Music, Art, Theater, and Dance Programs
The choir begun in 1983 by Father Angel Torrellas today numbers 50 and presents various concerts in Managua throughout the year, including during National Chorus Week in August and Immaculate Conception and Christmas celebrations in December. They are also an integral part of the Center’s weekly celebration of Mass, which features the Nicaraguan Peasant Mass.
The choir’s repertoire includes Nicaraguan folk music as well as classical composers Bach, Handel, Mozart, Schubert and others. In 2003 they performed for the first time in Nicaragua selections from Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. The choir has recorded two CDs: The Nicaraguan Peasant Mass together with the Salvadoran People’s Mass, and Songs of the Immaculate Conception (Purisima). They have also toured to Canada (1991), the USA (1994), Mexico, El Salvador and Guatemala.
The Margarita Navarro Youth Orchestra frequently accompanies the choir for presentations in Managua and other parts of the country, especially seeking opportunities to bring music to communities with few opportunities to enjoy the arts. Instruction is offered to individual instruments such as: piano, violin, viola, trombone, bass, flute, etc. which prepares students to participate in the orchestra. Special attention is paid to promoting national culture through guitar and marimba lessons for interested students.
The Dance Program is directed at children and adolescents. The program is oriented towards the performance of the national Nicaraguan folk dances. As with the other arts groups, young people in dance gain valuable skills for working as a team, expressing themselves with confidence, and appreciating their national culture.
Drawing and painting courses are offered at the Center and program from the basics of drawing, studies of light and dark to complex painting techniques. The group of student painters often organizes expositions, displaying the various talents of its members.
Theater classes are offered in basic acting for children and teens. The theater group has participated in several cultural projects of local organizations in addition to those of the Center. Veronica Guido, theatre instructor, has said that children must learn to express themselves effectively to reach their potential. People often fall into patterns of personal communication that are negative. The self expression the children learn through acting fosters good communication skills and builds self esteem.
