The Dominican Shriners and the Consular Corps are hosting an important concert to benefit the work done by the Shriners organization. The concert will be held at 8:30 this evening at the Eduardo Brito Hall, in Santo Domingo’s National Theater. This gala concert will feature the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Alvaro Manzano, and will present the noted cellist Zuill Bailey as featured soloist. The Shriners are a well-known philanthropic organization that dedicates its efforts to children around the world, especially those with surgical or rehabilitation needs. With headquarters in the United States, the Shriners Hospitals are famous for their work with children, where treatment is free for the needy. Tonight’s featured soloist, Zuill Bailey is considered to be one of the most prolific of today’s great cellists; he has performed all over the world, especially in music festivals at Wolf Trap, the Kravis Center, the Bard Music Festival, and at the Des Moines Civic Center, Alice Tully Hall and the Kennedy Center.
Conductor Alvaro Manzano is the first Ecuadorian musician to receive the title of Maestro Summa cum Laude from the Tchaikovsky Superior Institute in Moscow. He is a well-known teacher, promoter, lecturer and music critic. He has composed works such as the “Introduction and Fugue on an Andean Theme” and “Sakura, symphonic variations on a Japanese Theme”. Manzano was the director of the Ecuadorian National Symphony Orchestra for 16 years. Tickets are available at the National Theater and at the Centro de Otorrinolaringologia y Especialidades on Av. 27 de Febrero in Santo Domingo.