Bach to Brazil

Baroque, Spanish, Brazilian Music Concert
Sunday, AUGUST 21, 2016 – 2:00 p.m.
$15 at the door; students FREE. Wheelchair-accessible, air-conditioned
Twice Grammy-nominated guitarist José Lezcano with cellist Rebecca Hartka present a program of BACH TO BRAZIL that include works of Bach, Villa-Lobos, de Falla, Lezcano and more.
Internationally acclaimed musicians, the Hartka/Lezcano Duo (cellist Rebecca Hartka and guitarist José Lezcano), present an exciting program exploring the connections between Bach and Latin American composers. Featured are the baroque master’s First Cello Suite, the Chaconne (arranged for guitar); and works by the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos (his Bachianas Brasilieras no. 5, and Prelude no 3: Homage to Bach). Rounding out the program are Sonatas for guitar and cello by Radames Gnattali (also from Brazil), the Cuban-born Lezcano (himself a Grammy-nominated composer), and the popular Spanish Folk-Songs by Manuel de Falla.

Meet the artists reception during intermission.
North Hall artist gallery is exhibiting the multi-faceted work by artist Jan Roby.

BIOS

José Lezcano- Described by Fanfare Magazine as “an excellent guitarist as well as an imaginative composer,” Jose Lezcano is a twice Grammy-nominated composer and performer who has concertized on four continents. His programs featuring traditional and Latin American repertory, and his own original Latin-inspired compositions have taken him as recitalist, collaborative musician, and concerto soloist from Carnegie Recital Hall and the North-South Consonance Series in New York City to major venues and festivals in Spain, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Crete, Brazil, China, the Czech Republic and Germany.  In November 2014, Jose appeared as soloist with the Portsmouth Symphony in Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez, a cornerstone of the Spanish guitar repertory. Jose is a frequent performer on New England concert series, and has appeared recently on series for Electric Earth, Portland Chamber Music, Wistaria Chamber Music Society, Claremont Summer Concerts, and Apple Hill. He also presents concert/lectures throughout the state for the NH Humanities Council “To-Go” series. Jose is on the Artist Roster of NEFA as well as the NH State Arts Council, and was a 2003 Artist Fellow. He has received commissions from New England Meet-the-Composer, the Boston Guitar Society, the New York State Music Fund, and the Rochester Folk Art Guild. Invited to join the Keene State College Music Department in 1991, he serves as Professor of Music where he coordinates the guitar program, and conducts the KSC Guitar Orchestra and KSC Latin American Ensemble.

Rebecca Hartka- Cellist Rebecca Hartka has concertized for over a decade in venues throughout the United States as well as making international appearances in Italy, Vietnam, and Thailand. Hartka’s playing was described by the Hanoi Times as “… magical and eloquent.” Committed to building bridges through performance and transcending classical music stereotypes, Hartka has performed in nontraditional venues such as Club Passim in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Hampshire County Jail, numerous coffee houses and private homes, and such prestigious venues as the American Embassy in Hanoi. According to the Boston Musical Intelligencer her 2014 release Light & Shadow: Sonatas of Rachmaninov and Poulenc with pianist Alys Terrien-Queen “take this rich Russian music to new heights”, stating that their performance “ranks comfortably alongside several impressive readings by other major cellists.” In 2013-14 Hartka was artist faculty in Arcidosso, Italy for the Interharmony International Music Festival. She has appeared recently as a solo recitalist in the Frederick Historical Piano Collection Concert Series, Boston French Cultural Center, Wistaria Chamber Music Society Concerts at 7, Classics in the Woods, North Quabbin Center for the Arts Series, Community Connections Concert Series, and Columbia Universities St Lukes Concert Series. Her debut CD Folkfire with pianist Azusa Komiyama, released in October 2010, received critical acclaim as well as National Public Radio play, including a feature on Paul Elisha’s Performance Place. As a Deans Scholar, Hartka earned her Doctorate of Musical Arts and Masters in Music from Boston University College of Fine Arts, and her Bachelor of Arts in Music from Oberlin College and Conservatory. She has studied with Andor Toth, Michael Reynolds, Rhonda Rider, and Leslie Parnas.

All welcome.
contact: 413- 667- 5543 / www.northhallhuntington.org
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