08 Dec Press Release: La Diosa

LES DÉLICES AND SOPRANO ESTELÍ GOMEZ PERFORM BAROQUE MUSIC FROM LATIN AMERICA AND A WORLD PREMIERE IN LA DIOSA FEB. 28 & MARCH 1, 2026

Cleveland – Les Délices continues its 2025-26 Concert Series Metamorphosis in February 2026 with La Diosa. Mysticism, folklore, and feminine energy pervade this original new program that celebrates the vibrant musical traditions that flourished in the missions and cathedrals of colonial Latin America alongside the World Premiere of Soy la Diosa by Nicaraguan-American composer Gilda Lyons.

Les Délices will give two live performances of La Diosa: February 28th at Heights Theater in Cleveland Heights and March 1st at Inlet Dance Studios at the Pivot Center in Cleveland. A filmed version of this concert will be available to watch on-demand via Les Délices’ VHX platform April 1 – 30, 2026. Single tickets for in-person performances hosted by Les Délices are on sale via the LD website. Patrons can purchase streaming access through VHX. A free community event previewing La Diosa will take place Thursday, February 26th (venue and other details TBC.)

GRAMMY-winning soprano Estelí Gomez is the featured soloist alongside Artistic Director and oboist Debra Nagy, violinists Shelby Yamin and Maria Romero, viola da gamba specialist Rebecca Landell, harpsichordist Mark Edwards, and baroque guitarist Héctor Alfonso Torres.

Beginning with José de Torres’ ecstatic cantata Afectos Amantes, this program offers mesmerizing harmonies and swirling vocal lines that evoke divine presence in both the heavens and earthly realms. Additional songs and instrumental music preserved in manuscripts from present-day Bolivia and Peru combine Indigenous, European, and African influences to create a style full of rhythmic vitality, expressive contrast, and improvisatory flair. At the heart of the program is Soy la Diosa, a new commission by Nicaraguan-American composer Gilda Lyons (pictured left). This bilingual four-movement work for soprano and period instrument ensemble brings the past into the present as it invokes the Mayan deity Ix Chel (Goddess of the moon, fertility, weaving, and childbirth), references the legend of the Guardian of Mombacho, and celebrates the essence of the divine feminine that remains ever-present in our daily lives.

Commissioning New Works: Continuing The Mythology Project 

La Diosa marks the second installment of Les Délices’ multi-year programming and commissioning initiative The Mythology Project, which launched in February 2025 with the World Premiere of A Moment’s Oblivion starring GRAMMY-winning tenor Nicholas Phan. Read more about The Mythology Project here.

Artistic Director Debra Nagy sees real opportunities in expanding the canon by commissioning new works: “The cantata’s unique combination of music & myth has real power to excite our imaginations, build empathy, and relay universal wisdom. I’m especially interested in how The Mythology Project will also allow us to tell stories from beyond the western Classical tradition. In this way, we have the opportunity to expand notions of what early music is and who it is for.”

For La Diosa, composer Gilda Lyons drew inspiration from Nicaraguan folklore and Mayan spirituality that resonates with her and Gomez’s shared Nicaraguan heritage. Nagy observed, “As we began our collaborative process, Estelí expressed her hope that the project would not only reflect her heritage but also bring an empowered, positive female perspective. But as Gilda continued research into myths and legends from Latin America and Nicaragua specifically, she found that the women in those stories were often subject to violence or betrayal. Instead, Gilda has developed a truly bilingual libretto (in fact, it’s about 2:1 Spanish to English) that contains beautiful ritualistic imagery (like weaving, working clay, healing waters), identifies feminine characters associated with creation and protection, and leans deeply into spirituality and sensuality. Her text whispers in your ear and warms your soul and her music is equally evocative. Audiences will truly be swept away hearing this new work!”

Estelí Gomez: A Contemporary and Early Music Diva

Soprano Estelí Gomez (pictured left) is the perfect artist for the unique demands of this program. Estelí’s “clear, bright voice” (NYT) is also perfectly suited for Baroque music but she is also a masterful interpreter of new music. Estelí is a founding member of the genre-bending, multi-GRAMMY-winning contemporary vocal octet Roomful of Teeth and has performed numerous world premieres during her career. Artistic director Debra Nagy added, “Estelí has a magnetic presence as a performer. She’s very excited to create this project that feels at once very personal and universally-relatable and that builds on all of her strengths and lived experiences.”

EVENT DETAILS:

La Diosa: Featuring acclaimed soprano Estelí Gomez in 17th & 18th century music from Latin America

LIVE PERFORMANCES

Saturday, February 28, 2026 at 4:00 pm
Pre-concert talk at 3:30 pm
The Heights Theater
2781 Euclid Heights Blvd Cleveland Heights, Ohio, 44106

Sunday, March 1, 2026 at 7:30 pm
Pre-concert talk at 6:45 pm
Inlet Dance Theater at the Pivot Center
2937 W 25th St, Cleveland, OH 44113

This concert will be filmed and available to stream for $20 online April 1-30th, 2026 on Les Délices’ VHX platform.