¡BAILA Y CANTA! | NOVEMBER 13, 2026 | 7:30 PM
Music that moves—in every sense of the word.
Steinmetz Hall at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts (445 South Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801)
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT
Martín Palmeri’s Misa a Buenos Aires (Misatango)
PERFORMERS
Orlando Sings Symphonic Chorus and Solaria Players
Andrew Minear, conductor
Apollo
Zach Pecore, conductor
Harmonia
Sandra Shafer, conductor
Orlando Sings Youth Choral Artists
Brianna Martin and Alex Pollard, conductors
Guest Artists:
Emmanuel Trifilio, bandoneon
Erika Vasallo, mezzo-soprano
Experience an evening where choral music moves! Harmonia and Apollo open the program with music inspired by dance traditions from cultures around the world, exploring the rhythm, movement, and energy that connect music and dance across cultures. Then the Orlando Sings Symphonic Chorus and conductor Andrew Minear take us to Argentina for Martín Palmeri’s Misa a Buenos Aires (Misatango), a thrilling setting of the Latin Mass that brings together chorus, mezzo-soprano soloist, bandoneón, piano, and strings with the unmistakable passion and pulse of tango. Featuring special guests and a few surprises along the way, ¡Baila y Canta! is an evening of music, movement, color, and joy—from the first beat to the final celebration.
FEATURED ARTISTS
Erika Vasallo, mezzo-soprano
Erika Vasallo is an expressive, multifaceted Cuban-American mezzo-soprano born and raised in Miami, Florida. As a dynamic singing actor, she brings a diverse range of characters to life with passion and precision. Whether Erika is delving into the dramatic depths of opera repertoire or soaring through the rich textures of concert and oratorio works, her versatility shines through. A recent Studio Artist with Opera Orlando, Erika has also performed with Opera Memphis, Finger Lakes Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Taconic Opera, Magic City Opera, Orchestra Miami, Gran Teatro Nacional de la Habana, and Opera Fusion among others.
This fall, Erika is thrilled to join Orlando Sings as the Alto Soloist in Martín Palmeri’s Misa a Buenos Aires (Misatango). In December, she is excited to be singing with Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church as the Alto Soloist for their performance of Handel’s Messiah. Erika will also sing in Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church’s Christmas Spectacular Concert.
In the summer, Erika joined Opera Orlando, in partnership with the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation, for their Patriotism on Plant: A Musical Journey Celebrating America’s 250th Concert. She also performed with Orchestra Miami for their Neue Musik – Art Nouveau Music in Germany Concert, where she sang lieder by Alma Mahler and Gustav Mahler. In the spring, she performed as the Alto Soloist in Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater with Central Presbyterian Church. During the 2025–26 season, Erika made her company debut with St. Pete Opera as the cover for Mrs. Ott and a member of the chorus in their production of Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah. She performed a cover run with the cover cast and also sang in St. Pete Opera’s Broadway Cabaret Concert. Additionally, Erika has been named a semi-finalist in the Camille Coloratura Awards Competition. In the fall, she made her debut with The Florida Orchestra as the Alto Soloist in Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, followed by appearances as the Alto Soloist in Magic City Opera’s Christmas Concert and a return engagement with Masterworks Chorus of the Palm Beaches for their annual performance of Handel’s Messiah.
Erika was a 2024 semi-finalist in The Georgia Symphony Orchestra’s Beethoven 9 Vocal Competition. She was a 2023 district round competitor in The Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition. Erika was a second round finalist in the Neue Stimmen International Singing Competition and semi-finalist in the Camerata Bardi International Vocal Competition. Other awards include first place winner in the Florida Gold Coast NATS Competition, regional winner in the Classical Singers Vocal Competition, and regional finalist in the New York Lyric Opera National Vocal Competition. Erika graduated with her Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance from the University of Florida/New World School of the Arts College Division. She then received her Master of Music degree in vocal performance from Florida International University, where she also was on the staff as an Adjunct Voice Professor.
Emmanuel Trifilio, bandoneonist
International bandoneonist and prolific tango composer, Argentinian Emmanuel Trifilio brings a fresh perspective to the traditional tango sound, both in performance and composition. Now based in Washington, D.C., Sr. Trifilio’s career began as bandoneon soloist at venues such as the famous Cafe Tortoni in Buenos Aires. After establishing himself as an accomplished performer in Argentina, he was invited to join the Los Inmigrantes Tango Orchestra, which soon after won Buenos Aires’s annual tango orchestra contest. Sr. Trifilio’s career expanded across South America when he was invited to tour Chile with Maestro Tato Finocci.
Sr. Trifilio then traveled to Europe for booked performances; after extended residencies in Italy, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland, he settled in the U.S. He has since appeared, as soloist, on the main stages of Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, and Lincoln Center with small and large ensembles including the Choral Arts Society of Washington and National Philharmonic Orchestra. Sr. Trifilio has also been featured by Lancaster Symphony Orchestra, Pan American Symphony Orchestra, Endless Mountains Music Festival Orchestra, and Florida International University Orchestra and Chorus. He will appear with South Carolina Philharmonic in 2017, performing Astor Piazzolla’s Concerto for Bandoneon.
Sr. Trifilio regularly performs with chamber group QuinTango, and collaborated as arranger and bandoneonist on their 2014 album Tango Lovers. He can be heard with esteemed cellist Gautier Capuçon on the soundtrack of the short film Le Petit Nuage. He toured to New Orleans and Lincoln Center with the Octavio Brunetti Tango Orchestra, traveled with the internationally-acclaimed band Otros Aires as solo bandoneonist in their 2014 U.S. tour, and performed with Alejandro Ziegler Quartet in their 2016 U.S.-Canada tour.
In addition to solo performing and arranging, Sr. Trifilio composes and presents original tangos with various ensembles across the East Coast. The world premiere of his Tango Suite No. 1: Five movements for Bandoneon, Cello, and Guitar, was featured at the Embassy of Argentina as part of Pan American Symphony Orchestra’s 2015 Tango Festival. A founding member of New York Tango 6, a traditional tango sextet dedicated to premiering new tango works, Sr. Trifilio performed world premieres of several of his works at the group’s debut concert. He is currently composing new works for the venerated bandoneonist Daniel Binelli.
Founded in 2015, his Trifilio Tango Trio presents virtuosic programs of all new and original tango music by Sr. Trifilio. Bandoneon, cello, and guitar, TTT has recorded two albums of Sr. Trifilio’s original tangos and tours internationally. “Milonga de la Ausencia,” from their first album, Original, is featured on the short film “Vuelve con nosotros,” and was nominated for Best Original Score at MOFF Film Festival in Milan, 2016. TTT’s booked appearances for 2017-2018 include D.C., NYC, San Francisco, Richmond, Havana, Miami, Houston, Denver, and Buenos Aires.