Hamilton’s Musicata Chamber Choir and artistic director Roger Bergs present Muy Bueno! Featuring a program of Latin American music, the concert takes place on March 1, with guest artists percussionists Michael Schutz and Stefan Kitai, along with Stefan’s student Bryan Kwok, and pianist Paul Naphtali.
The varied program features folk, classical, and sacred songs by a variety of composers.
The program in full:
- Hanacpachap, 17th century Peruvian, arr. Oscar Escalada
- Três Cantos Nativos, arr. Marcos Leite
- A Este Sol Peregrino by Tomás Torrejón y Velasco
- Three Caribbean Chants by Ernest Cordero
Lyrics: 1/Andrés Castro Ríos 2/Luis Lloréns Torres, Ernesto Cordero 3/Nimia Vicéns
Soloists: Peggy Rose-Cardwell, Karli Mulder, Joseph Arevalo, John Stephen - To the Mothers in Brazil: Salve Regina by Lars Jansson arr. Gunnar Eriksson
Soloists: Kaela Bosch, Pamela Blackwood-Marques, Joseph Arevalo, Alexander McMillan - Demos Gracias al Señor by Osvaldo Golijov
- !Cantad al Señor! Brazilian folk song, Arr. Roger Bergs
- Gloria, Gloria, Gloria by Pablo Sosa, arr. Roger Bergs
- Salmo 150 by Ernani Aguiar
- Ouve, Senhor by S. Monteiro, arr. Roger Bergs
- A Brazilian Apostles’ Creed Marcilio by Oliveira Filho, Portuguese tr. Heron Duarte, arr. Roger Bergs
- !El Cielo Canta Alegria! by Pablo Sosa, arr. Roger Bergs
- Muié Rendêra by C.A. Pinto Fonseca
- La Lluvia Panpipe, melody from Ecuador, arr. Stephen Haƞield
- Son de Camaguey, Cuban folk song, arr. Stephen Haƞield
- Son de la Loma by Miguel Matamoros, arr. Jonathan Quick
- Libertango by Astor Piazzola, arr. Oscar Escalada
Personnel
Musicata Hamilton’s Voices was founded in 1982 under the name the John Laing Singers, directed by John Laing. Dr. Berg became Artistic Director in 2011, and has since expanded the choir’s repertoire in adventurous new directions. Recent seasons have featured several world premieres, and the introduction of new music by contemporary composers.
Roger Bergs, artistic director
Composer, conductor, organist and teacher Roger Bergs leads Musicata as artistic director. He is a graduate of the Juilliard School and the University of Toronto. His background includes more than two decades experience as a church organist and music director. Roger also served as artistic director of the Toronto-based Concert Singers. As a composer, his choral works have been performed by ensembles such as The Elmer Iseler Singers, published by Hal Leonard and Hope Publishing, and recorded on the Electra Label, and he has written music for stage, TV, and films. He has taught at the University of Toronto, Redeemer University, and Tyndale University.
Michael Schutz
Michael Schutz is a profession of music cognition and percussion at McMaster University. He is President-elect of the Society for Music Perception and Cognition (SMPC), and co-founder of the
Canadian Percussion Network. He’s a graduate of Northwestern University, where he earned a Master of Music degree in music technology and percussion performance studying the role of visual stimuli in music performance. He subsequently earned a Master of Arts in psychology, followed by a PhD in experimental psychology from the Unviersity of Virginia. There, he studied cross modal integration. He has published more than 60 research articles, and continues his research on various topics.
Paul Naphtali
Paul Naphtali has been playing and studying classical piano and violin since the age of nine. He continues to perform on both instruments, and received First Class Honours for Piano Performance. He has performed with the Hamilton Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, Redeemer Sinfonia (now Ancaster Sinfonia), and the Cathedral Bluffs Orchestra. Paul earned a minor in Music from Redeemer University alongside his MSc in Biology at McMaster University. Today, he maintains a busy private studio where he teaches both piano and violin.
Stefan Kitai
Classically trained musician Stefan Kitai earned a Bachelor’s degree in music performance from the University of Toronto. He then took two years to study privately with renowned percussionist, marimbist, educator, and composer She-e Wu in New York. He participated in several international competitions, and earned a Master’s degree from McGill University. Stefan has worked as a freelance musician in the GTA, while studying music theory, orchestration, and composition with University of Toronto professor Alexander Rapoport. His educational background also includes studies in film music and recording techniques at Sheridan College. He currently plays percussion with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, and maintains a private teaching studio.
Bryan Kwok is a student of Stefan’s. He has performed with Masterworks of Oakville. The concert will mark his debut with Musicata.
The Concert
The concert takes place at the Church of the Ascension in Hamilton, Ontario.
- Find concert details and tickets [HERE].
Are you looking to promote an event? Have a news tip? Need to know the best events happening this weekend? Send us a note.
#LUDWIGVAN
Get the daily arts news straight to your inbox.
Sign up for the Ludwig Van Toronto e-Blast! — local classical music and opera news straight to your inbox HERE.
- PREVIEW | Hamilton’s Musicata Chamber Choir Presents Muy Bueno! — An Afternoon Of Latin American Musical Joy - February 23, 2026
- PREVIEW | Sinfonia Toronto’s Kaleidoscope Of Emotions: PATHÉTIQUE | Songs From The Heart - February 20, 2026
- PREVIEW | The Toronto Symphony Orchestra Welcomes The Year Of The Horse - February 20, 2026
