6TH ANNUAL
international
music festival
22-31 MARCH 2019
FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Persian Delight with an American Twist
FRIDAY, 22 MARCH | 7PM | EMPIRE THEATRE
The innovative young string quartet Brooklyn Rider is praised for its “Beethoven-goes-indie foray into making classical music accessible but also celebrating why it was good in the first place” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). In a night of superb musicianship, the quartet joins three time Grammy Award-nominee Kayhan Kalhor, the world’s preeminent master of the kamancheh (four-stringed upright Persian fiddle).
Tom Harrell Quintet
SATURDAY, 23 MARCH | 7PM | EMPIRE THEATRE
Tom Harrell, an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, composer, and arranger. In addition to the 32 albums and thousands of concerts worldwide as a leader, Harrell has worked with important figures in jazz history including Bill Evans, Gerry Mulligan, and Dizzie Gillespie. Tom Harrell is widely recognized as one of the most creative and dynamic jazz instrumentalists and composers of our time.
Rising Sun
SUNDAY, 24 MARCH | 7PM | EMPIRE THEATRE
Kaoru Watanabe specializes on the Japanese taiko drum and shinobue flutes. He artfully blends the sounds of Japanese instruments with those from around the world, collaborating with such artists as National Living Treasure Bando Tamasaburo, visual artist Simone Leigh, Martin Scorsese – creating music for the film ‘Silence’ – and was featured on Yo-Yo Ma’s Grammy Award winning album ‘Sing Me Home.’
Tales of Renaissance
FRIDAY, 29 MARCH | 7PM | SAN FERNANDO CATHEDRAL
The Austin Troubadours is an international group of instrumentalists singers, and dancers, whose mission is to revive the beauty of musical masterpieces from Medieval and Renaissance Europe. The group of seven musicians in period costumes with more than 30 authentic period instruments was founded by the award winning lutenist and early music specialist Slobodan Vujisic.
Swirling Bumblebee
SATURDAY, 30 MARCH | 7PM | SAN FERNANDO CATHEDRAL
When Japanese pianist and composer Hiromi Uehara was 17, she met Chick Corea by chance in Tokyo, and was invited to play with him at his concert the next day. Then she continued her studies at the Berklee School of Music in Boston, where she received a full scholarship. Hiromi’s repertoire encom-passes everyone from J.S. Bach to Sly & the Family Stone.
Family Affair
SUNDAY, 31 MARCH | 7PM | SAN FERNANDO CATHEDRAL
Recently-signed to the prestigious Deutsche Grammophon label, this genre-bending Vienna based ensemble is comprised of four brothers – each of whom is a soloist in his own right, and includes two who are former members of The Vienna Philharmonic. Janoska infuses classical music with Jazz, Gypsy, Tango, Latin and a dash of Pop.
210 464 1534 | mbaw.org
Kids to Concerts is a free educational outreach program that introduces San Antonio children to cultures from all over the world through interactive folk music and dance performances by world-class artists of the highest caliber.
SEPTEMBER 2018
Mexico 2000 Ballet Folklorico
Mexico 2000 Ballet Folklorico concerts are fast-paced and nonstop, featuring dances from different regions with their European, Mayan/pre-Colombian, and South American influence. These dances highlight the beauty, romance and culture of traditional Mexico. At the “Fiestas de Mexico” educational school shows, students learn history about Mexican holidays while connecting to TEKS in language arts, social studies, Spanish, fine arts and music while enjoying the most beautiful and representative dances, costumes and music from different regions of Mexico (Veracruz, Jalisco, Mayans, Chiapas). During these interactive shows kids participate by clapping, yelling (cheers of joy/gritos), stomping, and selected students will try out steps with music on stage with hats, rattles, etc. Presentation is focused to preserve and promote Mexican traditional heritage.
OCTOBER 2018
Great Promise for American Indians
Since 2004, the Great Promise Dancers have performed across the state of Texas with the mission of preserving the traditions, heritage and culture of American Indians. The culturally authentic programs presented by Great Promise are both entertaining and informative. Traditions, stories and history come alive through song and dance. Audiences are introduced to the sights and sounds of the modern day powwow which is still relevant as a disciplined form of artistic and cultural expression. Dance styles and clothing are explained and demonstrated. Narration, live singing and drumming, and audience participation enhance the overall experience. School and classroom programs compliment TEKS standards for arts, music and social studies.
NOVEMBER 2018
The Flying Balalaika Brothers
The Flying Balalaika Brothers, originally from Russia, made their debut in the US in 1995. These virtuoso musicians combined their classical training with folk traditions, creating a sensational interest in their unique blend of musical styles. They have been touring internationally, sharing their unique blend of Russian folk and classical music influenced by American bluegrass and innovative acoustic music. The band’s multicultural performers, in traditional costumes, present
for adults and young audiences a performance which introduces the unique rhythms, harmonies, and sounds of traditional Russian folk instruments: balalaikas, spoons, bayan, and domra combined with traditional American instruments like the banjo, harmonica and guitar. The performance also fuses Russian folk and American roots music. The musical journey compares and contrasts the rich musical heritage and traditions of two cultures.
JANUARY, APRIL, MAY 2019
Austin Troubadours
The Austin Troubadours is an international group of instrumen talists and singers whose mission is to revive the beauty of musical masterpieces from Medieval and Renaissance Europe.” Founded in 2008 in Austin, Texas by the award winning lutenist and early music specialist Slobodan Vujisic, seven musicians in period costumes with more than 30 authentic period instruments, perform dances and songs of Medieval and Renaissance Europe.
MARCH 2019
Kaoru Watanabe
Kaoru Watanabe is a Brooklyn based composer and musician, specializing on the Japanese taiko drum and shinobue flutes. He has spent decades artfully blending the sounds of Japanese instruments with those from around the world, collaborating with such artists as National Living Treasure Bando Tamasaburo, Jason Moran, So Percussion, Adam Rudolph, Kenny Endo, Stefon Harris, Kiyohiko Semba, Alicia Hall Moran, Tamango, Tatsuya Nakatani, Imani Uzuri, calligrapher Kakinuma Koji, visual artist Simone Leigh, Martin Scorsese – creating music for the film ‘Silence’ – and was a featured guest on Yo-Yo Ma’s Grammy Award winning album ‘Sing Me Home.’
BRING KIDS TO CONCERTS TO YOUR COMMUNITY!
Artists, programs and dates subject to change.
Caleb Gonzalez | 210 313 4521 | caleb@musicalbridges.org
In 2019 MBAW will produce concerts in more than 38 nursing homes, retirement communities and senior centers in the San Antonio area – at no charge to the centers visited – reaching more than 7,000 seniors! All artists are world-renowned musicians and experts in their genres.
Deux | Vocal Duo
Winners of the George Cortez Award for Classical Singing “Deux” is a classical vocal duo featuring soprano Angela Malek and mezzo-soprano Crystal Jarrell Johnson. Using superbly crafted duets from Monteverdi to Mozart and beyond, their duet repertoire spans from early 17th century sacred motets to art song to opera.
AleAnya | Piano Duo
Alena Gorina & Anya Grokhovski are pianists with extensive concert experience as both soloists and chamber musicians who came together to share their love of piano ensemble repertory. Their programing is greatly influenced by their cultural and educational roots. Both Alena and Anya hold doctoral degrees in piano performance; Alena from UT Austin and Anya from the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music in Moscow.
Veronica Williams | Mezzo-soprano
Veronica Williams is the proud recipient of the 2018 Austin Critics Table Award for Best Singer. Most recently she captivated audiences during the San Antonio Symphony’s Dream Week celebration at the Tobin Center for Performing Arts. Ms. Williams is proud to announce she will be joining the San Antonio Symphony in their 2018-2019 season as their first Singer In Residence.
Elena Portnaya | Piano
Elena Portnaya is a graduate of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, Russia and University of Texas at Austin. A prize winner in the Classical Legacy International Piano Competition, Alexander Tansman International Competition and International Piano Competition in Porto, Portugal she has performed solo and as a chamber musician in Moscow, Buenos Aires, New York, New Jersey, London.
Martha Kostiuk-Hollier | Soprano
Martha is a coloratura soprano and was a leading soloist with the Bolshoi Opera in Moscow, Russia’s premier opera and ballet venue, for 21 years. At the Bolshoi she starred in many leading lyric and coloratura soprano parts including Rossini’s Barber of Seville, Verdi’s Violetta in La Traviata, Oscar in Un Ballo in Maschera, and Gilda in Rigoletto. She has traveled widely with the opera company appearing in concert halls and opera houses in more than 20 countries.
Bohemian Quartet Traditional Gypsy String Ensemble
The Bohemian Quartet was formed in 2005 by virtuoso violinist and composer Stan Renard, who assembled the group with the idea of preserving the tradition and indulging in the virtuosic playing of classic gypsy music. Renard recruited like-minded friends: Dave Zinno on upright bass, Christine Harrington on cello, and Nancy Richardson on viola. Together they’ve made a commitment to the genre, and aspired to performing it with both reverence and adventure.
Great Promise for American Indians Traditional American Indian Music and Dance Ensemble
Great Promise Dancers performs across the state of Texas with the mission of preserving the traditions, heritage and culture of American Indians. The culturally authentic programs presented by Great Promise are both entertaining and informative. Traditions, stories and history come alive through song and dance. Audiences are introduced to the sights and sounds of the modern day powwow which is still relevant as a disciplined form of artistic and cultural expression. Dance styles and clothing are explained and demonstrated.
IN APPRECIATION TO OUR GOLDEN AGE SPONSORS
Ensemble Flying Balalaika Brothers Traditional Russian Ensemble
For nearly 20 years, the feisty group has entranced audiences with their unique blend of Gypsy folk, electric rock n’ roll and eye-catching, interactive performances featuring instruments like the behemoth contrabass balalaika, a triangle shaped stringed instrument from Russia. The Flying Balalaika Brothers have been featured at international music festivals, as well as on television and in feature films.
Kaoru Watanabe Traditional Japanese Percussion and Flute
Kaoru Watanabe is a Brooklyn based composer and musician, specializing in the Japanese percussion and shinobue flutes. Watanabe has performed his compositions at such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, as well as across Japan, the North, Central and South Americas, Europe, Asia and Australia.
Oleg Polyansky | Piano
Top prize winner of the most prestigious international competitions, such as the Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow, Russia, International Competition in Tokyo, Japan, Montreal International Competition in Canada, the World Piano Competition in Cincinnati, USA, and the Citta di Cantu, Italy, Oleg Polyansky enjoys acclaimed career of an international soloist, collaborative pianist and artist-teacher.
Austin Troubadours Early Music Ensemble
The Austin Troubadours are an international group of instrumentalists and singers whose mission is to revive the beauty of musical masterpieces from Medieval and Renaissance Europe. Musicians in period costumes with more than 30 authentic period instruments, perform dances and songs of Medieval and Renaissance Europe. A high energy, non-conventional show sets the stage in this historically informed performance.
Czech this out! | Clarinet and Piano Duo
Clarinetist and saxophonist Felix Slováček, Jr., a versatile and charismatic artist who comfortably navigates the worlds of classical music and jazz and pianist Vyacheslav Grokhovsky, Jr is a prizewinner of international competitions, including the Cagliari in 2000 and the Marienbad in 2003 present present a wide range of international works from Tchaikovsky to Schubert and Massenet, and from Smetana to Stravinsky to Carl Stamitz.
Jean Park | Piano
Jean Park has performed in many cities in the US as well as abroad in Norway, Sweden, Poland, Austria and the Czech Re-public. Jean Park competed in the Schubert Club’s Scholarship Competition while it was a national competition and won first place in the graduate division in 2013. Jean Park has her Doctorate of Musical Arts from Stony Brook University, where she studied with Gilbert Kalish.
Interested in helping us bring music
to our respected elders?
CONTACT OFFICE MANAGER
Diana Tatu, diana@musicalbridges.org