Astor Piazzolla News

Site-specific performances are the latest thing for opera companies wanting to venture into works that wouldn't comfortably fit in a 500-, 1000- (or more) seat theatre. New York City Opera has tried this in the past, but never in a venue quite as intimate or louche as Le Poisson Rouge on Bleecker Street, where Astor Piazzola's MARIA DE BUENOS AIRES, an operita (little opera or, perhaps, operetta), is earthily tango-ing its way into audience hearts.

New York City Opera's 75th-anniversary season opened last night, Monday, October 22 at (le) Poisson Rouge with a new production of Astor Piazzolla's María de Buenos Aires. Directed by Tomer Zvulun, the production is based on an original concept created as part of The Atlanta Opera Discoveries Series and is presented in cooperation with the Atlanta Opera. Soprano Catalina Cuervo, the world's foremost interpreter of the title role, headlines the all-South American cast under the musical direction of conductor Jorge Parodi. This production is the fourth installment in City Opera's Ópera en Español series. In addition to Mondays performance, City Opera will present two additioanl performances of María de Buenos Aires on October 26 and November 2 at 7:00 p.m. at (le) Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleeker St.

Pan American Musical Art Research (PAMAR), founded in 1984 by Uruguayan-born pianist Polly Ferman, now Artistic Director of PAMAR, presents the 13th Annual Latin American Cultural Week(s) (LACW), November 13 through 21, 2018. (Additional events precede & follow official dates.) In support of the #MeToo #YoTambien movement, we feature women artists of the Americas. Polly Ferman, states 'I don't know the figures of how many women do not have their rights or are not recognized in Latin America or in the U.S., but one woman not respected or appreciated is too much. That's why we feature this year Latin American Women in the Arts, and support the #MeToo #YoTambien movement.'

Pan American Musical Art Research (PAMAR), founded in 1984 by Uruguayan-born pianist Polly Ferman, now Artistic Director of PAMAR, presents the 13th Annual Latin American Cultural Week(s) (LACW), November 13 through 21, 2018. (Additional events precede & follow official dates.) In support of the #MeToo #Yo Tambien movement, we feature women artists of the Americas. Polly Ferman, states 'I don't know the figures of how many women do not have their rights or are not recognized in Latin America or in the U.S., but one woman not respected or appreciated is too much. That's why we feature this year Latin American Women in the Arts, and support the #MeToo #YoTambien movement.'

El Museo Mural Diego Rivera ofrecerá una serie de actividades para el próximo domingo 21 de octubre: una sesión de cuentos tradicionales de terror a cargo de Mónica Jiménez, un recital selecto de zarzuelas y romanzas con el Ensamble Sonidos del Cosmos y un concierto de música latinoamericana con el Dúo Erato.

Kyo-Shin-An Arts continues its 10th anniversary season with a concert titled Crimson Leaves on Sunday, October 28, 2018 at 4pm at Tenri Cultural Institute (43A West 13th Street, NYC), which features the Boston-based, inspiring young piano trio Neave Piano Trio and KSA Artistic Director,Shakuhachi Grand Master James Nyoraku Schlefer in music for piano trio and shakuhachi. This intimate performance of chamber music blurs the lines of world culture, encompassing fiery rhythms of Iran, the sensuous passion of Argentina, the sudden drama of Hong Kong, and the austere calm of Japan. Violin, cello, piano and shakuhachi come together in music by Amir Eslami (Seasons for shakuhachi and piano trio), Astor Piazzolla (The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires for piano trio), Adrian Hon Chung Lam (Separated... at the Human Labyrinth of Asakusa Temple for shakuhachi and piano trio) and the famous traditional Shika no Tone (Cry of the Distant Deer) for two shakuhachi, with special guest Brian Tairaku Ritchi (bassist in The Violent Femmes).

Harpist Cristina Montes Mateo and flutist Susan Greenberg come to Pepperdine University's Raitt Recital Hall at 2 p.m. on Sunday, October 28, 2018 at the Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts as part of the Recital Series. 

American Composers Orchestra (ACO) will open its 2018-2019 season with a concert honoring Phenomenal Women presented by Carnegie Hall in Zankel Hall on Friday, November 2, 2018 at 7:30pm. The performance, conducted by ACO Music Director George Manahan, will feature the world premiere of Valerie Coleman's Phenomenal Women performed by the Imani Winds with ACO; as well as the world premiere of Alex Temple's Three Principles of Noir with singer Meaghan Burke, director Amber Treadway, and costumes by Storm Garner. Grammy and Grawemeyer Award-winning composer Joan Tower's Chamber Dance from 2006, which treats the orchestra as a chamber ensemble, completes the program.

American Composers Orchestra (ACO) will open its 2018-2019 season with a concert honoring Phenomenal Women presented by Carnegie Hall in Zankel Hall on Friday, November 2, 2018 at 7:30pm. The performance, conducted by ACO Music Director George Manahan, will feature the world premiere of Valerie Coleman's Phenomenal Women performed by the Imani Winds with ACO; as well as the world premiere of Alex Temple's Three Principles of Noir with singer Meaghan Burke, director Amber Treadway, and costumes by Storm Garner. Grammy and Grawemeyer Award-winning composer Joan Tower's Chamber Dance from 2006, which treats the orchestra as a chamber ensemble, completes the program.

The Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center has announced The Assad Family Tour will stop in the Byers Theatre on Sunday, November 4, 2018. Tickets are $35 and $45 and go on-sale Friday, October 5, 2018.

The National Philharmonic 2018-2019 season continues celebrating Leonard Bernstein's Centennial with 'Lenny's Playlist,' a specially curated 'soundtrack' of some of Bernstein's favorite compositions on Saturday, Oct. 13, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 14, at 3 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore's Concert Hall. The concert, performed by the National Philharmonic and conducted by Maestro Piotr Gajewski, features internationally acclaimed Bulgarian violinist Bella Hristova, winner of the Avery Fisher Career Grant. 'Lenny's Playlist' will feature Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's timeless Overture to the Magic Flute, Samuel Barber's Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, and Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5 in D minor. Bernstein debuted each of these masterpieces, but it may be Shostakovich's Symphony that is one of his most memorable: Early in 1959, Bernstein conducted Symphony No. 5 in Moscow in the presence of Shostakovich himself, who was reportedly very happy with Bernstein's fiercely energetic finale. This performance led to Bernstein's iconic recording of the symphony with the New York Philharmonic in October 1959. There will be a members-only encore question-and-answer after the concerts on Saturday and Sunday, and a musician meet-and-greet, during which young people and their families can explore orchestral instruments, on Sunday from 2-2:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $34-$84 and are free for young people age 7-17. Strathmore is located at 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. For more information or to purchase tickets, visitwww.nationalphilharmonic.org or call 301.581.5100.

As Arizona Opera continues its groundbreaking initiative to introduce audiences to new or under-presented but nevertheless worthy works, it has selected Astor Piazzolla's tango opera, MARIA DE BUENOS AIRES as its Season opener. Sensual, mysterious, and provocative, the work features stellar performances by Catalina Cuervo, Celeste Lanuza, and Luis Alejandro Orozco. Next stop after its run in Phoenix is the Temple of Music and Art in Tucson on October 6th and 7th.

New York City Opera's 75th-anniversary season opens October 22 at (le) Poisson Rouge with a new production of Astor Piazzolla's María de Buenos Aires. Directed by Tomer Zvulun, the production is based on an original concept created as part of The Atlanta Opera Discoveries Series and is presented in cooperation with the Atlanta Opera. Soprano Catalina Cuervo, the world's foremost interpreter of the title role, headlines the all-South American cast under the musical direction of conductor Jorge Parodi.

Kyo-Shin-An Arts 10th Anniversary Season continues on October 28 with CRIMSON LEAVES.

Town Hall announces that this year's FRIEND OF THE ARTS AWARD - it's 97th annual - will honor Multimedia Performance Artist, LAURIE ANDERSON; TheaterWorksUSA Co-Founder, CHARLES HULL; and Nonesuch Records' Long-Time President, ROBERT HURWITZ.

The National Philharmonic 2018-2019 season continues celebrating Leonard Bernstein's Centennial with 'Lenny's Playlist,' a specially curated 'soundtrack' of some of Bernstein's favorite compositions on Saturday, Oct. 13, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 14, at 3 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore's Concert Hall.

"The mystery of love is greater than the mystery of death." So said Oscar Wilde's Salome, anticipating the theme running through all six of the works that make up The Atlanta Opera's 2018-19 season. The six are linked also by their novelty, for under the leadership of Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. General & Artistic Director Tomer Zvulun, Atlanta's new season consists entirely of stagings conceived over the past few years. Created in collaboration with leading opera companies from around the world, four are ambitious mainstage productions: the blockbuster musical West Side Story, 19th-century classics Eugene Onegin and La traviata, and the Southeast premiere of Dead Man Walking, a major 21st-century addition to the canon. Rounding out the season, Charlie Parker's Yardbird and Maria de Buenos Aires will be presented in the Discoveries series, which breaks down barriers between artists and their audience by providing authentic, intimate and immersive experiences in nontraditional spaces. The winner of a "Best of Atlanta" award from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and an International Opera Award nomination, the series represents one of the many innovations behind the company's current wave of extraordinary creative and economic resurgence.

Sphinx Virtuosi Kicks off National US Tour on September 30   Sphinx Virtuosi, one of the country's most dynamic chamber orchestras comprised primarily of alumni of the internationally renowned Sphinx Competition, returns to Carnegie Hall on Thursday, October 11 at 6:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage. Under the auspices of The Sphinx Organization-a Detroit-based national organization dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts-the self-conducted ensemble makes a timely statement in a program entitled Music Without Borders that highlights music from communities around the globe. The evening also marks the Carnegie Hall debut, and first-ever public appearance by EXIGENCE, Sphinx's first vocal ensemble highlighting excellence and diversity through choral music. Led by founding member Eugene Rogers, the ensemble creates a platform for soloists and composers of color while inspiring and challenging audiences around the country and world. For this performance, EXIGENCE will be joined by pianist and Sphinx Medal of Excellence recipient Damien Sneed.

As the Proms enters September and we approach the end of the run of a staggering 91 concerts, Prom 70 sees the inaugural Tango Prom. Tango is celebrated for its sultry melodies and atmospheric use of the bandoneon, creating its unique identity known to social dancers and music fans alike.

El prestigiado ciclo de guitarra organizado por el Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes (INBA), La guitarra hoy, foro de expresión de los más relevantes exponentes de este instrumento en el ámbito nacional e internacional, por primera vez abrió su espacio a los jóvenes que empiezan su camino en este difícil arte de las cuerdas.