Samba at the Symphony

• Event dates: February 27 & 28, 2027
• Showtimes: Sat 7:30 PM, Sun 3:00 PM
• Featured Artists:

  Alyssa Wang, Conductor
  Forrópera (Chrystal E. Williams & Felipe Hostins), Guest Artists

  Location:
  Barnstable Performing Arts Center
  744 West Main Street, Hyannis, MA 02601

• Buy Tickets: /buy-tickets-samba-at-the-symphony

CapePOPs 3

Samba is just the beginning.... you’re invited to a dazzling celebration of Brazilian culture, music, and dance! This concert brings a beautiful mix  of familiar rhythms and delightful surprises to Cape Cod. It's a celebration of life, spirit, and community, as we gather to enjoy music for the pure joy of it. 

Music is the international language that connects us all. Experience it in in the Brazilian tradition with your Cape Symphony Orchestra… no airfare required.

Alyssa Wang, Conductor

Forrópera (Chrystal E. Williams & Felipe Hostins), Guest Artists

Forrópera is a project created by North American vocalist/composer Chrystal E. Williams and Brazilian accordionist/composer Felipe Hostins as a way to foster unity, peace, and understanding through their musical marriage.

Combining elements of Brazilian folk music and classical opera, the husband/wife duo began their musical collaboration in 2016. They started out working with inner city schools, helping students use music as a way of expression and growth. Working with students of different backgrounds and prior levels of musical training, Forrópera residencies joyfully empower participants through co-created music, drama, and dance. A combination of forró (“for all”) and opera (“work”), Forrópera’s mission is to create and share works of art that are truly for all.

Recent seasons marked new milestones including the duo’s Carnegie Hall debut with American Composers Orchestra, their appearance as featured performers at the Greensboro Opera's Black Heritage Day celebration, and the premiere of the Forrópera Experiência in collaboration with Astral Artists and the Esperanza Arts Center. Other recent engagements include Opera Delaware, Baltimore Opera, and the Kaufman Music Center’s “Musical Storefronts” Series.

Composer and multi-instrumentalist Felipe Hostins was born in Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil. He discovered the accordion through his grandfather, Valmor Hostins, at age 3. A review of his composition Meu Brasil de Cristal raved “Hostins had an entire orchestra in his accordion. He asked of Williams both bel canto agility and low register digs into sorrow, and she carried it beautifully” (The Philadelphia Inquirer).

Award-winning Chrystal E. Williams has a voice “of rare power and clarity” (The Philadelphia Inquirer) and has performed with the English National Opera, Opera North UK, the Metropolitan Opera, Birmingham Opera Company UK, Bard SummerScape, Dayton Opera, and On Site Opera. She founded the Chrystal E. Williams Scholarship in 2004 for students pursuing careers in the performing arts.