Little Rock Winds Will Perform ESPAÑA! in February

The Little Rock Winds will present “España!” 7:30 p.m., Feb. 19, 2026, at Second Presbyterian Church, 600 Pleasant Valley Dr in Little Rock.  The program celebrates the fiery spirit of well-known Spanish music and features mezzo soprano JoAna Rusche in Matthew Tommasini's Three Spanish Songs.  Experience the energy, romance, and colorful rhythms that make Spanish music so much fun.  Israel Getzov conducts.

American conductor Israel Getzov begins his eleventh season as Music Director of the Little Rock Winds.  He also serves as Music Director of the Conway Symphony Orchestra, and Artistic Advisor to the Orquesta Filarmónica de Santa Cruz in Bolivia. Previous positions include Principal Conductor of the Tianjin Philharmonic - the resident orchestra of the Tianjin Grand Theater in China, and Associate Conductor of the Arkansas Symphony.
 

Recent engagements include Evergreen Symphony Orchestra at Taipei's National Concert Hall and their 2024 tour to Bangkok, and the inaugural concert of La Orchestra in Ho Chi Minh City.  Additional guest conducting include Shanghai Philharmonic, Tianjin Symphony Orchestra, Zhejiang Symphony Orchestra, Abilene Philharmonic, Asheville Symphony, Cleveland Pops, Monroe Symphony, Mid-Texas Symphony, Bolivia Classica, and the Encuentros de Jovenes New Music Festival in La Paz.

As an opera conductor, he led the world premiere of The Scarlett Letter by American composer Lori Laitman, conducted works of Giancarlo Menotti at the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center and the Cleveland Institute of Music and worked as staff conductor for Tianjin Grand Opera on productions including Bluebeard's Castle, Rigoletto & La Traviata.

Mr. Getzov was selected by Leonard Slatkin to conduct the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and was chosen by David Zinman for the American Academy of Conducting at the Aspen Music Festival.

Mr. Getzov started the violin at age 3, and later studied viola, piano and percussion.  As a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, he performed with many renowned conductors including Barenboim, Boulez, Solti, Jansons, Mehta and Rostropovich. As a chamber musician, he was a founding member of the Rockefeller String Quartet with whom he gave over 200 concerts throughout the state of Arkansas. A passionate advocate for young musicians, Mr. Getzov holds a tenured professorship at the University of Central Arkansas and regularly leads clinics at conservatories and music schools in the U.S., Asia, and South America.

Mezzo-soprano JoAna Rusche has appeared in operas, concerts, and recitals throughout the United States and Europe. She has sung such roles as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Angelina in La Cenerentola, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, The Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Second Lady in Die Zauberflöte, Fiora in L'amore dei tre re, Tamara in The Demon, Soeur Mathilde in Dialogues des Carmélites, Hansel in Hansel and Gretel, L'Enfant in L'Enfant et les Sortilège, and Sheva Haddas in the world premiere of Enemies, A Love Story. She has performed with opera companies and young artist programs including the Academy of Vocal Arts, Palm Beach Opera, Opera North, Opera New Jersey, and Teatro Nuovo.

Dr. Rusche is a two-time District Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and has received second place in the Birmingham Opera Competition and the Heafner Williams Vocal Competition, first place in the Long Leaf Opera National Vocal Competition and the Charlotte Opera Guild Auditions, and first place in the National Federation of Music Clubs and Auditions at the state and national levels. She was also the recipient of the Orpheus DaCapo Award in the Orpheus Vocal Competition.

Dr. Rusche is an AmSAT certified Alexander Technique instructor. Her holistic approach to vocal technique combines the pedagogical traditions of Bel Canto singing with the practices and principles of the Alexander Technique. She received her teacher certification from Alexander Technique Ann Arbor, led by Jane Heirich.

Dr. Rusche received a D.M.A. in Voice Performance from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor as a student of Dr. Louise Toppin. She received a M.M. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro studying with Professor Clara O'Brien, and a B.M. in Voice and Piano Performance from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a student of Dr. Jeanne Fischer. She is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honorary Society, and is Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Central Arkansas.