Daniel Catan’s Florencia en el Amazonas (Florence in the Amazon); mezzo Rabuel Aviles brought a sultry presence to the tango aria Yo soy Maria from Maria of Buenos Aires. Tenors Marco Varela and Christopher Martin took turns delighting the house, the former with the famous No puede ser, and the latter with the plaintive aria Una furtive lagrima, from The Elixir of Love. Spencer Baker was the outstanding pianist.
By the time the program ended with the world famous Drinking Song from La Traviata, the enthusiastic audience was on its feet, cheering its approval. Many lingered in the lobby to greet the triumphant artists after the fiesta.
