Last month on September 18th, the Latin American and Iberian Studies Department, UNAM Boston, the Spanish Resource Center, and the Office of Global Programs at UMass Boston welcomed José Sanchís, the director of the Complutense University Symphonic Orchestra of Madrid. Sanchís, a trumpet player born in Valencia and a former student at Harvard, Yale, and UMass Boston guided us through the musical direction of the opera Zarzuela and emphasized the importance of an orchestra working, breathing, and planning an exquisite performance together. Highlights from this talk include how important it is for an orchestra to have the same vision for this Spanish opera, to follow the director while putting forth the emotions of the performers portrayed on stage through musical instruments, and using flexibility, emotional intelligence, and confidence during rehearsals and in front of an audience.

            José Sanchís gave an inspiring lecture on how musicians communicate visually with the director during rehearsals and performances, are proactive, and fully comprehend the story being told through music in complex and intricate operas such as Zarzuela. He brought us through finding the voice and soul of the musical pieces through the musicians, how they rehearsed the dramatics of each scene repeatedly, and how the connection between the music and the stage is always crucial to create a cohesive work of art. Through this talk, we learn about the small and large details of performing an opera from the eyes of the director, who acts as the anchor in the orchestra to maintain one vision of what an opera, or any musical work can become. His insightful reflections on creating this performance of Zarzuela opens a door to a world of creating beautiful music and performances together, and we thank him immensely for sharing this dynamic, emotional, and musically inclined work of art with us.

Amira Lucas

https://web.unican.es/noticias/Paginas/2025/06/Congreso-Literatura.aspx

From June 6 to 7, the Department of Latin American and Iberian Studies co-sponsored and co-hosted the annual Paving the Way to Healthcare Access conference. Professional interpreters came together to learn about the latest training and trends in the field and to raise awareness about the importance of translators and interpreters in providing health services in the languages required by specific community settings. For the second year, the department partnered with Paving the Way, an organization that has provided training to medical interpreters for years. This partnership helps our multilingual students find professional connections and engage them in helping their communities in this critical area of care.

On May 3, translation students and Professors Diego Mansilla and Nayelli Castro-Ramírez participated in the academic section of the 2025 New England Translators Association (NETA) conference. Professor María Cisterna, chair of the Department of Latin American and Iberian Studies, gave the opening remarks. Since 2016, the Department has proudly supported the New England translators’ community, encouraging student and faculty participation in this important professional gathering and raising awareness of the significance of translation in contemporary societies.

On April 30, under the supervision of Prof. Nayelli Castro-Ramírez, translation students presented their research posters at the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) Undergraduate Research Showcase. Their posters reflected on the multidimensional nature of translation, covering topics such as translation and performing arts (Sabrina Femino), oral history (Candace Chan), poetry (Amira Lucas), news (Henry Needham), audiovisual media (Nina Ávila), Latin American politics (Ishaiah Alvarenga), and social justice (Vivienne Auguste). The CLA jury recognized their good work, awarding Candace Chan first place in the competition and giving honorable mentions to Amira Lucas, Henry Needham, and Ishaiah Alvarenga.