Artist-in-Residence Receives Award 13 August 2013: Sato Moughalian artistic director of Perspectives Ensemble, has been awarded the 2013 Ramon Llull Award for the Creative Arts. This prize is awarded by the Fundació Ramon Llull, composed by the Institut Ramon Llull and the Principality of Andorra, and it is given to a foreign person or institution that has promoted relevant projects that strengthen knowledge of Catalan culture abroad. Since the inception of the Foundation for Iberian Music, Sato Moughalian has collaborated with director Antoni Pizà and conductor Ángel Gil-Ordóñez on numerous projects dedicated to Catalan music. Ms. Moughalian has received this award for her commitment to the dissemination of Xavier Montsalvatge’s work in the United States, particularly for the concert at the Morgan Library and also for the forthcoming recording of Montsalvatge’s music issued by Naxos, both projects realized under the auspices of the Foundation for Iberian Music. The Foundation for Iberian Music has been committed to Catalan music, collaborating with many contemporary composers, such as Benet Casablancas, Joan Valent, Héctor Parra, Salvador Brotons, Anna Cazurra, Antoni Parera Fons, and many others. In addition, the Foundation has organized seminars and events dedicated to historical figures in Catalan music, including Robert Gerhard, Joaquim Homs, and Carlos Surinach, and topics such as Schoenberg in Barcelona, the Nova Cançó, and early jazz in Catalonia. The Foundation for Iberian Music also hosts the Mompou Chair on Catalan music.
Event Video: Flamenco on Film 24 July 2013: The roundtable “Flamenco on Film” that was held at the Graduate Center on July 2, is now available to watch on YouTube. In collaboration with the Dance on Camera, the Foundation for Iberian Music hosted a screening of three flamenco documentaries followed by a roundtable discussion with flamenco scholars and experts. This film screening was in conjunction with other concurrent flamenco events such as “Flamenco: 100 Years in New York” at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. To see the streaming videos, click on the links below. Flamenco on Film part 1 Flamenco on Film part 2 Flamenco on Film part 3
La dansa de l’arquitecte on Catalunya Ràdio 19 July 2013: Aired on July 7, Catalunya Ràdio recently interviewed Antoni Pizà about his latest publication La dansa de l’arquitecte. To listen to the entire interview, visit the website of Catalunya Ràdio or click on the player below. http://brookcenter.gc.cuny.edu/wp-content/uploads/CatalunyaRadio_PIZA.mp3
El Amor Brujo: Performance and Colloquium 22-23 March 2014: The Artist-in-Residence of the Foundation for Iberian Music, Perspectives Ensemble and conductor Ángel Gil-Ordóñez will present with Peridance Contemporary Dance Company the ballet El amor brujo by Manuel de Falla. The ballet will be performed consecutively on Saturday, March 22 and Sunday, March 23. On the morning of that Sunday, there will also be a round-table discussion on de Falla’s music and choreography. Participants will include the writer Antonio Muñoz Molina, Perspectives Ensemble choreographer Igal Perry, and the Foundation’s director Antoni Pizà.
Upcoming Concerts: New York Andalus Ensemble 19 July 2013: This Fall the New York Andalus Ensemble will perform two concerts at the Graduate Center’s Elebash Recital Hall and Proshansky Auditorium. The first performance will be on November 5 in Elebash and is part of the Graduate Center’s Public Program concert series City of the World. The ensemble will be accompanying cantors in the Sephardic (Spanish) traditions of Hebrew music from the Levant and North Africa. The second performance on December 17 will be in Proshansky Auditorium and is the ensemble’s seasonal show. More information to follow.
New Performances of “Songs of the Infinite” 8 October 2013: The Foundation for Iberian Music’s Composer’s Commission 2010 “Songs of the Infinite” by Miguel A. Roig-Francolí will be performed in a free concert at Werner Recital Hall at the University of Cincinnati on October 8. “Songs of the Infinite” first premiered at Carnegie Hall in 2010 and continues to receive positive reviews. The next New York performance of this piece will be at Carnegie Hall on November 17 for the 60th Anniversary of Roig-Francolí.
An Evening of Zarzuela: Federico Moreno Torroba 11 November 2013: The Foundation for Iberian Music is hosting a book presentation and reception for Walter Aaron Clark and William Craig Krause’s new publication Federico Moreno Torroba: A Musical Life in Three Acts (Oxford University Press, 2013). This book is part of Oxford’s series, “Current Trends in Latin American and Iberian Music,” also edited by Walter A. Clark. Monday, November 11, 2013 6:30pm Skylight Room The Graduate Center 365 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10016 After a brief introduction by Antoni Pizà, authors Walter A. Clark and William Krause, and Professor Javier Albo will discuss the book and music of Moreno Torroba. The round table discussion will be followed by a performance. Anna Tonna, mezzo-soprano, and Pablo Zinger, piano, will perform arias from selected zarzuelas by Moreno Torroba. A reception will follow.
Book Presentation: La dansa de l’arquitecte 28 May 2013: Among many positive reviews, Antoni Pizà’s latest publication La dansa de l’arquitecte (Ensiola 2012) was presented at the Casa de cultura Felanitx in Mallorca, Spain. The Casa de cultura Felanitx is part of the city of Felanitx’s local government and is a space for public programs, cultural events, and exhibitions.
Antoni Pizà Discusses the Current Musical Crisis 28 May 2013: Over the last few weeks, Can Alcover Espai de Cultura, a cultural center in Palma de Mallorca, has hosted a colloquium series called “L’estat de la cultura a Mallorca” (The state of culture in Mallorca). On May 21 the round table focused on music, featuring Antoni Pizà as a guest speaker and round table participant. In the musical session of the series, the speakers addressed the fiscal crisis in the arts, particularly in musical education and performance. The last installment of this series closes the colloquium with a discussion about the politics of cultural institutions. For more information about this series, visit the webpage here.
Besalú: 2nd International Course on Medieval Music 6-14 July 2013: The 2nd International Course on Medieval Music (12th-14th c.) in Besalú, Girona, Spain will begin in early July. Located in the beautiful and well-preserved medieval town in Catalonia, Besalú hosts this nine-day immersion course designed for vocalists and instrumentalists performing early music. The variety of programs include Chant, Secular Music, Ars Nova, and Choral. For information, click here: Early Music Besalú or visit Besalú’s Facebook page.