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One Thursday each month
6:30 to 8:30pm
El Valenciano Restaurant and Bar
1153 Valencia Street between 22nd and 23rd, San Francisco
Click here to see a list of upcoming dates for recitals
Join the Center for the Art of Translation and El Valenciano Restaurant and Bar in the Mission for recitals celebrating beautiful music and the great literary heritage of the Spanish-speaking world.
The government of Colombia has been known to pay talented readers to step on board municipal buses and give dramatic performances of Spanish-language poetry classics. How's that for a great idea? Actually, these readers were already declaiming great poetry on buses, passing a hat to collect their fee, as they do in many Latin American countries. You can take private lessons in poetry recitation in many parts of Latin America, and even young school children are expected to memorize and perform demanding poems by such authors as Ruben Darío (Nicaragua) or Alfredo Espino (El Salvador).
The Piano & Poetry Recital in Spanish, sponsored by the Center for the Art of Translation and El Valenciano Restaurant and Bar, takes its cue from this strong tradition of public recitation. With the goal of giving all present a good soak in the great literary traditions of the Spanish-speaking world,
declamadores perform their versions of great poems as a jazz band might perform its version of a great jazz standard, all in a warm, neighborhood atmosphere where the word in Spanish, the music of the word, and the music of the piano, reign supreme. Master of Ceremonies Karling Aguilera Fort weaves together the dramatic recitations of participants with warmth and poetic inspiration, while in the background Paul Stahoviak plays classical piano, interacting skillfully with the declamadores.
Anybody who wants may recite a poem, provided that: a) they recite it from memory; b) the poem is in Spanish (or, to honor translators, a translation from the Spanish to English); and c) it is not their own poem (the idea is homage, not exposition of personal poetry).
Theatrical readings are especially welcome, and the tone typically ranges from the amorous or comic to the deeply serious or tragic.
Every other month is noche familiar or "family night," which includes special activities for students from CAT's Poetry Inside Out program.
Please note that on regular nights, the poems and the ambiance tend to be more adult-oriented. On these nights, there is a prize for the audience member at the recital who identifies the most Spanish-language poets on the current poster. Please join us!
If you have questions, or want to be included on the recital email list,
write to smckenna@catranslation.org.
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