Evolution! - Emerging Artists

Presenter: Santa Cruz Baroque Festival
Title: Emerging Artists Showcase (Season Concert V)
Description: The music of Bach and Mozart through the lens of Evolution, featuring Ragazzi Continuo Chorus, Vlada Moran & Tyler Hayford (piano).

Day and Time: Saturday, May 12, at 7:30pm
Location: UCSC Music Center Recital Hall (UC Santa Cruz campus)

Admission: $3-23.
Ticket Outlets: UCSC Ticket Office (831-459-2159), Santa Cruz Tickets (www.santacruztickets.com), Civic Center Box Office


Program Information:

The Baroque Festival's Concert V features music of Bach and Mozart through the lens of evolution. Just as biological organisms have responded to changing environments over the millenia, music has reshaped over the centuries, in a continuous dialogue with its surroundings. The process of re-interpreting an existing work in fresh light extends back to the renaissance and probably beyond. Likewise the composing luminaries of the 19th century, such as Mendelssohn, Brahms, and Grieg, thought a little re-imagination of works by dinosaurs like Bach or Mozart could possibly make it more successful in the contemporary climate.

This evening of music traces the evolution of examples of the most beloved baroque and classical music. The young mens' vocal ensemble Ragazzi Continuo Chorus renders world premieres of new chorales in the style of Bach, written by winners of the 2012 Bach Chorale Contest. Also featured on this program is Edvard Grieg's 'gilded lily' arrangement of a sonata by Mozart, performed by Vlada Volkova Moran and Tyler Hayford (pianos). A composer involved by Norwegian folk music of his time, Grieg himself persisted into the 21st century popular culture with hits like his 'Peer Gynt Suite' (reinterpreted by Duke Ellington) and 'Morning Mood' (played on the 'Simpson's' and 'Beavis and Butt-head'). In this concert we present his 'evolved' version of Mozart's 'Sonata Facile', to which Grieg added an entire second piano part. More evolutionary surprises are in store.

Well-known and appreciated by Santa Cruz audiences, Vlada Volkova Moran is an accomplished performing artist and teacher on piano and organ. Since the age of 10, young pianist Tyler Hayford has participated and won in numerous competitions in California, and will be performing as Concerto Competition soloist with the Santa Cruz Youth Symphony later this month. Formed in 2010, Ragazzi Continuo is an emerging alumni ensemble from the critically-acclaimed Ragazzi Boys Chorus, and it has quickly become one of Northern California's premier choirs. With well over a century of combined musical experience, the eight current members of Continuo perform a wide variety of music throughout the year for both private and public audiences. The Baroque Festival looks forward to showcasing this program of emerging young artists in a musical illustration of its 2012 season theme - 'Evolution!'


Website: www.scbaroque.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/scbaroque