Heitor Villa-Lobos, Carlos Chávez, and Alberto Ginastera are at the prow of the Latin American music ship. On this episode of Fiesta, we go beyond those giants and feature other Latin American composers that you should know!

Fiesta goes back in time to present some of the best Latin American classical music from different eras. We will feature music from the Colonial, Romantic, and Contemporary eras of classical music and see how they all tie together.

Born in Venezuela in 1853, Teresa Carreño was one the first Latin American women with an international career as a pianist, composer and teacher. Fiesta looks into the life and music of this piano virtuoso nicknamed the “Valkyrie of the Piano.”

Fiesta pays tribute to the many female composers of Latin America.

The Dominican Republic enjoys a strong musical tradition, classical as well as popular.

The multi Grammy Award winner clarinetist, saxophonist and composer Paquito D’Rivera visits with Fiesta and speaks with Elbio Barilari about his career, his influences, and his classical music repertoire. We will feature a variety of Paquito’s music from his long and illustrious catalog.

Host, Elbio Barilari sits down with young Chicago violinist Alan Snow and pianist Joanne Chang.  They will speak about some of the great composers of the violin from Mexico and they will perform for us in WFMT’s Fay and Daniel Levin Studio!

We are having a ball trying to keep up with our ever-expanding musical collection as composers and performers around the world joyously overwhelm us with their creations. We’re consistently amazed by their level of talent and artistry, and are thrilled this week to share their music with our listeners.

Both, US born Latino composers and composers that migrated from Latin America have written music reflecting the American experience in all its nuances.

Brazil has always had a strong tradition of great pianists.  On this program, Fiesta features some of the most accomplished Brazilian pianists, among them Nelson Freire, Caio Pagano, Arnaldo Estrella and Arthur Moreira Lima.