Classical guitar duo Sergio & Odair Assad to perform Jan. 23 in UCSD's Mandeville auditorium

January 7, 1997

Media Contact: Ruth Baily at University Events, 534-0497, or Jan Jennings, 534-0361

CLASSICAL GUITAR DUO SERGIO & ODAIR ASSAD TO PERFORM JAN. 23 IN UCSD'S MANDEVILLE AUDITORIUM

Hailed by critics as the foremost duo guitar team in the world, Brazilian musicians Sergio & Odair Assad will perform in concert at 8 p.m. Jan. 23 in Mandeville Auditorium at the University of California, San Diego.

Paris's Le Figaro calls the Assads, "A marvel! The most sensational of duo-guitarists!"

"They seem to treat the most difficult piece as if it were a walk in the park," writes the Los Angeles Times. The New York Times refers to their playing as "a kind of wizardry."

The Assads' Jan. 23 performance in Mandeville Auditorium is sponsored by the UCSD University Events Office.

In addition to compositions by Sergio Assad, the Assads will perform works by Fernando Sor, Isaac Albeniz, Darius Milhaud, Hermeto Pascoal, Marlos Nobre, , and Joaquin Rodrigo.

The Assads are also noted for their interpretations of works by Bach, Rameau, Couperin, Scarlatti, Gershwin, Ginastera, Giuliani, Piazzolla, and Bellinati. They have been credited with reviving Brazilian music for the guitar, and Gnattali, Nobre, Krieger, and Mignone have dedicated pieces to them, as have Argentina's Piazzolla and Russia's Koshkin.

Born in Sao Paulo, , in 1952 and 1956 respectively, Sergio and Odair Assad moved to when they were in their teens to study with Monina Tavora, a disciple of Andres Segovia. The brothers were introduced to North America in 1969 when they visited with the "Youth for Understanding" program.

Since that first introduction, the Assads have performed in nearly every major city and performance hall during regular tours of the United States and Canada. They have appeared in concert in France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Australia, and the Far East. Their Nonesuch label recordings include works by Bach, Rameau, Couperin, and Scarlatti, as well as the music of Latin-American composers.

Though living now in France, the Assads appear regularly in their native Brazil.

Noted for their flawless precision and remarkable agility, the performing Assads prompted a Los Angeles Times reviewer to comment: "Their cia7.71ing speed was never displayed at the expense of clarity of musicality." Writes Gramophone magazine: "The Assads are unique in their total seemingly effortless command of their instruments. All things seem possible to them and in every nuance and bending of tempo, they are in as tight accord as the two hands of any keyboard player."

Tickets for the Jan. 23 performance at UCSD are $20 general admission; $18 for UCSD faculty, staff and senior citizens, and $15 for students. Tickets are available at the UCSD Box Office, 534-6467, and at Ticketmaster outlets. For further information, call the UCSD University Events Office at 534-4090.

(January 7, 1997)