“Un Milagro de Fe is more than a concert; it is a meditation on how faith in Latin America has always required extraordinary courage.
Across centuries of colonization, displacement, erasure, and reinvention, our communities did not lose their faith–they transformed it. They reshaped it in their own image, blending ancestral traditions with imposed structures, and created something resilient, beautiful, and profoundly human. That act of spiritual survival is, in itself, a miracle.
I think of my Mexican grandparents rising at dawn every morning to sing and pray the Rosary together. Their lives had their share of hardship, yet their devotion gave them resilience and strength. They taught me that for many of us, faith is not an escape from reality–it is a daily act of bravery. It is resistance. It is liberation.
This program features three incredible pieces of music that are rarely performed in the United States: Fiesta de San Juan, Misa Criolla, and Réquiem Osún. In this music, faith becomes rhythm, language, memory, and ritual. Africa and Europe, the Andes and the Caribbean, Catholic saints and the Orishas of the African diaspora all speak together. In this music we are reminded that courage and faith have always walked hand in hand, and that the spiritual imagination of our peoples is the greatest miracle of the Americas. In Fiesta de San Juan, Afro-Venezuelan communities turn the trauma of enslavement into celebration, resilience, and rhythmic joy–a miracle born from courage. In Misa Criolla, entire nations finally claim their right to worship in their own language, affirming that their voices, their cultures, and their prayers matter. In Réquiem Osún, Catholic and Yoruba spirituality stand side by side, testifying that survival–cultural, spiritual, communal–is itself an act of bravery.
Un Milagro de Fe is a reflection on this truth: we continue to survive because our people dare to keep singing, praying, and imagining something better.”
—Ahmed Anzaldúa, Artistic Director
Un Milagro de Fe “crosses national and ethnic borders with an immediate appeal, supported by energizing rhythms and vivid vocal timbres. More than that, it expresses a vivid, sometimes painful, eloquence arising from that experience. All these works combine rich, persuasive choral sounds and vocal solos that either leap out with an urgency to be heard or appeal to you with soft persuasion." —Atlanta Audio Club
“Nothing short of stunning; those with an ear for classical sounds, choral music, Latin-American ideas, and avant-garde moments will find much to adore here." —Take Effect Reviews
“An important release of Latin American choral music not to be missed." —Steven Kennedy
Ticket link coming soon!
This activity is supported, in part, by the City of Saint Paul Cultural Sales Tax Revitalization Program.
This performance is made possible in part by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.