In case you haven’t noticed, this is a fairly spectacular week for vocal music in Richmond. Top jazz vocalist Dianne Krall, aka Mrs. Elvis Costello, is at the Altria Theater on Wednesday. Cecelia McLoren Savant, current Grammy winner and arguably the brightest young vocalist to emerge in decades is at the Modlin Center on Friday. And between the two, on Thursday night, Miramar, one of the jewels of local music in one of the best listening spaces in town, the studio at In Your Ear.
Miramar’s focus is Puerto Rican boleros, deeply romantic songs originally performed in a salon setting. The project started as a labor of love for Bio Ritmo pianist Marlysse Simmons and vocalists Rey Alverez and Laura Ann Singh. Their 2016 breakthrough recording “Dedication to Sylvia Rexach” made multiple best of year lists, got them featured on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts, being one of a dozen artists selected for NYC’s globalFest and a slot at WOMAX, the premier world music event.
So, seeing them with the Classical Revolution RVA string section in an acoustically perfect room with less than 60 people is kind of a big deal. And in a week of spectacular events, one very much worth considering.