Contact: Rebecca Madigan For Immediate Release
rmadigan@newwestsymphony.org  September 26, 2017
805-435-2779   Photos Included

New West Symphony Features ‘Love, Betrayal and Dancing’ In Its Grand Season Opening Concert

(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – September 26, 2017) —  The New West Symphony opens its 2017/2018 Masterpiece Series concert season with a program featuring passionate music that evokes dramatic love and heartbreak, expressed in flamenco and tango dance pieces by Falla, Piazzolla and Jofre, and in classical favorites from Mozart and Beethoven. Inspired by the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the program includes Argentine tango music performed, arranged and composed by Argentinean bandoneon player J.P. Jofre, as well as Venezualan flamenco dance star Siudy Garrido performing the flamenco ballet El amor brujo by Manuel de Falla. Grant Cooper is guest conductor. Concerts are Friday October 6, 2017 at 7:30 p.m. at The Broad Stage in Santa Monica, Saturday October 7, 2017 at 8:00 p.m. at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, and the matinee debut, Sunday October 8, 2017 at 3:00 p.m. at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center.

Opening the concert is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Overture to Cosi fan tutte, a humorous one-act opera about two young officers who test the faithfulness of their betrothed.

The flamenco ballet, El amor brujo, by Manuel de Falla, is a dark and brooding tale of a woman haunted by her dead lover. Inspired by Spanish folk music, this iconic piece is enhanced by the flamenco rhythms produced by dancer Siudy Garrido’s footsteps and her renowned interpretation of this dance.

Astor Piazzolla’s “Nuevo tango” style revolutionized modern tango music, with influences from classical music, jazz, and folk music. Arranged and performed by J.P. Jofre, the program features three of Piazzolla’s most iconic pieces for orchestra and bandoneon,  Oblivion, Introducción al ángel, and Muerte del ángel, as well as on of Jofre’s own compositions, Tangodromo.

Written at the height of his fame as a pianist, Beethoven’s First Symphony was composed at the time he discovered he was going deaf, at the age of 29. This legendary symphony also coincided with a love affair with a young countess, who some speculate may have been the subject of his famous ‘Immortal Beloved’ letter, found after his death.

Grant Cooper – guest conductor
Grant Cooper served as Artistic Director and Conductor of the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra since 2001, where he conducted over 750 public performances.  He also serves as Artistic Director of the Bach and Beyond Festival, and for several summers led the Anchorage Festival of Music in Alaska. Born in Wellington, New Zealand, the son of a professional opera singer, Cooper sang and acted in his first opera at age four.  After completing his degree in Pure Mathematics at the University of Auckland, his performing career as a trumpeter took him to Beijing, London, and many major concert halls of the world. Mr. Cooper was guest conductor of the XIVth Commonwealth Games closing ceremonies, appearing with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa as soloist. Mr. Cooper’s collaborations with artists such as Hilary Hahn, Midori, Elmar Oliviera, Barry Douglas, and Deborah Voigt have prompted critical praise for his skills as an accompanist. More information can be found at https://www.newwestsymphony.org/bio_template.php?artist=107

Siudy Garrido – flamenco dancer
Dancer and choreographer acclaimed for her stage presence, Siudy has been described by the international press and specialized critics as: “Mesmerizing,” “first class,” “perfect technique,” and “queen of the scene.” Today, she is recognized as one of the leading stars in the globalization of the Flamenco dance. Often referred as The Flamenco Dancer of the Americas, Siudy has excelled in creating a unique brand with her own signature that fuses other dance genres with the Flamenco traditional dance form, taking it in new directions, and making her one of the most exciting performers in the new order. She has been recognized as Outstanding Choreography Drama Desk nominee, Broadway NY 2011 and “Municipal Dance Award” honorable mention in her birth city Caracas, Venezuela. More information can be found at https://www.newwestsymphony.org/bio_template.php?artist=108

J.P. Jofre – bandoneon and composer 
A native of San Juan, Argentina, bandoneon player and composer J.P. Jofre has been repeatedly highlighted by the New York Times and praised as one of today’s leading artists by Great Performers at Lincoln Center. His music has been recorded by 16-time Grammy® winner Paquito D’ Rivera and choreographed/performed by ballet star Herman Cornejo (Principal Dancer of the American Ballet Theatre). A recipient of the National Prize of the Arts grant in Argentina, Mr. Jofre has taken his form of contemporary tango to some of the most important venues in Asia, Europe, America and the Caribbean as soloist and composer. J.P. Jofre began playing percussion and guitar at the age of 14 and later attended the Escuela de Musica de la Universidad Nacional de San Juan, Argentina, where he studied drums, guitar, piano, voice and composition, before deciding to dedicate himself to the bandoneón. For the world premiere of his Bandoneon Concerto, the Mercury News wrote: “…he is an electrifying composer-bandoneon player.”  More information can be found at: https://www.newwestsymphony.org/bio_template.php?artist=118

Friday October 8, 2017 at 7:30 p.m. – The Broad Stage in Santa Monica
Saturday October 7, 2017 at 8:00 p.m. – Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza
Sunday October 8, 2017 at 3:00 p.m. – Oxnard Performing Arts Center

MOZART Overture to Cosi fan tutte
FALLA El amor brujo
PIAZZOLLAarr. JOFRE Oblivion, Introducción al ángelMuerte del ángel
JOFRE Tangodromo, 3rd movement
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 1 in C Major

Full program notes can be found at https://www.newwestsymphony.org/prog_template.php?program=51

About the New West Symphony
Founded in 1995, the New West Symphony is a professional orchestra that draws its players from the rich talent pool of professional Los Angeles-area musicians. The Symphony is the resident company of the Oxnard Performing Arts Center, the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, and Barnum Hall in Santa Monica.  It presents six Masterpiece Series concerts annually, performing major works from the symphonic repertoire with internationally-acclaimed artists as guest soloists.  It also provides quality outreach and educational opportunities for the communities it serves through its annual Symphonic Adventures concert programs for youth, its traveling Music Van, and its New West Symphony Harmony Project of Ventura. More information is available at www.newwestsymphony.org or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/newwestsymphony.

 

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