Last night on the “glorious 4th” (Independence Day in the United States) I was invited by fellow English teacher Laura González to a concert of the Xalapa Symphony Orchestra with Tania Libertad, a singer I had never heard of before—although she is well known here in México. Peruvian by birth, she’s lived in México for many years. (Here you can read about her and sample her voice, but the samples really don’t do justice to the power and range of her vocal abilities.)

It was a wonderful evening—and not just for Libertad’s beautiful voice and impassioned interpretations but for the symphony orchestra, directed by Fernando Lozano, as well. For one thing, watching Lozano—a tall man in the tercer edad (the third age) as they say here—was a pleasure in itself: his gray hair clearly styled by a protégé of Einstein’s hairdresser, his directing at times an elegant dance, at other times a pounce, sometimes languid, sometimes lively, always interesting to watch.

Here is a list of the music I heard—and I write it down here so that when I return, I can begin to acquire some of it. If you’re not familiar with it either, dear readers, I encourage you to try it out.

The orchestra played two pieces of music before Libertad came on stage for each of the concert’s two parts: “Conga del Fuego Nuevo” and “Danzón,” both composed by Arturo Márquez. I loved them both.

Libertad sang these songs:

• “Mañana de carnaval” (Luis Bonfa)
• “Placer de amor” (Schwarzendorf)
• “Rival” (Agustín Lara—a Veracruzana, incidentally, and much loved here)
• “Los pájaros perdidos” (Astor Piáosla)
• “La Guinda” (Edusebio Delfín)
• “Cuando sale la luna” (José Alfredo Jiménez)
• “Caruso” (L. Dalla)
• “Noche de Ronda” (Agustín Lara)
• “Himno al amor” (M. Mannote)
• “Piensa en mi” (Agustín Lara)
• “Syboney” (Ernesto Lecuona)

And for an encore, demanded by the audience with chants of “Otra! Otra!”(Another! Another!), Libertad sang Schubert’s “Ave Maria” and—a cappella—“Alfonsina y el mar,” an especial favorite of the crowd.

After the concert, Laura gave me a ride home, but we didn’t get far from the concert hall for about a half hour because of the huge line of cars exiting the Universidad Veracruzana campus. So she parked her car at the top of a hill overlooking the hilly city of Xalapa, the view softened by a thin fog. Around us were palm trees and araucarias (a native evergreen tree) and the tall grass fed to exuberant heights by the rains that have fallen during this rainy season. We lowered the windows to enjoy the cool night air and take in the sights better. We could see far away on another hill in the center of the city the cathedral, clearly lit, a beacon on a hill.

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Back to the topic of the United States' Independence Day, July 4, readers who haven't been to the U.S. might be interested in learning how we celebrate this day. You can find a smorgasbord of information, articles, and photo slideshows of this year's celebration on the New York Times website. Also, have a look at "A Taste of Independence," an article that talks about what people traditionally eat as they celebrate this day--and how immigrants to the country have added their own twists to these traditions.