Only ten days until the 50th anniversary edition of the Misa Campesina. We would still welcome more singers and musicians to join. First rehearsal (of two) will be this Saturday 27.9., 10am till noon at Blackfriars, St. Giles.
The second and last rehearsal for the Misa Campesina Nicaraguense will happen at Blackfriars on Saturday morning from 10 to 12, and the mass itself will be on Sunday at 9:30. Any musicians or singers who would still like to join should definitely come to the rehearsal.
As part of our partnership with Leon, the Misa Campesina has been sung in Oxford once a year since the 1980s, only paused for the Covid years.
This year, we’re a bit later than usual, but the date is coming up soon, it will be the Sunday 1st of September, 9:30 am at Blackfriars. As usual, all singers and musicians are encouraged to join the choir and the band respectively. There will be two rehearsals on the Saturdays before, ie 24.8. and 31.8, 10-12 at Blackfriars. More details closer to the dates, but save the dates!
Our guests from Nicaragua, Cesar and Jose, safely arrived on Thursday and are now busy with rehearsals for the concert of the international youth orchestra coming up on Saturday 13th.
On their first full day in Oxford they already gave a couple of performances at the Oxford Folk Club:
Cesar playing guitar here but at the Carmina Burana concert he will be playing the cello.
To find out more about the concert click here.
Exciting news: we can now confirm that the Nicaraguan folk mass, the Misa Campesina will be sung again this year – as it was for many years until 2019. It is scheduled for
Sunday 4th of June
There will be two rehearsals on the two Saturdays before the event, ie May 27 and June 3.
All singers and instrumentalists welcome to join the fun. The music is fun and easy to play, and there are a couple of very experienced people on hand who have done it many times before.
Email Jen Houston (jen_houston AT hotmail DOT com) for details or watch this space. We will confirm precise rehearsal place and times closer to the time.
We can now confirm the date for this year’s Misa Campesina. It will be performed on
Sunday 29 March 11.30 am at Blackfriars (St. Giles),
Anybody who wants to join the choir or the very small orchestra is welcome! Please email Jenny Houston at jen_houston AT hotmail DOT com or 077 51 626 006.
There will be two rehearsals on the two Saturdays before the event, namely:
Saturday 21.3. 10:30-12:30, at the Quaker Meeting House, also in St. Giles
Saturday 28.3. 10:30-12:30 in the Aula at Blackfriars.
There will also be a short rehearsal to warm up just before the Misa from 10.30. The mass will be followed by a reception/refreshments in the Aula from 12.30 – 1.30.
The Mass, written in 1975 by by Carlos Mejía Godoy, incorporating a liberation theology and Nicaraguan folk music, will be sung in Spanish (but language proficiency is not needed). It has been sung annually in Oxford for many years (more than 30? we need a historian to investigate this!) in celebration of the link with Leon. It has has been praised for its ‘passionate lyrics and complex rhythms reflecting the richness of the Nicaraguan folk traditions’.
This was the warm-up before the Misa two years ago, when we had two musicians visiting from Nicaragua, Franklin and Luis.
Oxford León Association 