Dynamic duo in concert at the Peralta
By Louise Hazell

Concert
Tim Hazell and Ken Basman
Sat, Nov 10, 7:30pm
Teatro Ángela Peralta 
Hernández Macías 62
50/100/150 pesos

Tim Hazell and Ken Basman have created and recorded contrapuntal sounds in San Miguel and Mexico for over a decade. They combine original music, unusual instruments from other cultures, vocals and strong polyrhythms for a concert, November 10.

Composer Tim Hazell is an interdisciplinary artist in painting, music, poetry, theater, education, writing and research with a focus on Latin America and its indigenous roots. The former director of art at Instituto Allende has acted as a consultant to University of Juarez faculty for creative arts programs. He is a widely published poet, essayist and recording artist, and a multi-instrumentalist. As a painter, he has had over 50 exhibitions worldwide, with works in private collections in the US, Canada, Mexico, South America and Europe. He is co-composer and project director, with Doug Robinson, of “A Forest of Americas,” a 10-movement suite combining the earmarks of classical, jazz, folkloric and native music, and a member of the executive board of San Miguel el Grande Pro Música.

Ken Basman, guitarist, composer, record producer and participant in the International Jazz Festival, attended Berklee College of Music before studying guitar in Toronto with Gordon Delamont, Eli Kasner and Art Devilliers. He owns a digital recording studio in San Miguel. Basman’s productions include CDs by artists from Mexico, Latin America and abroad. He is an expressive guitarist, running the gamut of styles from jazz, blues, rock, fusion and Latin rhythms, has toured internationally and participated in festivals throughout Mexico and the US. He is a member of the “A Forest of Americas” ensemble.

This multicultural music with a broad range of textures offers an unusual evening of entertainment. Tickets are 50, 100 and 150 pesos and will go on sale the week of November 5 at the Ángela Peralta box office (information 152-2200).

Brahms, Fauré, Wolf and Roussel in a classic hacienda setting
By Bob Hesdorfer

Concert
Clara Dunham and Ann Riley
Sun, Nov 11, 1pm
Gene Byron Museum
Colonia Marfil, Guanajuato
100 pesos

On November 11, the Gene Byron Museum in Guanajuato will present a recital of classical songs by German and French composers, closing with seven Spanish selections. 

Soprano Clara Dunham and pianist Ann Riley, long-time San Miguel residents, come from strong backgrounds in classical music.

Dunham grew up playing the harpsichord, began voice study at age 15, spent summers at Tanglewood’s Young Artist Program, and graduated with a BA from Sarah Lawrence College. She has performed as a soloist with community choruses, in recitals with guitar, piano and harpsichord, and performed with an early music group in Paris. She studied musicology at the Sorbonne and privately with renowned teacher Rita Shane. She is a member of Ensemble San Miguel.


Riley has performed solo piano recitals in theaters as well as on radio and TV. In San Miguel she has served as accompanist for solo recitals by members of the Guanajuato Symphony and for violinist David Mallory.

The recital is in an intimate historic venue with fine acoustics. Following the performance, the audience is invited to join the artists for botanas, wine and conversation. To reach the Gene Byron Museum, take the Guanajuato bus from San Miguel, then a taxi from the bus terminal. By auto, it’s just a short drive from the highway roundabout at the city’s entrance. Recital tickets are $100 pesos with a discount for INSEN. For information, call 152-1473.

Pro Música presents a classical weekend
By Bob Kelly

Concerts
Daniel Moran
Sat, Nov 3, 7pm
Maneli Pirzadeh
Sun, Nov 4, 5pm
St. Paul’s Church
Calle Cardo 6
Tickets 150/50 pesos

The sell-out audiences who enjoyed the first two Pro Música concerts will be offered programs Saturday and Sunday by Canadian pianists exploring the classical repertoire.

Daniel Moran’s concert Saturday will include works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Claude Debussy, Alexander Scriabin and Franz Liszt, as well as by Carl Vine, one of Australia’s most prominent contemporary composers. On Sunday, Maneli Pirzadeh will play pieces by Joseph Haydn, Francis Poulenc, Claude Debussy and Robert Schumann 

Tickets at 150 and 50 pesos are available at La Tienda in the Biblioteca, Insurgentes 25; Casa de Papel, Mesones 57; La Conexión, Aldama 3; St. Paul’s office weekdays 11am to 2pm; and at the door one hour before the concert. For details see www.promusicasma.com.