World Premiere: Emily Carr Cantata by Chorale San Miguel at Templo de la Tercera Orden
Chorale San Miguel presents the world premiere of Emily Carr, a newly composed cantata by Artistic Director Malcolm Halliday with libretto by Jim Dempsey, on Thursday, February 26, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. at Templo de la Tercera Orden, San Francisco 14, Zona Centro, San Miguel de Allende. The performance features soprano Chérie Hughes, flautist Amy Likar, pianist Olga Rogach, organist Rogelio Álvarez and the Ars Musik Quartet, and the program also includes works by celebrated Canadian composers Healey Willan and Vivian Fung. Tickets are priced at 700, 500 and 300 pesos, available online in US dollars at choralesanmiguel.com and in person in pesos at El Petit Four restaurant, Calle Jesús 2B.
The cantata honors Emily Carr, the pioneering Canadian painter and writer whose bold, nature-driven work placed her among the most distinctive voices in 20th-century art, bringing her story to the stage through choral music for the very first time. Performed inside one of San Miguel de Allende’s most atmospheric colonial churches, this is a genuinely rare cultural occasion — a world premiere of original choral music in a historic setting — making it an unmissable event for music lovers, arts patrons and cultural travelers visiting the Bajío region.
Organizer
Chorale San Miguel is a choral ensemble based in San Miguel de Allende that also acts as an organizer of large-scale sacred and classical music concerts in the city. Through carefully curated programs of masses, oratorios, a cappella works, and pieces for choir and orchestra spanning the last four centuries, the group—under the artistic direction of Malcolm Halliday—brings together auditioned community singers, professional soloists, and instrumental ensembles to produce high-caliber performances in historic venues.
Venue
The Templo de la Tercera Orden is located at San Francisco 14, Zona Centro, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, C.P. 37700. Built in the early 17th century beside the Templo de San Francisco, this historic church features simple architecture and Baroque touches, marking it as one of the city’s oldest religious landmarks. Dedicated in July 1713, the church remains a serene and significant site for spirituality and community memory in the center of San Miguel de Allende.
