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Home , Brazilian jazz, Efrem Zimbalist, Pablo Casals

THE COLORADO COLLEGE MUSIC DEPARTMENT

presents

Bach, , and Latin Music

April 10, 2014 7:30 pm Packard Hall

Jazz

Carinho Steve Barta (b. 1953)

Wave Antônio Carlos Jobim (1927-1994)

Sometime Ago Sergio Mihánovich (1937-2012)

Beautiful Love Victor Young (1900-1956)

The Steve Barta Trio Steve Barta, piano John Flores, bass Dennis Bueno, drums

Classical

Three Brazilian Waltzes for Viola and Piano Francisco Mignone I. Valsa Lenta (1897-1986) II. Suave e Delicato III. Vivo con entusiasmo

Sarasateana – Suite of Spanish Dances I. Tango – Allegro moderato (1889-1985) II. Polo – Allegro moderato III. Malagueña – Amabile IV. Zapateado – Allegro moderato

Tatjana Mead Chamis, viola Susan Grace, piano

Jazz/Classical

Suite for Viola Solo and Jazz Trio Flavio Chamis I. Prelude II. Allemande III. Courante IV. Sarabande V. Gavotte I/Gavotte II VI. Gigue

Tatjana Mead Chamis, viola The Steve Barta Trio

Please silence all electronic devices during the performance

Program Notes

Francisco Mignone - Three Brazilian Waltzes for Viola and Piano

Francisco Mignone (1897-1986) was one of the most significant figures in Brazilian classical music. A versatile composer, his output comprises solo songs, piano pieces, chamber instrumental works, orchestral works, and choral works. In addition, he wrote five and eight ballets. Son of an Italian immigrant, Francisco was already making his mark upon the musical world of Brazil by the time he was 10 years old, gaining notoriety around his district playing in the popular choro style. A pianist and leader at 13, he gained fame composing and playing under the pseudonym of Chico Bororó, keeping these activities separate from his formal music training. An orchestral piece from his first was premiered in Rio de Janeiro by , the Vienna Philharmonic in 1923. His works were performed by Stokowski, and , among many others. Much of Mignone’s music is strongly nationalistic, using folk and popular melodies of Brazil as a basis for his compositions. His solo vocal and piano works earned him particular acclaim for the mastery of Brazilian musical styles, such as the choro, modinha, and waltzes, reminiscent of strolling serenaders.

Efrem Zimbalist – Sarasateana

Sarasateana is a collection of four dances by the eminent violinist Efrem Zimbalist. Originally written for violin, these pieces are elaborations on ’s Spanish Dances. The violist William Primrose became aware of them while on the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music, where Zimbalist was the director, in the early 1940s. Zimbalist transcribed them for Primrose, adding a more elaborate piano accompaniment, written in a rather improvisatory style. In Zimbalist’s words, “I wrote Sarasateana just for fun, because I so much loved Sarasate’s Spanish Dances”. Primrose played and recorded the suite, and Zimbalist later reworked it once again, for piano quintet, in 1985.

Flavio Chamis - Suite for Viola Solo and Jazz Trio

The Six Suites for Solo by are considered the most important solo works written for the instrument. The suites display enormous technical difficulties for the player, but at the same time bring an intensely encompassing emotional content to the listener. Their intimate character places them among the most popular works by the composer and they have been transcribed for different instrument, including viola, double bass, guitar, horn, saxophone and trombone. Composted around 1720, they remained practically unknown until the early 20th century. was the first cellist to include them in his concerts, but it took 35 years for him to do a recording of the works. This audio register, still widely available today, was paramount in popularizing the Bach suites. The Suite for Viola Solo and Jazz Trio combines six movements selected from among different suites, maintaining their order according to the baroque tradition, thus allowing a tonal variety not found in the original suites, where all movements are written in the same key. The innovativeness of the project is in the addition of a segment during the execution of each movement to be played by a jazz trio (piano, bass and drums). Each movement starts with the viola solo playing the original part, according to Bach’s writing, featuring the beautiful unaccompanied melodies (yet, any melody implicitly brings its harmonies, even when not accompanied by chords). Immediately following this first viola solo, the jazz trio improvises a section based on the (implicit) harmonies previously played by the viola. The viola does not participate in this improvisation, which is characteristic of the jazz style. The result of this concept is an enhancement to both individual styles; the melodic line will be enriched and given new light by the reinterpretation of its harmonies by the jazz trio, at the same time the jazz trend will gain a new emphasis when the listeners are provided with the possibility of enjoying the music in its solo appearance. Consequently, the result will approach two musical styles in an original way without tainting their particular characteristics, and the unifying element connecting them is the music of J.S. Bach. J.S. Bach is recognized as one of the greatest improvisers in the history of music. The Suite for Viola Solo and Jazz Trio, by interweaving in the same work classical and jazz characteristics, provides a modern originality to this well-known aspect of the Master of Leipzig, while keeping intact a 300 year old tradition. The Suite for Viola Solo and Jazz Trio was dedicated to the violist Tatjana Mead Chamis on her birthday. Tatjana shares a birth date with J.S. Bach.

Performer Bios

A native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, FLAVIO CHAMIS began his formal training in conducting and composition at the Rubin Academy of Music (Tel Aviv University) under S. Ronli Riklis, assistant to of the Israel Philharmonic. He continued his studies with Martin Stephani in Detmold, Germany, graduating from the Nordwestdeutsche Musikakademie. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Chamis moved to Vienna, where he was appointed Music Director of the Villa Lobos Ensemble. While in Europe, Chamis made recordings for RIAS with the Radio Sinfonie Orchester and the Nouvelle Philharmonique de Radio France – his conducting of the world premiere of Michel Phillipot’s Concerto for Violin and/or Viola has been released by the label Solstice. His European engagements have included, among many others, performances at the Musikverein (Vienna), the Wiener Festwochen and the Royal Festival Hall in . In 1985, Mr. Chamis was named conducting assistant to . In this capacity, he led the Israel Philharmonic in preparation for tours of Europe, Japan and the United States, featuring performances of Mahler’s 9th Symphony. The following year, he conducted in New York the rehearsals for the world premiere of Bernstein’s Jubilee Games, later renamed Concerto for Orchestra. In 1989, he again assisted Maestro Bernstein, this time on the European tour of the London Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Chamis returned to Brazil in 1987, as Music Director of the Porto Alegre Symphony Orchestra. There he won enthusiastic critical acclaim for his performances and appearances on Brazilian radio and television. As well as having conducted all of the major in Brazil, he enjoys engagements as guest conductor throughout Europe and Latin America. Mr. Chamis has collaborated with such highly acclaimed international soloists as Mischa Maisky, Paul Badura Skoda, Ileana Cotrubas, Bruno Leonardo Gelber, Dang Thai-Son, Ransom Wilson, Antonio Meneses, Jean Louis Steuerman and Arnaldo Cohen, among others. He has also participated in numerous international music festivals, including the Tanglewood Music Festival, Bayreuther Festspiel, and Schleswig Holstein Music Festival.

As a composer, his works embrace a wide range of styles, from solo, chamber, and symphonic pieces, to jazz and Brazilian music. This versatile musician has also written the text for many of his vocal compositions. “Especiaria”, a Latin Grammy nominated CD exclusively with Mr. Chamis’ Brazilian Jazz compositions has been released by the Brazilian label Biscoito Fino. In 2007 Flavio Chamis received the International Press Award as Outstanding Brazilian Musician based in the U.S. A frequent guest lecturer, his presentations on both Brazilian and classical music have been heard in Universities, as well as several cultural and educational organizations across the country. Since 2008, Mr. Chamis has been a permanent member of the Screening Committee of the Latin Grammy. Flavio Chamis resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with his wife Tatjana, Associate Principal violist of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and their three children.

Violist TATJANA MEAD CHAMIS has gained recognition through a wide variety of performances, from orchestral, solo, and to studio recording, as well as introducing and experimenting with new music. Associate Principal Viola of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra since 2003, Mead Chamis has led in performances in Pittsburgh as well as abroad, appearing in the most renowned concert halls of Europe, Asia, and the Americas. In 1993, at the age of 22, Mead Chamis joined the PSO under the directorship of Lorin Maazel, while still a student at the Curtis Institute of Music. She has since been featured on numerous performances as soloist with the Pittsburgh Symphony and the Pittsburgh Symphony Chamber Orchestra. In 2011, she premiered, with the orchestra, the Lionel Tertis transcription for viola of Elgar's . An avid chamber music player and recitalist, Mead Chamis has performed with some of today’s finest solo and chamber players. Since 1993 she appeared repeatedly at the Caramoor International Music Festival in New York, making her debut in the Rising Star Series with Sir Andre Previn, and later as a member of the “Caramoor Virtuosi”. Other notable festivals include the Bravo Festival in Vail, Colorado, Tanglewood Music Festival, the Grand Teton Music Festival, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute and the Green Bay Music Festival. She has performed chamber music with Lynn Harrell, Joshua Bell, Emmanuel Ax, and Gil Shaham, among many others. Her concerts have been heard on “Performance Today” from NPR, and several of her recital and chamber music performances continue to be featured on WQED Pittsburgh. At the age of 17, Mead Chamis made her solo debut with the Utah Symphony under the baton of . She has since been featured as soloist with the Curtis Institute Symphony Orchestra, the Utah Symphony, the Sao Paulo and Porto Alegre Symphony Orchestras in Brazil, as well as her solo appearances with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Graduating from the Curtis Institute of Music in 1994, Mead Chamis studied with Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Violist Joseph de Pasquale. After starting her musical studies on the violin, she switched to the viola in Salt Lake City, Utah, under the tutelage of violist Mikhail Boguslavsky, co-founder of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra. Mead Chamis spent a sabbatical year in Florianopolis, Brazil, in 2012, with her daughter, twin boys, and husband, Brazilian composer/conductor Flavio Chamis, where she played several solo and chamber music recitals, and took the opportunity to collect a substantial amount of Brazilian music for the viola, which evolved to be her next recording project. For the 2014 season, Chamis has been invited to play the American Premiere of Boris Pigovat’s Requiem for Viola and Orchestra with the Pittsburgh Symphony, and is looking forward to recitals in Colorado, Utah and Pennsylvania.

Grammy nominated pianist, SUSAN GRACE has performed solo and chamber recitals, and has appeared as soloist with orchestras in the United States, Europe, the former Soviet Union, Korea, India and China. She has, in addition, performed in numerous series and festivals, including the Aspekte Festival in Salzburg, St Paul Chamber Orchestra’s new-music series Engine 408, Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., the Grand Teton Festival, the Cape Cod Music Festival, Festival Mozaic, Music at Oxford, and the Helmsley Festival in England. She is a member of Quattro Mani, an internationally acclaimed two-piano ensemble that made its New York debut in January, 2001 in Carnegie Recital Hall to a sold-out hall. They were immediately re-engaged for four more seasons. In May, 2012 Quattro Mani performed Paul Lansky’s concerto Shapeshifters with the Alabama Symphony in . acknowledged the performance with “…the impressive duo, Quattro Mani…” The duo’s special interest in twentieth and twenty-first century repertoire has led to collaborations with such composers as George Crumb, Joan Tower and Frederic Rzewski and to participation in contemporary music festivals throughout the USA and Europe. Ms. Grace has recorded for Bridge Records, the Belgium National Radio, WFMT in Chicago, the Society of Composers, Wilson Audio, Klavier International and Klavier Music Productions. She was nominated for a Grammy in 2005 in the Best Small Ensemble Performance category. Ms. Grace is Associate Chair, Artist-in-Residence and Senior Lecturer in Music at Colorado College and Music Director of the internationally renowned Colorado College Summer Music Festival which is in its 30th season. She has been awarded the Christine Johnson Professor of Music beginning in the fall of 2014.

Grammy nominated STEVE BARTA has stayed true to his creative path for over thirty years as a Composer, Recording Artist, Producer, Author, Educator and Speaker. He has performed his original works as a solo artist with jazz ensembles and symphony orchestras. His contribution to the world of music includes fourteen recordings that reflect his many influences, particularly Brazilian, Jazz and Classical. Steve has released fourteen recordings to date. He has worked and/or recorded with jazz greats Al Jarreau, Hubert Laws, Herbie Mann, Dori Caymmi, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Paulinho da Costa, Mike Shapiro and many more. His recordings are available worldwide via SteveBartaMusic.com, iTunes, Amazon.com, and CD Baby. Steve has written several works for symphony orchestra that have been performed worldwide. He is a music educator with over thirty years of experience teaching intermediate to advanced students, educators and professional musicians. Special areas of instruction for private students, clinics and Master Classes are music interpretation, improvisation, arranging and composition. While maintaining an active recording and performance career, Steve also teaches and arranging at Colorado College in Colorado Springs.

DENNIS BUENO was born of Spanish parents from Trinidad, Colorado. He grew up in a military household and relocated frequently. Dennis began to study music on accordion at age five, and continued to play and entertain for about 10 years, during which time he received many awards for his accomplishments and played professionally. Dennis took an interest in percussion at the age of 10. He went on to rigorous training in Drum Corps where he honed much of his drum rudimental technique and performed on snare in an award winning drum line. Dennis played drum set in his high school jazz band as well as local bands in New Jersey. After high school, he was accepted at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in , Massachusetts. While there he had the privilege of studying percussion, theory, and arranging with Gary Chaffee, Keith Copland, Bob Wagner, Joe Hunt, Dean Anderson, Greg Hopkins, James Williams, John Laporta, and many other great masters. After Berklee, Dennis auditioned and was enlisted into the Air Force as a percussionist with the NORAD Band and eventually the premiere Air Force Academy Band. Dennis has performed with recording artists Earl Klugh, Dave Valentin, Jessy J, Dotsero, and Steve Barta. During his enlistment he was assigned to the rock band Blue Steel and country band Wild Blue Country. Dennis keeps busy teaching privately and performing with numerous local talents, while continuing his private studies. Dennis passionately embraces his family’s tradition of joyous song and dance through his love of Latin music and rhythms. A captivating and happy musician, he brings this spirit to every venue he plays. He primarily performs on Drum set, Timbales, Congas, Bongo, and Cajon.

JOHN FLORES began playing the electric bass in 1982 – with his brothers, he formed “Titan Force” which toured Europe in the early 90's and released two critically acclaimed CD's. This did not satisfy his musical tastes; he began to study jazz in 1984, which led him to the double bass which he began playing in 1998. He attended CSU Pueblo in 2002 as a music education major and studied classical music as well. Since then he has performed with a virtual who's who in Southern Colorado. He is currently on the faculty of the Colorado Springs Conservatory. His free time is spent composing, teaching privately, and spending time with his wife and kids.

Upcoming Events in the Colorado College Music Department

Senior Recital Tabetha Katz, mezzo soprano Daniel Brink, piano Saturday, April 12 ~ 3 p.m.

Senior Recital Rebecca Lehman, soprano Daniel Brink, piano Sunday, April 13 ~ 3 p.m.

Summer Music Festival Intermezzo Series Lotusland Project: 20th century classical and jazz Mark Fewer, violin John Novacek, piano Tuesday, April 22 ~ 7:30 p.m. For ticket information, call (719) 389-6552. CC students free with ID.

Senior Recital Eliza Lovett, alto Daniel Brink, piano Wednesday, April 23 ~ 7:30 p.m.

Colorado College Choir Deborah Teske, director Friday, April 25 ~ 7:30 p.m. Shove Chapel Tiger Jazz Ensemble Concert Tom Taylor, director Saturday, April 26 ~ 7:30 p.m.

KCME Chamber Recital Series Featuring musicians from the Air Force Academy Band with Susan Grace, piano Sunday, April 27 ~ 3 p.m.

Faculty Recital Paul Nagem, flute Susan Grace, piano Tuesday, April 29 ~ 7:30 p.m.

Chamber Chorus Deborah Teske, director Friday, May 2 ~ 7:30 p.m.

Concert Band Jeremy Van Hoy, director Monday, May 12 ~ 7:30 pm

Tunjung Sari Balinese Music and Dance Made Lasmawan, director Sunday, May 4 ~ 3:00 PM

Bowed Piano Ensemble and Friends Stephen Scott, director Sunday, May 4 ~ 7:30 PM

Chamber Orchestra Concert Daniel Brink, director Tuesday May 6 ~ 7:30 p.m.

Summer Music Festival Intermezzo Series Quattro Mani Steven Beck and Susan Grace, pianos Thursday, May 8 ~ 7:30 p.m. For ticket information, call (719) 389-6552. CC students free with ID.

Unless indicated, all concerts are in Packard Hall, are free and require no tickets. http://www.coloradocollege.edu/academics/dept/music/ For more event information: http://www.coloradocollege.edu/newsevents/calendar/