There's the "wow moment" — when you just can't believe what you heard or saw.
And the "That happened moment" — when something so unbelievable happens that you have to pinch yourself to make sure you're not dreaming.
On Sunday afternoon the audience packed into Grace St. Paul's Episcopal Church near the University of Arizona had more than a few "that happened" and "wow" moments when rising soprano Corinne Winters guested with True Concord Voices & Orchestra for "True Concord Goes Latin." The concert, which was performed three times last weekend, was part of the fifth annual Tucson Desert Song Festival.
Winters' exquisite tone and ability to soar to the highest reaches of the soprano range with what seems from the audience to be little effort, and then come softly back down to earth with such sweetness and warmth, was exhilarating.
She did that a few times Sunday including in a duet with True Concord alto Helen Karloski. But the most impressive time came when she and flamenco guitar whiz Adam del Monte performed Heitor Villa-Lobos's nearly wordless Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5.
The 12-minute work is almost hummed throughout. It was mesmerizing watching Winters, who at times didn't even open her mouth. And yet, she produced this glorious sound that filled Grace St. Paul like some wondrous illusion. Just amazing.
Add the wow effect to that performance: Winters had never before performed that work in concert. She also had never before performed Argentinian composer Ariel Ramirez's romantic "Alfonsina y el Mar," which came at the end of the first half of the True Concord concert.
Winters closed the concert with Argentinian composer Atahualpa Yupanqui's lullaby "Duerme Negrito," a sweet uplifting song that had True Concord Music Director Eric Holtan swaying and bopping along.
Flamenco guitar great Adam del Monte, left, discussed flamenco and Latin music with True Concord Music Director Eric Holtan before Sunday's concert.
Here are a few other "wow" moments from Sunday:
• Where in the heck has True Concord tenor Erik Gustafson been hiding all these years?
Apparently, right in front of our eyes. But on Sunday, it was impossible for the 10-year True Concord veteran to disappear in the choir. That voice, so rich and nuanced, so playful and controlled. Just wow! He stole the choir's performance of Antonio José Estévez Aponte's "Mata del Anima Sola" from the opening phrase, showcasing a shimmering, soulful tenor that found that comfortable spot in the middle of the range and just held it there throughout the performance.
• A pair of tango dancers accompanied True Concord on Piazzolla's toe-tapping "Libertango," adding a surprising dimension to the concert.
• Del Monte switched from accompanist to soloist when he performed a flamenco work. He will perform again during the song festival when he premieres his flamenco opera "Llantos 1492" on Jan. 30 at Crowder Hall on the University of Arizona campus.
• Alto Helen Karloski was terrific when she shared the spotlight in a duet with Winters on Villa-Lobos's "Estrela e Lua Nova."
• Throughout the two-hour concert, the choir shined, which is something we have come to expect from Holtan and his Grammy-nominated ensemble. But it wasn't just that they performed at the top of their game; they had so much fun doing it, and that made it so much fun watching them.
True Concord Music Director Eric Holtan teased the audience on Sunday. "Want to see more of Corinne Winters? You'll have to buy a ticket to her recital."
