Paul Crewes Rachel Fine Artistic Director Managing Director

PRESENTS SANTA CECILIA SONIA MARIE DE LEON DE VEGA, DIRECTOR MUSICIANS FROM SANTA CECILIA ORCHESTRA

Musicians Program

VIOLIN ANTONIO VIVALDI (1678-1741) Yi-Huan Zhao La Folia VIOLIN Mishkar Nunez-Mejia LUIGI BOCCHERINI (1743-1805) Minuet from Quintet in E Major, Op. 13 #5 CELLO Circe Diaz-Gamero (1843-1907) HARPSICHORD & Gavotte from Holberg Suite, Op.40 Arthur Omura JOHANN STRAUSS II (1825-1899) On the Beautiful Blue Danube Op. 314

BÉLA BARTÓK (1881-1945) Romanian Folk Dances Joc Cu Bata Braul Maruntel

ASTOR PIAZZOLLA (1921-1992) Oblivion

SCOTT JOPLIN (1868-1917) The Entertainer

FRANCISCO TARREGA (1852-1909) Tango

SATURDAY, APRIL 29 AT 12:00 & 2:30PM Lovelace Studio Theater

Running time: 60 minutes with no intermission.

Special thanks to Marilyn Ziering for her gift of the Steinway & Sons piano featured in tonight’s performance.

This concert is made possible in part by generous support from Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts. About the Artists

YI-HUAN ZHAO (Violin) Mimir Chamber Music Festival and the Aspen a Vatican invitation to conduct a orchestra violinist is currently the Music Festival in the United States, and has at a Papal Mass. She was awarded the “Local Hero” Concertmaster of Santa Cecilia performed on international tours with the Aragua award by KCET. De Leon de Vega is the first conductor Orchestra. He also has been the Symphony, The Nuevo Mundo string quartet, The to be featured internationally on Univision’s Orgullo Concertmaster of St. Matthew’s Montovani and the World Orchestra as principal Hispano. She was featured in a 20 minute profile on Chamber Orchestra since the cellist to Europe, North and South America, South CNN and was on the cover of Latina Style Magazine 1999-2000 Season. Since his Africa, Lebanon, China and Japan. She has also (June 2011). Most recently, she was featured on arrival at L.A. from China in 1992, Mr. Zhao has performed with Maracaibo, Santa Cecilia, Miami Nightly News and NPR. She is celebrated in played in such as American Youth and San Bernardino Symphony Orchestras among educational circles for creating the dynamic symphony, Young Musicians Foundation Debut others and has been a soloist with the Aragua Discovering Music program that takes orchestra Orchestra, University of Southern California Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Diaz has studied with members into elementary schools in underserved Symphony, Los Angeles Symphony Chamber David Cole at the NWSA and graduated with Latino neighborhoods to introduce children to Orchestra, New West Symphony, Ventura Chamber Honors from the New World School of the Arts/ and the instruments of the orchestra. Orchestra, Santa Monica College Orchestra, University of Florida. Also, in 2007 she got her The program has now reached over 100,000 children Pasadena Symphony, San Fernando Valley Master degree in Music Performance at the in over 60 schools. Symphony, Santa Monica Symphony, Downey University of Florida. Currently she is a Teaching Symphony, Burbank Philharmonic Orchestra, West Artist for Los Angeles Philharmonic, Whittier L.A. Chamber Orchestra, Opera A La Carte and LA Youth Orchestra, Rosemead High School, Santa Virtuosi serving as Concertmaster, Principle Second Monica Conservatory and Harmony Project at Violin, Associate Concertmaster and Violin section Longfellow Elementary School (El Sistema inspire player. As an enthusiastic chamber musician, Mr. program) as well as a recording artist for Warner Zhao has been a member of “ROCOCO” STRING and Sony studios. QUARTET. He has appeared in Salastina Music Society chamber music series and other chamber ARTHUR OMURA music concerts in California. Mr. Zhao graduated (Harpsichord & Piano) is a from University of Southern California under Prof. specialist in historical keyboard Alice Schoenfeld and Shanghai Conservatory of instruments. He studied organ Music under Prof. Dan-Ching Zhao. repertoire of the Baroque under Charles Rus in San Francisco MISHKAR NUNEZ-MEJIA and harpsichord repertoire (Violin) having performed as under Dr. Lucinda Carver at USC. He has performed soloist with the Santa Cecilia at the Boston and Berkeley Early Music festivals and Orchestra, the Corona given numerous performances at home in Los Symphony, the Cibao Angeles. Omura keeps an active performance Philharmonic, the Cibao schedule as an organist and harpsichord player. He Symphony, the Dorian Festival has worked with MicroFest, wildUp, iPalpiti, Les Orchestra, Les Sauvages Americains, Surprises Baroques, Musica Angelica, and the Los Kontrapunktus, Symbiosis Chamber Orchestra, Angeles Baroque Players. Omura can be heard on among others, Mishkar Nunez-Mejia has delighted several recordings, most recently on Kontrapunktus, audiences nationally and internationally for almost a collection of new music by Mark Moya two decades. In the spring of 2012 he was honored written in a Baroque idiom. His interest in with the Cultural Personality of the Year 2011 instrument making led him to work with harpsichord Award from the Ministry of Culture of the builder Curtis Berak, whom he has assisted in Dominican Republic. Mishkar currently holds a restoring several instruments, and with organ bachelor’s degree in violin performance and builder Manuel Rosales. Omura has a Master's composition, and a master’s degree in violin Degree from the University of Southern California. performance from the University of Southern California (USC). He is currently finishing his SONIA MARIE DE LEON doctorate in historical performance with an DE VEGA (Conductor) noted emphasis on 13th century French and Spanish symphony and opera conductor musical notation. has achieved distinction as a creative and consummate CIRCE DIAZ-GAMERO musician, as a woman in a (Cello) is a Venezuelan cellist groundbreaking career role, and graduate from El Sistema, as a leading influence in the growing Latino culture Winner of the Federico Villena in the United States. Her musical talents have Competition was also First Prize inspired a large following in Southern California winner of the Duo Parisot Cello through live orchestral presentations, as well as an Festival in 2000, and the international audience through televised Guama Music Festival, Venezuela, 1999. She has performances in the United States, Latin America and participated in the Hot Springs Music Festival, the Europe. She was the first woman in history to receive

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