Listen to New Music by Composer Joan Valent 29 April 2011: At the CUNY Graduate Center’s Elebash Recital Hall audiences heard New Music composed by Joan Valent. Artistic director and flutist Sato Moughalian and the Perspectives Ensemble performed Valent’s pieces with conductor Josep Vincent, Andreu Riera on piano, and Smerald Spahiu, violin. Listen to the whole concert in our audio archive. For more information about the concert, check out the Institut Ramon Llull online interview and review of the event, here: Llull TV
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Composer’s Commission 2011: Distinguished Professor Tania León 2011: The Foundation for Iberian Music proudly announces that distinguished Brooklyn College professor Tania León will write the 2011 Composer’s Commission. The program is going to be “Spain in America”, a celebration of Spanish composers working in the U.S. or writing music inspired by the Americas. Prof. León’s piece is intended as a response to Xavier Montsalvatge (1912-2002), a Spaniard greatly influenced by the music of Cuba, from a Cuban native. This season will mark the centennial of Montsalvatge’s birth. Also on the program will be works by Carlos Surinach (who lived in New Haven), Enrique Granados (whose “Goyescas” was premiered at the Metropolitan Opera), and Octavio Vazquez (a young composer from Galicia) who currently lives here in Manhattan. The Composer’s Commission will premier her work on 30 November, 2011 at Carnegie Hall. The concert will feature pianist Adam Kent. Adam Kent will be receiving the the Spanish government’s “Orden al Merito Civil” this year for my work promoting Spanish culture at a special ceremony at the Spanish Consulate. The Consulate also recently underwrote a course Kent taught in the history of Spanish music at Brooklyn College. Spain in America Wednesday, November 30, 2011 8:00 pm Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall 154 West 57th Street New York, NY 10019 (212) 247-7800
The Mompou Chair Presents Its Annual Spring Seminar 7 May 2011: The Mompou Chair at the Foundation for Iberian Music presents the one-day immersion seminar “Music in Barcelona during the War of Succession (1701-1714). Professor Álvaro Torrente from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid will lead the seminar at the CUNY Graduate Center. MUSIC IN BARCELONA DURING THE WAR OF SUCCESSION (1701-1714) Álvaro Torrente Professor of Music, Universidad Complutense de Madrid Saturday May 7, 2011 From 10am to 1pm The Graduate Center 365 Fifth Ave & 34th St Room 3491 Breakfast and Coffee will be provided The War of Succession (1701-1714) is considered a decisive point in the history of Catalonia for its many political and territorial consequences. The music around the court of Archduke Charles allows a preferential analysis of the musical genres, forms, works, and composers of the 18th century. It was during these years that Barcelona presided over the first performances of Italian operas, and Italian musician Giuseppe Porsile was the head of the royal chapel of music for Archduke Charles of Barcelona. Other important local composers were Francesc Valls with his Missa Scala Aretina, Pere Rabassa, and Antonio Martín y Coll, as well as many foreigners like Francesco Mancini and Antonio Caldara, author of the first Italian opera performed in Spain at the iconic Llotja de Mar of Barcelona. Some of the most popular genres were the villancico, the zarzuela, and, of course, opera. The seminar will include listening and analyzing works by these composers, a review of the latest literature, and a close examination of many unpublished documents and original scores. Álvaro Torrente, Universidad Complutense de Madrid He is a native of Madrid and a professor of Music History at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. He studied music in both Madrid and Salamanca, and he earned his doctorate in musicology from the University of Cambridge. His research covers the diverse aspects of Spanish music in the 17th and 18th centuries. Among his many scholarly activities, Torrente is currently on the editorial board for the journal Acta Musicologica and directs the series Catálogo Descriptivo de Pliegos de Villancicos. Readings and listening examples found at: eres.gc.cuny.edu (Instructor: piza, password: muspiza) RSVP: emmy.williamson@gmail.com
The Mompou Chair Presents Its Annual Fall Seminar 30 April 2011: The Mompou Chair at the Foundation for Iberian Music presents the one-day immersion seminar “Beginnings of Jazz in Catalonia.” Jordi Pujol Baulenas, Fresh Sound Record, Barcelona will lead the seminar at the CUNY Graduate Center. THE BEGINNINGS OF JAZZ IN CATALONIA Saturday April 30, 2011 From 10am to 1pm The Graduate Center 365 Fifth Ave & 34th St Room 3491 Breakfast and Coffee will be provided From the early decades of the 20th century, jazz was introduced and established in Catalonia by dance crazes like the Charleston, foxtrot, ragtime, cakewalk, etc. While some Catalans like Xavier Cugat popularized in the US light jazz and Caribbean music, many American artists performed for extended periods of time in Barcelona (Lou Bennet, L. Armstrong, Lionel Hampton, Artie Shaw, etc.). All this resulted in a cultural and musical explosion. Soon, Catalonia experienced a moment of musical effervescence, and many jazz clubs and associations (Jamboree, Hot Club, Discòfils, Parrilla de Ritz, Salón Amaya, etc.) were established. In addition to reviewing the early jazz discography of this movement (dating back to 1919), the seminar will provide critical readings of the latest literature, as well as analysis of unpublished materials. Jordi Pujol Baulenas, Fresh Sound Record, Barcelona Barcelona native Jordi Pujol Baluenas has been playing and studying jazz since childhood. His other great interest from adolescence was artistic design. He earned a bachelor’s in design from the Massana School. After many years working in textile design, in 1983, he co-founded Fresh Sounds Records a music label that specializes in the reissuing of jazz records. Pujol has created other labels (El Bandoneón, Tumbao, Alma Latina, Blue Moon) that reissue records from various popular music genres such as tango, afrocuban, bolero, ranchero, and US pop from the 1940-50s. He is the author of the definitive scholarly study on early jazz in Catalonia, Jazz en Barcelona 1920-1965 (Barcelona: Almendra Music, 2005). Readings and listening examples found at: eres.gc.cuny.edu (search instructor: piza; password: muspiza) RSVP: emmy.williamson@gmail.com
Catalunya Música interviews Antoni Pizà 28 January 2011: Barcelona radio station Catalunya Música interviewed director of the Foundation for Iberian Music Antoni Pizà about his new book Nits Simfoniques. In the book, Pizà discusses the processes and methods of writing concert program notes. Listen to the full interview here. https://fredgatesdesign.co/brookfinal/PreviousUploads/Piza_Nits.mp3
Music of Spain: A Performance by the MAYA Trio 28 April 2011: The Foundation for Iberian Music and the Jarvis and Constance Doctorow Foundation present a concert of the diverse musical traditions of Spain performed by the MAYA Trio featuring guest artist Cristina Pato. Formed in 2005, the MAYA Trio is a rhythmically driven combination of flute, harp, and percussion. Under the direction of Sato Moughalian, the MAYA Trio seeks to perform and showcase the diverse music from various cultures around the world. Music of Spain Thursday, April 28, 2010 8 PM Judson Memorial Church 55 Washington Square South New York, NY 10012 MAYA John Hadfield, Percussion Bridget Kibbey, Harp Sato Moughalian, Flutes Guest Artists Cristina Pato, gaita (Galician bagpipe) Shane Shanahan, percussion PROGRAM: Lamento trad. Galician Cristina Pato, bagpipes Asklepios Gabriel Erkoreka (b. 1969 Bilbao) Commissioned for MAYA by the Spanish Ministry of Culture MAYA Puncha, puncha la rosa huela trad. Sephardic arr. Erik Friedlander MAYA WORLD PREMIERE Eneko Vadillo (b. 1973 Málaga) Commissioned for MAYA by the Spanish Ministry of Culture For Danièle MAYA El Cant dels Ocells trad. Catalan arr. Pau Casals/MAYA MAYA WORLD PREMIERE Joan Valent (b. 1964 Palma de Mallorca) Sato Moughalian, flute & Bridget Kibbey, harp Bulería trad. Andalucian For Danièle John Hadfield, cajon Afrika trad. Galician Panxolino trad. Galician The concert is in memory of Danièle Doctorow, Maya’s great friend and inspiration, passionate advisor and board member, lover of the arts and of life.
The Foundation for Iberian Music Presents a Concert of Joan Valent Compositions 29 April 2011: The Foundation for Iberian Music presents a concert dedicated to the compositions of composer Joan Valent. Known as a minimalist, Valent has composed numerous works. Additionally, his work has appeared in film and television. Co-sponsored by the Institut Ramon Llull, the concert will be held at the CUNY Graduate Center’s Proshansky Auditorium at 7pm. ELEBASH RECITAL HALL 7pm CUNY Graduate Center 365 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10016 Free and Open to the Public Program Melodia cega for string ensemble Kli for string ensemble, flute solo, piano Quatre Estacions a Mallorca (The Four Seasons) for strings, percussion, piano, solo violin Primavera (Spring) Tardor (Autum) Estiu (Summer) Hivern (Winter) Pangaea for strings Caiassa for strings, piano solo For more information about Valent and his work, click here.
Tallis Scholars Perform Tomás Luis de Victoria’s Requiem 2 April 2011: Director Peter Phillip and the Tallis Scholars will perform Tomás Luis de Victoria’s choral works at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin. Co-sponsored by the Miller Theatre at the Columbia University School of the Arts, this event will present Victoria’s grandest compositions, including the monumental Requiem. Saturday, April 2, 2011 at 8:00 pm The Church of St. Mary the Virgin 145 West 46th Street New York, New York 10036 Phone: 212.869.5830 Tickets price: $40. To order tickets by phone: 212-854-7799 For more information and to order tickets online: click here