Quartet reviews Chinese eateries when not making chamber music
By Bob Kelly July 4, 2008 San Miguel de Allende

Chamber Music Festival
July 31–Aug 17
www.festivalsanmiguel.com
The Ying Quartet
Fri–Sat, Aug 1–2

The Ying Quartet may be the only world-famous ensemble that reviews Chinese restaurants on its website. For certain, it’s the only group that got a big career boost from a residency in an Iowa farm town of 2,000, reaping unexpected publicity and acclaim and learning about performing and communicating.

Now the chamber group in residence at the Eastman School of Music in New York, the quartet will be making its twelfth appearance here this summer, the most of any group in the festival’s 30 years.

The three brothers and one sister were born and grew up in Winnetka, Illinois, an affluent North Shore suburb of Chicago, where they began taking piano lessons but gravitated to other instruments—Timothy and Janet, violin; Philip, viola; and David, cello. Timothy, Janet and David attended the Eastman School after graduating from top-rated New Trier High School and eventually were joined by Philip, who had majored in economics at Harvard.

They began playing together at Eastman, where they studied with the Cleveland Quartet, then in residence. They formed their quartet in 1988 and in 1992 the National Endowment for the Arts picked them as the first participants in a rural residency program. They wound up in Jesup, Iowa, a snowmobiling hotbed about nine miles east of Waterloo and the polar opposite of Winnetka.

They gave master classes, coaching sessions and outreach concerts at neighborhood centers, one-room Amish schools, businesses and social and health agencies. They played for as few as six people in homes and at a concert for 600, nearly one-third of the town’s population.

“It made me realize how fortunate we were where we grew up,” said Philip in an interview after they finished the residency in 1993. “We had strong music education in our schools. I didn’t realize how arts education has declined around the country. And I didn’t realize how hard it could be to get up and play chamber music for high school kids at 8am. It was so different from the life we expected to lead, a life of just playing on stage. Playing on stage is easier, it’s a controlled environment and you can prepare for it.”

“You wouldn’t expect a group of farmers to be such good music teachers for us, but they were,” David said. “Their direct and honest responses made me stop and think and look for the humanity in the music. In school, it’s the nitty-gritty, the details, how many notes you miss. In Iowa, they didn’t judge us by that at all. For these people to be so moved by classical music…that impressed upon me the real power that it has.”

“Jesup made me more comfortable with speaking to people,” Timothy said. “We’re like sales representatives for music. I think of these outreach activities as giving away free samples. And I think it changed and improved our playing. It made us work on communicating as much as we can in an extra vivid way.”

While in Jesup, the quartet received its first international recognition by winning the 1993 Naumburg Chamber Music Award. That and the coverage of their experiences in Jesup by The New York Times, National Public Radio and other media helped them build a career that led to the residency at Eastman and the ability to spend more time with their families by limiting their concert appearances.

They have continued to emphasize developing ways of making artistic and creative expression an essential part of everyday life. One of their projects included an innovative visiting residency at Symphony Space in New York City, connecting music with other art forms, including dance, poetry and film.

They also began an exploration with the Turtle Island String Quartet of jazz, improvisation and the classical string quartet tradition that led to a 2005 Grammy award for the best crossover album.

In 1999, they introduced LifeMusic, a multi-year commissioning project supported by the Institute for American Music, designed to produce a distinctively American string quartet repertoire. Each season, a pair of new works by established and emerging composers is featured in Ying’s diverse performance activities. The project has introduced new quartets by Michael Torke, Kevin Puts, Carter Pann, Paquito D’Rivera, Chen Yi, Daniel Kellogg, Augusta Read Thomas, Ned Rorem, Jennifer Higdon and Bernard Rands.

With their Dim Sum CD, the Yings continue to extend their repertoire of innovative programming concepts while celebrating their own cultural heritage. On these programs, the quartet includes a selection of short works by Chinese-American composers in the framework of a traditional concert, giving audiences a diverse sampling of this music. The quartet plans to commission new works by composers of Chinese background living around the globe to join existing pieces by Chou Wen-Chung, Zhou Long, Tan Dun, Bright Sheng and Chen Yi.

As for their reviews of restaurants in the US, the group speaks with one voice:

“Ah, our favorite subject! We make no claims that these are the very best Chinese restaurants, only that they are the ones that we find ourselves going back to time after time. So unlike the newest, flashiest and most expensive designer outfits, this is our list of the comfortable old jeans that you reach for again and again.

“We always welcome new suggestions—just email us, and you can be sure that we’ll be trying it at our next opportunity. And if you do happen to visit one of these places, let us know how you liked it! Or perhaps you may even find us there. We’re the four Chinese chowing down with all the instrument cases stacked in the corner.”

For more information, consult the website at www.festivalsanmiguel.com.

A former reporter with the Chicago Sun-Times, Bob Kelly can attest to their selection of the Phoenix, Hong Min and Joy Yee’s Noodle Shop as restaurants worth a visit in Chicago’s Chinatown.

Jazz with the intense energy of the border region
By Isaac Toporek

Concert
Cross Border Trio
Thu, July 10
El Viejo Topo Café-Teatro
Stirling Dickinson 28

The Cross Border Trio is a collaborative transnational group dedicated to performing original music. The trio was formed in 2003 and features saxophonist Jason Robinson, bassist Rob Thorsen and drummer Paquito Villa, all of whom are critically acclaimed performers and composers with extensive experience.

The group has been invited to festivals throughout the Americas and the Caribbean and performs frequently in Mexico and the United States, thriving in the fertile social and cultural landscapes of the cross border region.

Pianist Joshua White joins the Cross Border Trio as a featured guest for their Summer 2008 tour of Mexico. After competing in several classical music competitions, Joshua chose to focus his work on jazz, drawing inspiration from its many innovators. In the past year he has performed at many of San Diego’s top venues including Anthology, Dizzy’s and the Athenaeum Music and Arts Library. He was also a featured guest at the 2007 Ensenada Jazz Festival.

Yes, they cross the border once more: on their way to the San Cristobal de las Casas Jazz Festival, Cross Border Trio will stop in San Miguel for a couple of days, and will delight us with just one concert on July 10 at El Viejo Topo Café-Teatro. For more information call 154-8701.

The return of the Duo Dedos
By Carly Cross

Concert
Duo Dedos
Sun, July 6 & 13, 2:30pm
Teatro Santa Ana
Biblioteca Pública
Reloj 50A
50 pesos

Pianists Mauro Ledesma and Enrique Prado are the two performers who make up Duo Dedos, a four-hands piano duo. They had a successful series of concerts last year and the first two months of this year in Casa Crayola.

Just this past month they had their Biblioteca debut with a very enthusiastic audience. They are back in the Biblioteca’s Teatro Santa Ana this Sunday with a similar creative and interesting program offering a variety of pieces including nineteenth century composers such as Schubert, Grieg and von Suppe, Latin American composers, as well as the American composer Scott Joplin. The whole program is performed not with the seriousness of a stuffy concert hall, but with the spontaneity that each piece incites.

It is not very common in San Miguel to see four hands piano concerts for several reasons. The first reason is the time investment required for personal study and ensemble rehearsals. Second is the unlikely coincidence of having two talented pianists in one small pueblito like San Miguel. Furthermore, there is the ongoing challenge of the technical difficulty of having four hands playing on one piano. The pianists join together to play on one instrument. With no other instrument can this be done. This allows the performers to create a more powerful and rich sound by unifying the color and individual sounds of the two pianists.

Mauro Ledesma is originally from San Miguel de Allende. At a very young age he started his music training studying with Enrique Prado and Marta Garcia Renart. Later he continued his education at Universidad de Colima, studying under Anatoly Zatin, a well-known pianist, composer, and conductor. In the spring of 2007, he graduated and returned to San Miguel where he now resides, performs, and gives classes.

Enrique Prado moved to San Miguel at the age of eleven and started his music training in Bellas Artes with Marta Garcia Renart. A natural musician and pianist, he was quickly labeled a child prodigy and a star in San Miguel. With local support he studied in Texas and later at a renowned music conservatory in Cuba where he received his degree in music performance and piano pedagogy.

Past audience members are the duo’s best supporters, repeatedly attending concerts and bringing more audience members to enjoy the show. Come join the Duo Dedos at their next concerts. Tickets are on sale for 50 pesos at the Biblioteca’s Teatro Santa Ana before the concert.

A summer love story
By Andrea “Dreah” Pennington

Concert
The Story of Love
Andrea Pennington
Thu, July 10, 8pm
Rancho Lemuria
www.rancholemuria.com

For centuries, poets, playwrights, songwriters and even philosophers have written about the virtues—and the hardships—of love. This universal emotion is more than a feeling, it is a force that moves, inspires, heals and tears asunder.

Some would argue that there is no experience more magical than falling in love. I have always been awed by love’s power and truly fascinated by the things people do ‘under the influence’ of love. Witnessing the actions of those driven by lust or infatuation we’re reminded of countless Shakespearean tragedies. How is it that we are often so confused as to mistake fly-by-night passions for true love?

On Thursday July 10, I sing some of my favorite “love” songs that take us through the magical journey of love. From infatuation, discovering Mr. or Mrs. Right, the sorrows of unrequited love and ultimately to true, binding love, together we will explore love through song. Joining me for this special limited-seating event are some of San Miguel’s favorite jazz cats, Bobby Kaplan and Antonio Loyoza. I am excited to share this time with San Miguel before returning to Europe, so please join me.

Four sopranos to share love of classical music
By Sylvia Bussey

Concert
Four Sopranos
Thu, July 10, 7:30pm
Sala Quetzal
Biblioteca Pública
Reloj 50A
50 pesos

San Miguel is truly one of the rare jewels of this world. This wonderful town harbors a community of people who are generous, loving and open, people who loyally uphold the traditions of a very colorful culture.Throughout time we have labeled certain parts of culture as classical. Four young vocalists have been touched by this word “classical.”

 These young sopranos have dedicated their careers to classical music. Throughout their years of training they have cultivated a true passion for their art. The young artists are alums of the prestigious Boston University Tanglewood Institute, the Carnegie Mellon Pre-College Vocal Program, the Westminster Choir College and the Florence Voice Seminar.

Their resumes include solo performances in France, Italy, Taiwan, Australia and the United States, as well as a variety of performances in musical productions and choirs throughout the United States.

Their accomplishments are fueled by dedication and love for music. San Miguel has opened its arms up to these young singers and they wish to show their appreciation. Please join us for a night of wonderful music by various composers such as Mozart, Rossini, Copland and Schubert. It will be a night to honor the sparkling facets of San Miguel and its community.

The performers are Molly Bradley (soprano, Oberlin College), Cristina Castro (soprano, Trinity University), Elisabeth Bussey (soprano, Northwestern University), Kelsey Robertson (mezzo soprano, Oberlin Conservatory) and Elena Shoemaker as the accompanist.

Folk harp and guitar
By Gabriela Servin 

Concert
Sergio Basurto
Mon, July 7, 7:30pm
Sala Quetzal
Biblioteca Pública
Reloj 50A
150 pesos, limited seating

Talented musician Sergio Basurto continues his series of concerts. Why is he so talented? Well, there are three kinds of musicians—those who only play the notes, those who just make music and those in a select and privileged group who manage to combine the two.

Basurto fits in the third group by virtue of his capacity to play with clarity a great variety of rhythms, both with the Mexican folk harp and the guitar.

The emotional interpretation he brings to the folk harp takes listeners through a myriad of emotions. The same can be said of the passion and intensity embodied in flamenco rhythms, which he plays on the Spanish guitar. Each piece he selects gives him an emotional charge that transmits itself to the audience.