Credit: SZALON logo by Mia Bosna
April 24th SZALON Program!
1. Blue Tango Project: María Volonté (vocals & guitar) and Kevin Carrel Footer (harmonica) will perform live from their home in Buenos Aires
2. David Kontak will present instruments he designed and built for “Beyond the Binary” commissioned by Mendelssohn Chorus (music by Andrea Clearfield, libretto by Ellen Frankel), artistic director Dominic DiOrio from his home/studio in Concord, NH
3. Pianist Rolando Rolim performs Camargo Guarnieri’s Toccata at Andrea Clearfield’s Salon in Philadelphia
4. Laura Strickling, soprano premieres new songs commissioned for her 40@40 project by Andrea Clearfield (“Let us Remember Spring”) and Tom Cipullo “(At Spring’s End”) with pianist Laura Ward at Andrea’s Salon in Philadelphia
5. Quey Percussion Duo will perform Ivan Trevino’s piece Seesaw for 2 percussionists playing one guitar, at Andrea Clearfield’s Salon
6. Dave Hartl, pianist and Paula Johns, vocalist will perform “Moment to Moment” and “Dreamsville” (Henri Mancini) and “You Stepped out of a Dream” (Gus Kahn/Nacio Herb Brown) at Andrea Clearfield’s Salon
7. Jessica JeongYeon Won will perform Korean traditional folk music; ‘KimByungHo-ryu Gayageum Sanjo’ at Andrea’s Salon
8. Magdaliz and Her Latin Ensemble Crisol (Magdaliz Roura, Veronica Jurkiewics, Juan Garcia-Bossio and Edwin “Papo Buda” Rosado) will play several selections from Latin America and the Caribbean at Andrea’s Salon
9. Stephen DiJoseph (composer/pianist/guitarist) will perform original solo compositions at Andrea's Salon
10. Poet J. C. Todd will read her poems “Benediction,” and “A Bed in al Rahjan” from her book, Beyond Repair, with piano improvisation by Andrea Clearfield at the Salon
11. Pianist/composer Emiliano Messiez will perform his original piano solos “When it rains, “Whirling” and “Un vals a las 3” from his home/studio in NYC
Blue Tango Project: María Volonté and Kevin Carrel Footer
The María Volonté Blue Tango Project is the soulful duo of Argentine Latin Grammy nominee María Volonté (vocals & guitar) and California-born harmonica player Kevin Carrel Footer. Hailing from the colorful La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires, the María Volonté Blue Tango Project is a ground-breaking exploration of the emotional and musical crossroads where tango and the blues embrace. They perform classic tangos with a twist as well as their own compositions. “The best-kept secret of Argentinian tango!” – Songlines Magazine “Maria Volonte is an Argentine singer whose refreshing interpretation of tango stole my heart… Her music is a potent brew. Consume responsibly.” – NPR National Public Radio “An entrancing creative expression that is uniquely her own” – Los Angeles Times
Links:
Website: https://www.bluetangoproject.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BlueTangoProject
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bluetangoproject
Videos:
David Kontak
David Kontak is an instrument builder, musician and therapist. He lives with his family in Concord, NH. His early training was in the visual arts, and he taught drawing and printmaking at Kent State University in the 80’s and 90’s. Around this time, an interest in ergonomics prompted him to start building bass guitars. Soon, he was exploring a wide variety of stringed and percussion instruments. His ongoing goal is to provide composers and performers with a fresh set of sonic options. David will present a cross section of the instruments he has designed and built for an upcoming production of “Beyond the Binary.” This new work, with music by Andrea Clearfield, words by Ellen Frankel, and artistic direction by Dominic DiOrio, will premiere on May 15 at The Fillmore in Philadelphia. The instruments demonstrated will include a variety of stringed and percussion instruments. This includes a six-foot-long guitar with multiple bridges, tuned percussion instruments made of plastic pipe, a kalimba with band saw blades, and more. More information is available on David’s website: www.kontakcreative.com
Ronaldo Rolim
Brazilian pianist Ronaldo Rolim is acclaimed for his “special ability to present touching interpretations” (El Norte), “consummate elegance” (New York Concert Review) and “mastery of phrasing, agogic accents, and dynamics” (Oberbaselbieter Zeitung). A winner of the 2017 Astral Artists National Auditions, he has performed extensively over four continents as a guest soloist, recitalist and chamber musician. Mr. Rolim has captured top prizes at numerous international competitions, including Géza Anda, James Mottram, Bösendorfer, San Marino, Lyon, and Teresa Carreño, and performed with groups such as the Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, Concerto Budapest, St. Petersburg State Capella Orchestra, Louisiana Philharmonic, Phoenix Symphony, and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as many of Brazil’s foremost ensembles. In 2019, Mr. Rolim released his latest album on Odradek Records, "Szymanowski - The Wartime Triptychs", devoted to the programmatic works the Polish composer wrote during World War I. The topic was extensively discussed in Mr. Rolim's doctoral thesis, completed in 2016 at Yale University. Born in 1986, Mr. Rolim began his musical training at the age of four and was a student of the Magda Tagliaferro School in São Paulo. In 2005, he moved to the United States, where he studied with Flavio Varani, Benjamin Pasternack and Boris Berman, and in 2022 he was appointed Assistant Professor of Piano at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA.
Laura Strickling and Laura Ward
Laura Strickling was nominated for a 2022 Grammy® award for Confessions – her debut solo recording of American art song. Recognized by The New York Times for her “flexible voice, crystalline diction, and warm presence," she was featured in the May 2021 issue of Classical Singer Magazine. A recognized specialist in new music, she announced the 40@40 Project – a personal initiative to commission 40 new art songs from 40 composers in the year 2021. Laura created the role of Fanni Radnòti in the world premiere of Tom Cipullo’s opera The Parting, and the role of Dr. Slade in the world premiere of Everything for Dawn with Experiments in Opera. A Chicago native and avid traveler, Ms. Strickling has lived in Fez (Morocco), Kabul (Afghanistan), and currently makes her home in St. Thomas, U. S. Virgin Islands where she enjoys the cultivation of her extensive collection of orchids.
Website:
Social Media:
https://www.facebook.com/lauraedstrickling
https://www.instagram.com/laurastrickling/
https://www.tiktok.com/@lauradixonstrickling
CD Purchases:
Laura Ward is pianist and Co-Artistic Director of Lyric Fest. As a distinguished collaborative pianist she is known for both her technical ability and vast knowledge of repertoire and styles. Concert engagements have taken her to Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Spoleto Festival (Italy) and the Colmar International Music Festival and Saint Denis Festival in France. She has served on the faculty of The CoOPERAtive Program at Westminster Choir College, The Academy of Vocal Arts, Temple University, Ravinia Festival Stean’s Institute, Washington Opera, University of Maryland and The Music Academy of the West. Laura’s discography includes Lineage with Baritone, Randall Scarlata, In This Blue Room, Lyric Fest performs Songs of Kile Smith, Daron Hagen 21st Century Song Cycles and Hat er mir Rosen Gebracht, Songs of Joseph Marx, with Kendra Colton, Soprano. Laura is also a recording artist and editor of song accompaniments for Hal Leonard Publishing. These volumes help countless singers and pianists experience, learn and enjoy the art song repertoire and also help introduce a world of art song to many who have had little exposure to classical song.
Videos:
Quey Percussion Duo
For more than 18 years, Quey [“Kway”] Percussion Duo has dazzled audiences worldwide with their unmistakable style that blends traditions of Western and non-Western percussion, contemporary, classical, and popular music to create colorful sound worlds that often place focus on interlocking counterpoint and musical multi-tasking. Comprised of members Gene Koshinski and Tim Broscious, QPD has performed all around the world, working with music festivals, art galleries, chamber music series’, conventions (including 4 PASIC appearances), professional orchestras, and have engaged in more than 100 university residencies worldwide. They also can be heard in the score of the award winning short film The Passage, which was premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2018. As new music advocates, QPD has generated nearly 200 new works written for the duo (or by the duo), many of which become instant “earworms” for audiences and staples in the repertoire for percussionists worldwide. QPD holds the only full-time university residency by a percussion duo at the University of Delaware where they co-direct the percussion program. They have recorded for the Innova, Naxos, Centaur, and Equilibrium record labels and in addition, their focus on creating high-level social media video content has led to nearly 2 million views of their performances. QPD is endorsed by Pearl/Adams Instruments, Sabian Cymbals, Innovative Percussion, Remo Drumheads, and Schoenhut Toy Pianos.
Links:
https://www.innova.mu/albums/quey-percussion-duo/sonichroma
Videos:
Paula Johns and Dave Hartl
Paula Johns is an accomplished “cabaret singer/jazz vocalist” (she really hates to be labelled)…let’s just say she loves GOOD music from any genre. She comes from a very classically trained musical family. She inherited music honestly from her late mother, Mezzo-Soprano, Mertine Johns, and her father William Johns, a choir director & organist for several churches. Paula brings her own distinctive panache to each song she sings. She enjoys a great lyric that tugs at your heartstrings, as well as a lyric that’ll make you fall off your seat with laughter. Her most recent projects are “A Tribute to Burt Bacharach, Hal David & Dionne Warwick” and a tribute to Miss Ella Fitzgerald. The musical director and arranger for both projects is Dave Hartl. Paula & Dave are currently working together as a duo at The River House of Odettes in New Hope, PA. Visit her website for more information. www.paulajohns.com
Dave Hartl is a master of many styles and instruments. His career has included performances on piano and synthesizer with hundreds of popular artists including Joni Mitchell, Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson, Andrea Bocelli, The Supremes, and many more; over two decades on the faculty of the University of the Arts; thousands of performances on piano, synthesizers, accordion, guitar, and Chapman Stick. He has released 11 albums and is currently working on an album of tangos by Astor Piazzolla. In addition to playing local gigs as a solo pianist, current projects include arranging for and performing on accordion, piano, and synthesizers with jazz chanteuse Paula Johns, The Ronstadt Revue Tribute, a modern classical group The Divine Hand Ensemble, an original fusion group called Musical Collusion, the George Torrella Trio, and a gypsy jazz group called The Hot Club of Philadelphia, and still holding down the piano/celeste chair for the Southeast Pennsylvania Symphony Orchestra and Northeast Pennsylvania Philharmonic. For further info, go to
http://www.davehartl.com, https://davehartl.bandcamp.com/ and YouTube.
Jessica JeongYeon Won
Jessica JeongYon Won is a performer of Korean Traditional Music; ‘Gayageum’. She has been majoring in this typical Korean traditional instrument, following the achievements of her grandfather and mother who are experts of the ‘Gayageum’. She was born in Seoul, Korea, 1999. Currently, she is studying at Temple University as an exchange student for one semester. She is a college student in South Korea as a ‘Hanyang University, College of music, Korean Traditional Music’ major. Since she was in elementary school, Jessica’s future dream was to be a globalized traditional music performer and now, she is in the process of getting closer to her dreams. Gyaygeum music can be divided into 3 big sections. One is the ‘Jeongak; original traditional court music’, over 2000 years old. The other is ‘Sanjo; traditional folk music’ of Korean ancestors from 7th Century Silla Dynasty. The last is a ‘Contemporary Gayageum music’ which refers to repertoires newly-composed since the 1930s. This type of contemporary music weaves authentic styles into new musical domains. Jessica Won will perform the Korean folk music ‘Sanjo’ called ‘KimByungHo-Ryu Gayageum Sanjo’. The folk music of Korea is always named after the composer of the piece. This piece is by the late Gayageum expert, ByungHo-Kim. Jessica Won hopes that her investigation and studies of Korean traditional music can be a bridge between Western – Korean traditional music across time.
Venmo: @JeongYeon-Won
Videos:
Magdaliz and her Latin Ensemble Crisol
Magdaliz and her Latin Ensemble Crisol (a.k.a. Trio Crisol), Spanish for melting pot, founded in Philadelphia in 1997, is a Latin ensemble dedicated to the interpretation of a variety of folk and traditional music genres from all over Latin America and the Caribbean. Romantic Puerto Rican Boleros, energetic Mexican Mariachi music, feisty Cuban Sones, sensuous Colombian Cumbias, contagious Dominican Merengues, are among the many styles they perform. They released their first album in 2002: Songs from the New World. In 2009 Magdaliz and Her Latin Ensemble Crisol performed at the Kimmel Center as first place winners in the Philadelphia Best Latin Music Ensemble Category. Some of the venues they have performed at include the Kimmel Center, Penn’s Landing, the Barnes Foundation, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Penn Museum of Anthropology, and World Cafe Live among many others. She will perform with Veronica Jurkiewics (violin and vocals), Juan García-Bossio (bass and vocals), Edwin “Papo Buda” Rosado (percussion).
You can support Magdaliz via Zelle, Venmo, or PayPal
You may email her (triocrisol@gmail.com) if you are interested in buying her Latin Trio CD “Songs from the New World” for $10.
YouTube: youtube.com/TrioCrisol
FaceBook: facebook.com/TrioCrisol
Instagram: instagram.com/TrioCrisol
Twitter: twitter.com/TrioCrisol
Webpage: triocrisol.com
Hashtag: #triocrisol
Videos:
Stephen DiJoseph
In his 50 years as a creator, award winning musician/songwriter/composer/filmmaker Stephen DiJoseph has never been able to settle on one musical direction. So he took them all and proclaimed to the world "I have MGD!" i.e. Multiple Genre Disorder. You can witness an example of his artisTic,TouretTic musical explosions (what he calls his 'SynapTic Adventure') for yourself at the Salon!
Explore Stephen's creations at www.stephendijoseph.bandcamp.com/music , www.stephendijoseph.com and www.facebook.com/dijosephmusicandfilm
J.C. Todd with Andrea Clearfield
Poet J.C. Todd’s award-winning books include Beyond Repair (Able Muse Press, 2021), and The Damages of Morning (Moonstone Press, 2018). Winner of the 2016 Rita Dove Poetry Prize, and commended in the 2022 National Contest of the Poetry Society of the UK, she has held fellowships from the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the Bemis Center, Ucross, and Ragdale. JC has read at the Dodge Poetry Festival and festivals in Italy, Lithuania, and Macedonia. Her poems have appeared in American Poetry Review, Beloit Poetry Journal, The Paris Review, and other journals.
Links to purchase books:
Beyond Repair: https://www.ablemusepress.com/books/j-c-todd-beyond-repair-poems
The Damages of Morning: https://moonstone-arts-center.square.site/product/todd-j-c-damages-of-morning/53?cs=true&cst=custom
Links to poems:
https://nightheronbarks.com/fall-2020/j-c-todd/ (audio + print)
https://nightheronbarks.com/j-c-todd-in-whom-the-dying-does-not-end/ (audio + print)
https://baltimorereview.org/fall_2020/contributor/j-c-todd#Orison (print)
Andrea Clearfield is an award-winning composer of music for opera, orchestra, chorus, chamber ensemble, dance and multimedia collaborations. Clearfield creates deep, emotive musical languages that build cultural and artistic bridges. She has been praised by theNew York Timesfor her “graceful tracery and lively, rhythmically vital writing”, thePhiladelphia Inquirerfor her “compositional wizardry” and “mastery with large choral and instrumental forces”, theL.A. Timesfor her “fluid and glistening orchestration” and byOpera Newsfor her “vivid and galvanizing” music of “timeless beauty”. Her catalog of over 160 works includes sixteen large-scale cantatas including one for The Philadelphia Orchestra. More recent worksare inspired by Tibetan music fieldwork that she conducted in the Nepalese Himalaya, including her opera on the life of the venerated Tibetan saint, Milarepa.As a pianist she has performed with many soloists, ensembles and orchestras, including the Relâche Ensemble where she was the keyboardist for 25 years. She has had the honor of performing with the Court of the Dalai Lama.She is the founder, curator and host of the Philadelphia Salon concert series featuring contemporary, classical, jazz, electronic, dance, and world music now celebrating its 35thYear Season. Learn more about her work and upcoming premieres at www.andreaclearfield.com
Emiliano Messiez
Emiliano Messiez is an Argentinean pianist and composer based in New York City. With a very versatile and personal sound, he is the pianist of the show Forever Tango and he directs his own orchestra Típica Messiez. As a composer he is the composer of “The Guava Tree” a musical comissioned by Creede Repertory Theater; Bordello The Musical, a musical awarded by the National Alliance of Musica Theater in New York City and many other projects. He is educated in classical music, jazz, tango, rock and latin american rhythms and he has performed all around the world in venues such as The Lincoln Center, The Metropolitan Museum of New York and The Houston Opera Theater, among others with some of the world’s top musicians such as Paquito de Rivera, Diego El Cigala, Dino Saluzzi, Concha Buika, Raul Jaurena, Fernando Otero and Pedro Giraudo, among others.
https://www.youtube.com/user/EmilianoMessiez
https://www.instagram.com/emessiez/
https://www.facebook.com/emiliano.messiez/
Videos:
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