World Music
(All concerts take place in the Music Recital Hall. Admission for each concert is $15 general and $8 for students).
The Spring 2010 World Music Series opens with music from Kyrgyzstan, featuring Ordo Sakhna, at 8:00pm on Sunday, February 21. Ordo Sakhna was created in 1999 and comprises a group of professional musicians - the conservatory graduates and laureates of international and regional contests. The director of the Theater is a well-known film director Shamil Japarov, musical leader is an Honored artist of the Kyrgyz Republic Nurlan Nyshanov. and the Theater's ballet master is People's Artist of the Kyrgyz Republic, Dokturbek Biyseyev. Since 1999 the Theater has recorded three CDs: "The Music of Legends" in 2000, "The Song of Nomad" in 2001 and "The Flame Horses" in 2007. The repertoire of the Theater is appeals to a wide audience and musical styles range is diverse from the ancient archaic melodies (Kuu) to folk-jazz.
On Saturday, March 6 at 8:00pm we will feature gypsy music with the Orient Express. Take a journey Around the World in 90 Minutes and hear the most amazing “folk” music you’ve probably never heard before. Noted ethnic music specialist Sheldon Brown (Klezmorim, Omar Sosa) has been a fixture on the Bay Area creative music scene for over twenty years, and has toured internationally with Cuban pianist Omar Sosa. Randy Keith is Principal Bassist of the Santa Rosa Symphony, Assistant Principal Bass with the Modesto and Fresno Orchestras, and Section Bass with the Oakland Symphony. He has performed with the San Francisco Ballet, Chanticleer Men’s Choir, Marin, San Jose and California Symphonies, and is also the leader of the Santa Rosa Symphony String Quintet. Allen Biggs is Principal Percussionist with the Santa Rosa Symphony. He also performs with other Bay Area groups, such as San Francisco Opera, and the California and Marin symphonies. He has done several National tours with Western Opera Theater, and two European tours with Phantom of the Opera. A recording he made with the group Chanticleer won two Grammy awards in 2002. Doug Morton, trumpet, received his bachelor's degree in trumpet (Phi Beta Kappa honorary) from the New England Conservatory, studying with Armando Ghitala, Gunther Schuller, and Daniel Pinkham. Since moving to the Bay Area, Morton has performed with the Sacramento, Berkeley, Monterey, and California symphonies.
South Indian Classical music returns on Sunday, April 11 at 7:00pm, with bamboo flutist Shashank. Shashank stormed into the music world at the age of 12 with a stunning flute performance at The Music Academy in Chennai. He is the youngest musician in the history of South Indian Music to have performed the most prestigious “SADAS” concert at The Music Academy in Chennai, often performed by legends of Indian Music. Since then he has performed and taught in most prestigious institutions across India and around the world. He has performed at the Smithsonian, Kennedy Center and National Academy of Sciences in Washington D.C., J. Paul Getty Hall in Hollywood, Cerritos Performing arts center in Los Angeles, Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, the Zoelner Center in Lehigh University, and the World Music Institute in New York, in addition to many other venues around the world.
On Saturday, May 8, we will present an Akwidaa Benefit Concert featuring the drumming of Tyehimba Kokayi, at 8:00pm. (Akwidaa is a fishing village located in southwestern Ghana)
On Sunday, May 9, Indian Music is again featured with the Nada Brahma Ensemble at 8:00pm. Founded in 1997, The Nada Brahma Music Ensemble was created by guitarist, composer, musical instrument innovator and arranger Matthew Grasso. As students of the famed Ali Akbar College of Music (San Rafael, CA), Matthew Grasso and Alex Jenkins (a Sacramento State alum) have studied with the legendary musical Gurus Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, respectively. The Nada Brahma Music Ensemble's style can be described as Indian Classical Fusion. The ensemble plays original ragas and talas ranging from traditional eight or ten beats to the unusual 4 3/4 or 9 1/4 beats. The ensemble has twice been nominated for a Sacramento music award (SAMMIE) in the World Fusion category.
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