Issued by: Beth Stafford
414-229-4800
bstaff@uwm.edu
Date: Oct. 15, 2004
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Issued by: Beth Stafford Date: Oct. 15, 2004 |
MILWAUKEE—The new program of study in guitar at the University of
Wisconsin–Milwaukee’s Peck School of the Arts launches an ambitious
season of concerts, workshops and master classes with the U.S. debut of Italian
virtuoso finger-style guitarist and composer Pino Forastiere on Friday, Oct. 22.
Guitar program events will showcase new faculty and internationally-acclaimed guest artists. Cuban classical guitarist Rene Izquierdo, a new faculty member in the Department of Music, makes his Milwaukee debut on Nov. 20. Argentine classical guitarist Jorge Morel will perform on April 29.
The guitar program―the only Bachelor of Fine Arts program in the world in which a student may choose to specialize in finger-style, jazz or classical guitar―offers a multi-style performance degree with requirements in composition and technology, world music and pedagogy, and with repertoire and ensemble classes designed to prepare students for professional life. “Master classes, workshops, lectures and concerts presented by leading performers are an integral part of the program,” observes John Stropes, director of the program. “They supplement private lessons and expose students to the best in the profession.”
Stropes is planning as many as a dozen events each season featuring distinguished performers, composers, teachers and scholars. In addition to the concerts, there will be a regular series of master classes, workshops and “meet the guitar/composer forums.” Pino Forastiere leads off with a master class and discussion forum on Oct. 22. He will be followed by Billy McLaughlin on November 8. These programs are all open to the general public and keep UWM students and the regional guitar community connected with a broader professional world. Stropes expects to add several more events as the year progresses, taking advantage of touring schedules that bring renowned guitarists and composers to the area.
When Stropes talks to performing artists around the world, they are excited about the guitar program and, Stropes adds, “they want to be a part of it. I am very happy to have the opportunity to develop a world-class guitar program at UWM. We will bring together a great guitar community, faculty, students and a state-of-the-art facility to do this right.”
Pino Forastiere
Forastiere offers a master class and discussion forum on Oct. 22. Mario Calvitti, writing in “All About Jazz,” describes Forastiere as an artist of "remarkable maturity....a talent sufficiently developed to leave a mark in the contemporary acoustic guitar panorama... a strong and original personality...” During the master class from 2-4 p.m., Forastiere will work with four students and then take questions. The 7:30 pm concert will feature original works by Forastiere.
Born in Latronico, Italy, Forastiere moved with his family to Rome in his early childhood. In 1992 he graduated from Santa Cecilia Conservatory with a degree in classical guitar, taking his final exam with a ten-string classical guitar (in the style of Narciso Yepes). In the following years, he used this ten-string guitar in live performances with original repertoire. In 1996 he laid down this instrument and picked up a six-string acoustic guitar. He has studied composition and chamber music, performed in various ensembles with classical or original selections, and collaborated with jazz, experimental, electronic and pop projects. Forastiere builds on the compositional foundation left by the beloved architect of sound, Michael Hedges. His first solo CD, “Rag, Tap, Boom” (2003), met with immediate critical acclaim: “...his debut album “Rag Tap Boom” is a true jewel... Forastiere's technique is an exquisite mélange between classical and modern, between tradition and innovation, just as his sources of artistic inspiration, ranging from Stravinsky to Zappa..." (Ezio Guaitamacchi, “Jam”).
Rene Izquierdo
Izquierdo offers a concert featuring compositions by Leo Brouwer, Domenico Scarlatti, J.S. Bach, Carlos Rafael Rivera, Joaquin Rodrigo, Claude Debussy, Bela Bartok, Astor Piazzola and Antonio Rojas. Izquierdo will be joined by two guest artists―flutist Zhao Liu and classical guitarist Elina Chekan.
Izquierdo graduated from the Amadeo Roldan Conservatory and Superior Institute of Art in Havana, where he studied with renowned guitarist Jesus Ortega. After his arrival in the United States, he graduated from Yale University School of Music, where he studied with Benjamin Verdery and obtained a Master of Music and an Artist Diploma degree in 2001 and was awarded the Eliot Fisk Prize to an outstanding guitarist. He has studied with Leo Brouwer, David Russell, Shin-Ichi Fukuda, Eli Kastner, Pepe Romero, Angel Romero, Carlos Barbosa-Lima, David Starobin, Eduardo Fernandez, Jorge Morel, Robert Beaser and Anthony Newman. Izquierdo is currently recording his debut CD with Luthier Music Corporation.
Izquierdo has been awarded several competition prizes, and most recently was a finalist in the JoAnne Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition. He has appeared as a guest soloist and in chamber music concerts throughout the United States, Canada, Cuba, Spain, France and Italy. He has shared the stage with many prestigious guitarists including Eliot Fisk, Jorge Morel and Benjamin Verdery, as well as renowned flutist Ransom Wilson at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. At the Only in America Cameo Concerts Series, Izquierdo performed music by composer Bruce Adolphe, in collaboration with David Jolley and Lucy Shelton. Renowned composers such as Jorge Morel and Carlos R. Rivera have dedicated works to him. In 2004, he performed the Villa-Lobos concerto with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and played the US premiere of “The Divan of Moses Ibn-Ezra” by Castelnuovo-Tedesco, a 19-song cycle, with soprano Arianne Slack in a Merkin Archive concert. Before joining the faculty at UWM, Izquierdo taught at the State University of New York at Purchase and Yale University.
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Electronic files of photographs are available from Ellen Ash at 414-229-5714 or ash@uwm.edu. A fact sheet follows.
UWM GUITAR PROGRAM
2004-2005 SEASON FACT SHEET
Location
All events, unless otherwise indicated, take place in the Peck School of the Arts Recital Hall, 2400 E. Kenwood Blvd. on the UWM campus.
Concert Tickets
Call (414) 229-4308 or stop by the Box Office in the Helene Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts, 2419 E. Kenwood Blvd. Box office hours: Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Short-term parking spaces are available on the south side of the Zelazo Center for those purchasing tickets. Tickets are available one hour prior to performances in the Box Office in the Peck School of the Arts Mainstage Theatre lobby, adjacent to the Recital Hall.
Master Class Participation
Master classes are open to the public, with fees payable at the door. Auditors do not need to pre-register, but if you would like to participate as a performer, please contact John Stropes (414-229-2827, jstropes@uwm.edu) for further information.
Parking
Parking is available in the UWM Union Parking Garage, 2200 E. Kenwood Blvd., or in the Zelazo Center lot (to the south of the building). Parking is free on Sundays only.
PINO FORASTIERE
Friday, Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m.
BILLY MCLAUGHLIN
Master Class and Discussion Forum
Monday, Nov. 8, 7-9 p.m.
McLaughlin will work with six students and then take questions.
Tickets: $5 auditors/$30 performers (UWM students: $5/$10).
Location TBA.
RENE IZQUIERDO
Concert
Saturday, Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $8 general, $5 students and seniors.
JORGE MOREL
Concert
Friday, April 29 at 7:30 p.m.
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