Canto de Corazón
Canto de Corazón
Canto de Corazón / Singing from the Heart
Hispanic Community Choir / Coro Comunitario Hispano
English
The choir seeks to strengthen the hispanic roots. The choir is open to all people from all nationalities. All people are welcome from any sexual orientation, political and religious beliefs, or musical and language skills.
Interest and socialization:
The entire participation in the choir is voluntary. The fees for director, pianist, music sheets, pencils, and binders are covered by the sponsors Heartland Sings, YMCA - Renaissance Pointe, and Plymouth Congregational Church.
Please, if you need any further information do not hesitate to reach out to us. We will be more than happy to contact you.
Spanish
El ensamble busca fortalecer las raíces latinas. El coro abre las puertas a personas de todas las nacionalidades. Toda persona es bienvenida sin discriminacion de orientación sexual política, o habilidades musicales y de lenguaje.
Interesados y difusión:
La participación en el coro es totalmente voluntaria. Los costos de director, pianista, partituras, lápices, y carpetas son cubiertos por los patrocinadores Heartland Sings, YMCA - Renaissance Pointe y Plymouth Congregational Church.
Por favor si necesita alguna información extra, estamos más que felices de responder a sus inquietudes.
Organizador y director/Organizer and director:
Spanish
Dr. Wagner Mauricio Pástor, director es un tenor ecuatoriano que se mudó a los Estados Unidos en 2016. Wagner ha vivido y estudiado en Italia, Idaho, Michigan, Carolina del Norte, y Kentucky. Además ha interpretado varias selecciones de música desde boleros hasta óperas completas como solista y miembro de ensambles vocales con el Coro de la Ópera de Cincinnati, el American Spiritual Ensemble, Coro Mixto Ciudad de Quito, Coro Pichincha, el coro de Kentucky Opera y otros. Wagner vive en Fort Wayne, Indiana y comparte su vida con su esposa la soprano ecuatoriana Andrea Salazar y juntos cuidan un dulce gatito, Carterito
English
Dr. Wagner Mauricio Pástor, director is an Ecuadorian tenor who moved to the United States in 2016. Wagner has lived and studied in Italy, Idaho, Michigan, Carolina del Norte, and Kentucky. In addition, Dr Pástor has performed several musical genres from boleros to entire operas with full staging and orchestra as soloist and member of vocal ensembles such as Cincinnati Opera, American Spiritual Ensemble, Coro Mixto Ciudad de Quito, Coro Pichincha, Kentucky Opera, and more. Wagner lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana and shares his life with his wife, the Ecuadorian Soprano Andrea Salazar, both Wagner and Andrea take care of their sweet cat Carterito.
How Canto de Corazón got started
When Dr. Wagner Mauricio Pástor moved to Fort Wayne, he was surprised that he met more Ecuadorian people in a year in Indiana than in the past seven years in more than the five other states he lived before. All of these places gave an idea about the diversity in the United States. Wagner met people from other countries in several ways, from washing dishes together in Mexican or Asian restaurants to performing on stage together at Carnegie Hall in New York City. They all shared the same dream about working for a fulfilling life.
At one time, Wagner heard music in Spanish in the house next door. When he came out of the he house, he saw seven people working on a roof and singing in full voice. He thought, “I would love to sing with them,” and got the idea to offer an opportunity for people to sing in the language he grew up with. The idea also was to provide a place to learn and improve language through music. Wagner wanted to show the world that people from other countries have a rich cultural background and are more than cheap labor (mano de obra barata). Wagner says, “We all have the potential to share art… in this case with music. We are hard and passionate workers that can offer songs from our hearts, as we do in Canto de Corazón Community Choir.”
The dream to have a cultural choir came to reality when Wagner’s wife, Andrea Salazar, DMA candidate in voice performance created a program with musical Spanish language lessons twice a week at YMCA Renaissance Pointe. After several months of planning and a couple of meetings with Maestro Nance, president and founder of Heartland Sings, and Melisa McCann, the community outreach director at the YMCA Renaissance Pointe, the program launched in Spring 2023.
The Canto de Corazón program has evolved from a musical language program to a musical performance program that offers free group voice lessons, community Spanish / English language practice, as well as thoughtful and inspiring musical moments in every phrase performed.
Within six months of its creation, the program has been featured in Conexxión Latina from WBOI/NPR, El Mexicano Newspaper, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Newsletter and two performances with more than a couple of hundred of hearts in the audience.
The group will resume rehearsals on January 25, 2024 for its two performances in April and May featuring music from poems and artists such as Pablo Neruda, Mario Benedetti, Carlos Santana, Gloria Stefan, Selena, and more.