El Mundo is dedicated to the performance of 16th- through 19th-century Latin American, Spanish, and Italian chamber music. Under the direction of guitarist and lutenist Richard Savino, El Mundo is made up of some of today’s finest period-instrument performers. El Mundo has numerous recordings on the Koch, Dorian, Sono Luminus, and Naxos labels. These include the premiere of Sebastián Durón’s 17th-century zarzuela “Salir el amor del mundo” and The Kingdoms of Castile, which received a 2012 Grammy nomination. El Mundo’s most recent releases, What Artemisia Heard and Archivo de Guatemala, have received rave reviews.
With an extensive discography as soloist, director, or principal performer, Richard Savino’s recordings have received Grammy nominations, a Diapason d’Or, and 10 de Répertoire. He regularly collaborates with the world’s most important ensembles and performers—including Joyce DiDonato, Paul Hillier, and Monica Huggett—and has guest-directed the Aston Magna Music Festival, REBEL, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, and Milano Chamber Orchestra. In addition to performing, Savino has created 25 soundtracks to accompany videos that describe the world’s largest collection of privately held Rembrandts and dozens of paintings by other great Dutch masters for The Leiden Collection in New York. An avid writer, Savino has been published by Cambridge University Press, Editions Chanterelle, and Indiana University Press, and is a founding member of the Consortium for Guitar Studies at Cambridge University. He received his doctorate from Stony Brook University, SUNY, and is a professor at Sacramento State and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
Grammy-nominated singer and composer Ryland Angel has sung in Doctor Ox’s Experiment (English National Opera), The Fairy Queen (Barcelona), Amadigi (Karlsruhe), Doux Mensonges (Palais Garnier), Agrippina (New York City Opera), Carmina Burana (Lincoln Center), and Messiah (Carnegie Hall). His more than 80 recordings include the soundracks of Jack Reacher, Zoolander 2, Machete, and Gemini Man. He also appeared as part of PBS’s Heavenly Voices. Recent creations include performances in Tesla and Fatini Futuro, and The Chant Project.
Soprano Jennifer Ellis Kampani specializes in Baroque repertoire and has loved performing with El Mundo for more than 20 years. She is often in demand for programs that feature music from Latin America and Spain. Kampani currently lives with her family in Los Angeles and serves on the faculty at the University of Southern California.
Adam LaMotte is well known to audiences across the country as a leader of both period and modern ensembles. He has appeared as soloist, concertmaster, and conductor of numerous orchestras, including the Portland Baroque Orchestra, Maggini Orchestra, and Ars Lyrica Houston. He presently serves as artistic director of the Montana Baroque Music Festival.
Maureen Murchie received her bachelor’s (magna cum laude) and master’s degrees from Baylor University. She received her doctorate in violin performance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Murchie is a founding member of the Houston-based Zephyr Ensemble and has held teaching positions at Eastern Illinois University and the University of Illinois.
Harpsichordist Dongsok Shin performs internationally with numerous ensembles, but is best known for his work with Baroque ensemble REBEL. He is also a recording engineer, producer, and editor. He tunes and maintains keyboard instruments for the Flint Collection, Metropolitan Opera, and Metropolitan Museum of Art. Shin’s YouTube videos—produced by the Met Museum—have garnered more than 400,000 views.
In his unexpected career, Paul Shipper performs as singer, instrumentalist, actor, and director. A founding member of Ex Umbris, he performs extensively with numerous early music ensembles across the US, Europe, and Asia. He has performed and recorded many operatic roles and has also served as stage director for various organizations. Shipper can be heard on numerous international labels, PBS, and the Showtime hit The Tudors.
Uruguayan American soprano Nell Snaidas specializes in early repertoire of Latin America and Spain, and always loves singing with her El Mundo amigos. She is a co-artistic director of GEMAS, a concert series in New York City that is devoted to early music and musicians of the Americas, sponsored by Americas Society and Gotham Early Music Scene.
Praised for his versatility and expressive style, Serafim Smigelskiy actively performs internationally on both Baroque and modern cellos. A passionate advocate of new music, he has given numerous world premiere performances guided by composers such as Arvo Pärt, Magnus Lindberg, Jessica Meyer, and Ellen Reid. Smigelskiy also composes electronic music as Faremis Sound and produces audiobooks with his wife, Sierra Prasada, as HiSierrafim Audio.
