Quasar Trio: New Resident Ensemble at the Foundation for Iberian Music We are delighted to welcome the newly-formed Quasar Trio to the roster of ensembles in residence at the Foundation for Iberian Music. The Quasar Trio is comprised of acclaimed musicians Eva León on violin, José Franch-Ballesters on clarinet, and Jon Klibonoff on piano. The trio released this statement: The Quasar Trio brings creative energy to the exploration of chamber music, new and old. Three established musicians, each with a sterling international reputation, have forged an ensemble that is steeped in a wide, varied repertoire and fluent in diverse cultural idioms. As soloists, these players have won praise for their “astonishing vitality and energy” (La Vanguardia, Spain), “technical wizardry,” and “perpetual motion” brilliance (New York Times). As an ensemble, they bring the same expertise and dedication, yet are freer to offer bold, innovative programming, featuring music by both established and emerging composers and leading audiences down roads less traveled. The trio is committed to artistic collaborations that go beyond the usual boundaries of chamber music, teaming up with other musicians and launching cross-genre projects that produce visually engaging performances. In short, the Quasar Trio brings new energy to NYC’s music scene and expands the universe of offerings available to its audiences. León received her doctorate from the Graduate Center, under the advisement of Antoni Pizà. Each of the musicians in the trio has won numerous prizes and awards for their playing. You can read their full artist profiles in the statement, here. The trio’s first events will be announced soon, so be sure to check back with us here or on our social media (Twitter, Facebook) for news!
New Essay Collection on Benet Casablancas Coming soon on Galaxia Gutenberg is collection of papers on esteemed Spanish composer (and many time Foundation for Iberian Music collaborator) Benet Casablancas. The book is entitled Arquitecturas de la emoción: La música de Benet Casablancas, edited by Javier Pérez Senz. The collection is the product of a collaboration between Fundación SGAE (the Spanish Society of Authors) and L’Auditori de Barcelona, among other fine institutions. Arquitecturas de la emoción is a diverse collection of Spanish and English language essays by philosophers, critics, musicologists, composers, and more, including writings by Casablancas himself and numerous interviews with him. Foundation for Iberian Music director Antoni Pizà contributed an essay to the analytical studies portion of the book.
Catalan Independence Roundtable The Bildner Center will be holding a roundtable discussion on the current Catalan Independence movement, at the Graduate Center on November 16. The panel will discuss the movement’s background and its prospects. The Foundation for Iberian Music’s director, Antoni Pizà, will be appearing on the discussion panel. Other panelists include José Miguel Martínez Torrejón (Chair, Hispanic Languages and Literatures, Queens College), Mary Ann Newman (Director, Farragut Fund for Catalan Culture in the US) and Jordi Graupera (Research Associate, Lichtenstein Institute on Self-Determination Woodrow Wilson School of Public & International Affairs, Princeton University). You may register for the event at bildner@gc.cuny.edu. Thursday, November 16, 6:30 PM Room C201/02 The Graduate Center, CUNY
Newly Rediscovered Quintets: A Concert February 21 in 2018, Fundación Juan March will hold a concert at their Madrid location as a part of this season’s Aula de (Re)estrenos’s series, to re-premiere some recently rediscovered works by Tomás Bretón and Conrado del Campo. The Foundation for Iberian Music’s director, Antoni Pizà, and guest scholar María Luísa Martínez are responsible for bringing the Bretón work on the program to light. They discovered the work, among several other Bretón quintets, and prepared a critical edition, which is forthcoming on ICCMU Press. Pizà and Martínez also wrote the program notes for this concert.
Antoni Pizà Back on the Air The Foundation for Iberian Music’s director, Antoni Pizà, appeared on the Ona Mediterrània show “El Crepuscle Encén Estels” on October 15th. It was an informal visit, where Pizà and the host chatted about some of Pizà recent favorites, including jazz musicians Jacques Lousier and Friedrich Gulda, and Mozart. They discuss the flexibility of Bach’s music, as exemplified by Wendy Carlos’s synth interpretation Switched on Bach, as well as the asceticism of Bach and Cesar Franck. Pizà also ties in some current issues in US politics, such as the controversies of Columbus Day and Civil War statues. You can listen to the entire broadcast here. Pizà joins the program at the 27 minute mark.
NYC Latin American Cultural Week, Nov 10–19 In just over a week, New York City’s annual Latin American Cultural week kicks off. The festival runs November 10–19 and encompasses dozens of concerts, dance and theatrical performances, film screenings, and workshops throughout the city. One participant in this year’s festival is our own colleague Isabel Pérez Dobarro, who contributed to our Granados Celebration and is co-organizing an upcoming conference with us. Her event, “Musica Among Friends,” is Tuesday, November 14th, at 6 pm at Saint Peter’s Church. She will be performing piano works and songs from Isaac Albéniz and Enrique Granados with pianist Rosa Torres-Pardo, who will also be singing.
November NY Andalus Ensemble/Asefa Events Early in November, there are several events in the New York Andalus Ensemble family happening. Under the rubric of Asefa Music (the projects of Samuel Torjman Thomas, who directs the NYAE), there are several music lectures in the coming week, in the northeast: November 1, University of Pennsylvania: Thomas will be giving a lecture at the Traditional Jewish Food Club. (tickets) November 4, Merkin Concert Hall, NYC: Thomas will moderate a Q&A with Israeli singer Yasmin Levy. (tickets) November 5, Rutgers Film Festival, NJ: Thomas will give a musical lecture on the film On the Tigris River. (tickets) November 10, JCC Manhattan: The NY Andalus Chamber Trio kicks off the shabbat with an evening program of food and music, for only $18! (tickets) There will be more NYAE performances by both large and small ensembles in December, so be sure to check back!
Granados Celebration Concludes with a Successful Conference Last week, the conference En ocasión de María del Carmen: Enrique Granados y su época was held at the University of Murcia in Spain, concluding our Granados Celebration programming. Foundation for Iberian Music director and Granados Celebration co-chair Antoni Pizà was a member of the advisory committee for En ocasión de María del Carmen and several of the Foundation’s past and present colleagues participated in the conference. Miriam Perandones (Universidad de Oviedo), who has has been a guest researcher at the Foundation and was a member of the steering committee for the Granados Celebration, presented one of the keynote addresses, “El teatro lírico español o españolizante en la década de los 10 en EEUU: la ciudad de Nueva York. ” She was also on the conference’s advisory committee. Anna Tonna (Hispanic Society of America & Library), who is a frequent collaborator with the Foundation and served on the Granados Celebration steering committee, presented a paper, called,”‘¿Desnuda o vestida?’: Restoring context for a performance practice that recuperates Fernando Periquet’s recited text ‘La maja desnuda’ within Enrique Granados’ song ‘La maja de Goya’ from the Doce Tonadillas al estilo antiguo.” Congratulations to the committees and to our colleagues on an excellent conference, and our gratitude to all of our friends and collaborators who helped us to celebrate Granados’s centenary.
New Series, Music and Visual Cultures, from Brepols A new series edited by RCMI director and Graduate Center faculty member Zdravko Blažeković has just had its inaugural volume released by Brepols. The series, Music and Visual Cultures, will include monographs and essay collections on issues of music iconography and relations between music and the visual arts. Late Eighteenth-Century Music and Visual Culture, edited by Cliff Eisen and Alan Davidson, is the first book in the series, and it includes an essay by Blažeković himself. It is available directly through Brepols for 85€ or from major book retailers.