'19 Desert Song Festival features stars of Broadway, opera

The 2019 Tucson Desert Song Festival will intersect with the 2019 HSL Properties Tucson Jazz Festival in January.

Both festivals are sharing jazz vocalist Bobby McFerrin, whose Jan. 20 concert at Fox Tucson Theatre is presented by the song festival.

The three-week song festival Jan. 15 to Feb. 5 kicks off with the all-female double-bill of Magos Herrera and her quartet, and Jane Bunnett and Maqueque at the Fox, 17 W. Congress St., as part of the jazz festival, which runs Jan. 11 to 21.

Spanish and Latin music is the theme for the 2019 song fest, which features a cast of award-winning guest vocalists from concert, Broadway and opera stages, including Grammy Award winners Ana María Martínez, Jessica Rivera and McFerrin, and Tony Award winner Kristin Chenoweth. One of the highlights could be a midweek concert performance Jan. 30 of Adam del Monte’s flamenco opera “Llantos 1492,” featuring vocalists Roberto Perlas Gomez, Bernardo Bermudez, Clara Rodriguez, Jose Cortes and Shana Blake Hill accompanied by pianist Mercedes Juan Musotto and del Monte on guitar.

Other guest artists include soprano Nell Snaidas, who will collaborate with the Chatham Baroque ensemble for an afternoon of early Spanish music on Jan. 27; soprano Jessica Rivera, cellist Antonio Lysy, tango dancers and others in Arizona Friends of Chamber Music’s multimedia show, “Te Amo, Argentina,” on Jan. 30; and a recital by leading Verdi/Puccini soprano Ana María Martínez.

Tickets are available from the individual presenting organizations: Tucson Symphony Orchestra (tucsonsymphony.org), UA Presents (uapresents.org), Ballet Tucson (ballettucson.org), Tucson Guitar Society (tucsonguitarsociety.org), Arizona Opera (azopera.org), Fred Fox School of Music at the University of Arizona (music.arizona.edu), Arizona Early Music Society (azearlymusic.org), True Concord Voices & Orchestra (trueconcord.org), Tucson Jazz Festival (tucsonjazzfestival.org) and Arizona Friends of Chamber Music (arizonachambermusic.org).

The 2019 Tucson Desert Song Festival lineup:

Jan. 16: All-Women Double Bill: Magos Herrera Quartet, and Jane Bunnett and Maqueque as part of the Tucson Jazz Festival (tucsonjazzfestival.org).

Jan. 17: Tucson Symphony Orchestra with Kristin Chenoweth.

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Jan. 18-20: True Concord “Choral Music of Latin America.”

Jan. 20: Bobby McFerrin with the Tucson Jazz Festival.

Jan. 27: Nell Snaidas and Chatham Baroque: Repertorio Español, with the Arizona Early Music Society.

Jan. 29: Steans Institute Singers with the Fred Fox School of Music.

Jan. 30: “Llantos 1492” concert version presented by the Fred Fox School of Music.

Jan. 31: Te Amo, Argentina presented by Arizona Friends of Chamber Music.

Feb. 1-3: “Viva Piazzolla!” with Ballet Tucson and Tucson Guitar Society: Viva Piazzolla!

Feb. 2-3: Arizona Opera “La Traviata.”

Feb. 5: Ana María Martínez recital with UA Presents.