The MIFA Victory Players will be recording its full-length program El Puerto Rico, The Rich Port 4 at GBH in Boston June 8 - 11, 2021. The program will include ten newly commissioned works by nine composers inspired by the rich musical heritage of Puerto Rico. Filming will take place at the GBH Fraser Performance Studio for a special broadcast event co-produced with New England Public Media (NEPM) and GBH in September 2021.
The El Puerto Rico 4 broadcast will feature the Victory Players six-member musical ensemble, Music Director Tian Hui Ng, special guest artistsBomba de Aquí, and interviews with the composers. In addition to this special fall broadcast event, NEPM is producing radio programming for release in September as well!
2021 Composers
Guest Artists: Bomba De Aquí
Brenda Cepeda, dancer
Saúl Peñaloza, Bomba drummer
Julian Gerstin, Bomba drummer
José J. Peña-Aguayo, Composer who will also play Bomba drums
“We look forward to a healthy restart not only for the public and country at large to enjoy this music through our media partnership with NEPM and GBH but also to the indescribable pleasure of having live performances again in Holyoke like we had for El Puerto Rico 1 & 2. In the meantime Hats Off to Holyoke for being the home to beautiful music!”
- Don Sanders, MIFA Victory Theatre Executive Artistic Director
2021 Holyoke Residency
The Victory Players and the composers have been in residency in Holyoke rehearsing the works since June 1, 2021. Thanks to the generous use of space and equipment from UMass Amherst Department of Music and Dance, Mount Holyoke College, and Amherst College.