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ORLANDO SINGS BRINGS THE RHYTHMS OF THE WORLD TO STEINMETZ HALL WITH ¡BAILA Y CANTA!
November 13th concert features Martín Palmeri’s Misatango, international guest artists, and the debut of the Orlando Sings Youth Choral Artists.
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ORLANDO, FL – October 29, 2026 – What happens when the power of the human voice meets the energy and creativity of dance? Orlando Sings invites audiences to find out at ¡Baila y Canta!, Friday, November 13, 2026, at 7:30 PM in Steinmetz Hall at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
Opening the organization’s 2026-2027 season, ¡Baila y Canta! (Dance and Sing!) celebrates the connection between music and movement, bringing together more than two hundred singers, instrumentalists, and guest artists for an evening filled with rhythm!
The program opens with Harmonia, Orlando Sings’ treble choir, and Apollo, its tenor-bass choir, performing music inspired by dance traditions from cultures around the world. From infectious rhythms to expressive melodies, the opening selections explore how music and dance bring people together across languages, borders, and generations.
The evening culminates in Argentine composer Martín Palmeri’s Misa a Buenos Aires (Misatango), a fusion of the traditional Latin Mass and the rhythms of Argentine tango. Led by conductor Andrew Minear, the performance features the Orlando Sings Symphonic Chorus, Solaria Players, and two guest artists: Cuban-American mezzo-soprano Erika Vasallo and internationally acclaimed Argentine bandoneonist Emmanuel Trifilio.
Composed in 1996, Misatango brings together the sacred traditions of the Mass with the sensuality, drama, and rhythmic intensity of tango. The work has become an international choral favorite with its unexpected combination of musical worlds. At its heart is the bandoneon, the distinctive button-operated instrument whose haunting, expressive sound is inseparable from the history of Argentine tango.
Emmanuel Trifilio, a native of Argentina now based in Washington, D.C., brings an extraordinary command of the bandoneon to the Steinmetz Hall stage. A performer and prolific tango composer, Trifilio began his career in Buenos Aires and has since appeared at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Lincoln Center. His performances and original compositions have taken him throughout South America, Europe, and the United States. Orlando audiences may remember Trifilio from his 2024 appearance with QuinTango at an event presented by the Friends of the Philharmonic. He is also the founder of the Trifilio Tango Trio, an internationally touring ensemble dedicated to original tango music.
Joining Trifilio is Erika Vasallo, a dynamic Cuban-American mezzo-soprano born and raised in Miami. A recent Studio Artist with Opera Orlando, Vasallo has performed with The Florida Orchestra, Florida Grand Opera, Opera Memphis, St. Pete Opera, Orchestra Miami, and numerous other companies. Equally at home in opera and concert repertoire, Vasallo brings dramatic intensity and expressive vocal warmth to Palmeri’s Misatango.
The evening also marks an exciting milestone for Orlando Sings with the debut performance of its newly established Orlando Sings Youth Choral Artists. Launched this season, the program provides advanced choral training and performance opportunities for students in grades 6-12, helping young singers develop their musicianship, confidence, leadership skills, and sense of belonging through music. The program includes two ensembles, Aurora, a treble choir, and Lux, a mixed choir, offering challenging repertoire across musical genres and opportunities to perform alongside some of Central Florida’s finest professional and community musicians. Their first appearance on the Steinmetz Hall stage represents an exciting new chapter in Orlando Sings’ commitment to nurturing the next generation of artists.
Leading the Youth Choral Artists are Brianna Martin and Alex Pollard, two accomplished Central Florida music educators and choral conductors. Martin serves as chorus director at Timber Springs Middle School, where her advanced treble choir was selected to perform at the 2025 Florida ACDA Fall Conference. Pollard, Director of Choral Activities at Boone High School, has led award-winning ensembles and is also a longtime performer with Orlando Sings. Pollard also performs with the Voices of Liberty at EPCOT. Together, they bring a wealth of experience, artistic excellence, and a shared passion for helping young musicians discover what they are capable of achieving through singing.
With its extraordinary acoustics and intimate connection between performers and audiences, Steinmetz Hall provides a spectacular setting for this vibrant program. From the opening rhythms to the final notes of Misatango, ¡Baila y Canta! promises an evening that challenges expectations of what a choral concert can be… you may even leave the theater dancing!
CONCERT INFORMATION
¡BAILA Y CANTA!
Friday, November 13, 2026 | 7:30 PM
Steinmetz Hall, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
445 South Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801
Featuring:
- Orlando Sings Symphonic Chorus
- Harmonia
- Apollo
- Solaria Players
- Orlando Sings Youth Choral Artists
- Dr. Andrew Minear, conductor
- Erika Vasallo, mezzo-soprano
- Emmanuel Trifilio, bandoneon
Program Highlight: Martín Palmeri’s Misa a Buenos Aires (Misatango)
Tickets: orlandosings.org
ABOUT ORLANDO SINGS
Led by Artistic and Executive Director Dr. Andrew Minear, Orlando Sings elevates the choral art form and enriches Florida’s cultural life through extraordinary shared experiences for singers and audiences. Its family of ensembles includes the acclaimed Orlando Sings Symphonic Chorus, which unites professional musicians and passionate community singers for large-scale choral-orchestral works; Harmonia, its treble choir; Apollo, its tenor-bass choir; and the Solaria Singers, Orlando’s own professional choir. Orlando Sings also nurtures lifelong participation in music through the Orlando Sings Youth Choral Artists and Orlando Sings Senior Singers. Together, these ensembles present classical masterpieces, adventurous works by today’s leading composers, and music inspired by the many cultures of Central Florida- creating a welcoming, dynamic community rooted in artistry, collaboration, representation, and joy.
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Orlando Sings, Inc. is a federally recognized 501c3 tax-exempt nonprofit organization.
orlandosings.org