Tenth anniversary season
By Michael Pearl 

Pro Musica Concerts
Sun, Sep 27, 2009–Sun, Mar 21, 2010
St. Paul’s Church
Cardo 6
Patron Member US$100

When I was invited to become president of Pro Musica a little over two years ago, I never dreamed of the huge success our organization would enjoy. Last season saw a string of magnificent concerts by artists playing to packed houses at our “home,” St. Paul’s Church. Nearly every performance drew standing ovations when the playing transcended music-making and entered the realm of the spiritual.

One such occasion was the truly outstanding playing of Matt Bengtson, the phenomenally talented pianist from Philadelphia, who played J.S. Bach’s complete Goldberg Variations on our 1927 Steinway. Those 80 minutes mesmerized the audience to the point where pianist, composer and audience seemed to coalesce into a single organism through which the music flowed and ebbed. An unforgettable night.

Pro Musica’s tenth anniversary season starts Sunday, September 27, and runs through March 2010. It opens with a concert that will raise the roof of St. Paul’s Church. Metales de Morelia (called M5, as it is a quintet) returns to play a Mexican brass concert for us. Pro Musica brought the quintet to San Miguel for first time last year and for a sold-out concert. This year’s theme is “Bach and Brass and More,” a mixture of Bach with a peppering of more unusual works.

In 2010, Pro Musica celebrates the 200th anniversary of the birth of Frederic Chopin. Two concerts by outstanding Chopin interpreters are dedicated to his work. The first of these is by Kevin Kenner, who debuts in San Miguel in October. The Chicago Tribune described him as “one of the finest American pianists” and The Washington Post as “a major talent.” The music critic of London’s The Independent newspaper said, “The finest performance I have ever heard of Chopin’s ballades.”

One reason Pro Musica attracts such outstanding musical talent is that musicians love playing for our audiences. They are welcoming, enthusiastic and knowledgeable. As part of the interaction between audience and musicians, Pro Musica is extending its post-concert receptions where audience and players mingle over refreshments.

A “Chopin and Champagne” evening starts this series with Kevin Kenner’s all-Chopin recital on Saturday, October 24, when the audience will be invited to a free champagne reception after the concert to raise a glass of bubbly to composer and pianist alike.

Another innovation for the season will be pre-concert talks by musician and musicologist Brian Townsend at 4–4:30pm. These will each be about the program to follow that evening and they are all free. The first will precede Kenner’s second recital on Sunday, October 25.

Pro Musica is dedicated to bringing a variety of groups and soloists to San Miguel and the first string quartet to play for us will be in November when the Aviv String Quartet from Israel visits us on their world tour. Their tour takes in London’s Wigmore Hall, New York’s Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House. Pro Musica proudly presents their Mexican debut.

Pro Musica does not focus only on the January–March high season. This star-studded line-up for fall shows that, but we need your help to make this possible. When you support us at these wonderful concerts we can continue such quality programming in the quieter part of the year. Seat prices for Pro Musica events are up to 40 percent cheaper than those of other classical concerts in San Miguel and no other organization puts on as many concerts, or of such variety or over such a long period. You get outstanding value for your money and enrich the cultural life of our city.

The program for the high season also is outstanding. January starts with Matt Bengtson’s return, with another of the great set pieces for the keyboard, Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations.

Later in the month brings Pro Musica’s most ambitious concerts to date with the 14-strong Stravaganza Chamber Orchestra playing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

February brings another innovation, a three-concert weekend with pianist Richard Dowling, beloved of San Miguel audiences for his charming and knowledgeable introductions to every piece he plays and his amazing talent for playing ragtime and classical with equal perfection. He will play an all-Gershwin/ragtime program, an all-Chopin program and the third recital will be for cello and piano. Joining him will be cellist Evan Drachman, making his San Miguel debut and playing his 1710 Stradivarius cello. Another free “Champagne and Chopin” reception follows Dowling’s Sunday recital (a few days before the composer’s birthday).

As part of its commitment to Mexican music, Pro Musica funds a new commission every year from a Mexican composer and then premieres the work in San Miguel. For the third in this series, we have commissioned a guitar quintet for strings from Albert Nunez-Palacio. This will be premiered in February at two concerts by the Carlos Chavez String Quartet joined by classical guitarist Roberto Limon.

Last season we commissioned a piece from Samuel Zyman which our audiences loved. He has since added to this piece, which will be played at both these concerts. The premiere on Saturday night will be followed by a free wine and botanas reception for the whole audience. A pre-concert talk on modern composers is set for Sunday.

March also sees Latin America’s finest string quartet playing for us. The Cuarteto Latinamericano, now based in the US, will give two concerts in March. We will have the rare opportunity to hear what The Washington Post called “matchless in tonal magnitude, tuneful fluency and concentrated teamwork.”

We end the season with technical fireworks from another San Miguel favorite who wows our audiences with his film-star looks and mesmerizing playing. Timothy Fain on violin with piano accompaniment returns to end the season March 20–21. The New York Times described one of his concerts as “an electrifying, virtuoso workout.”

Pro Musica stages magnificent musical feasts, but box office revenues do not cover concert costs and the shortfall is made up by subscriptions from our Patron Members. The most valuable way you can support Pro Musica’s continuing activities is by becoming a Patron Member. From as little as US$100 per year you receive free concert tickets and invitations to post-concert suppers with the artists in elegant private homes. Patron Members are Pro Musica’s “family,” the essential core of support. Join our family, extend your musical experiences and enjoy the warmth and company of like-minded individuals.

For full details of our programs, visit promusicasma.com. 

Michael Pearl is President of Pro Musica.

Exotic sounds of meditation

Flute performance
Meditation Flutes of India and Japan
Sat, Sep 5, 7pm
Meditation Center of San Miguel
Callejon Blanco 4
Donation

The Meditation Center of San Miguel hosts “Meditation Flutes of India and Japan,” featuring Mindia Devi Klein, award-winning Indian bansuri and jazz flutist, composer and recording artist.

Mindia became fascinated with Indian music from the moment she heard the ragas of the legendary “Emperor of Melody,” the late sarod maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, with whom she began studying at age 19. She went on to form the innovative ensemble, Ancient Future, and released two of the first albums in the contemporary genre known as World Music.

Mindia is a recipient of an American Institute of Indian Studies Smithsonian Fellowship, which supports her studies in India with leading bansuri flutist Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. Her passion for the music of Indonesia earned her a Fulbright Scholarship in Balinese gamelan music and she now leads her own orchestra called Beginner’s Mind Gamelan in Marin County, California. Mindia is also a recipient of the 2008 American Composers Forum Subhito Grant for her Indo jazz recording project, Beyond the Reach of Time.

Also on the program is Peter Ross, a shakuhachi flute teacher and performer, flute-maker and recording artist who lives in San Miguel. The shakuhachi is the Zen meditation flute of Japan. In 1972, Peter began his studies with F.K. Nagao-sensei, the first of many Japanese teachers he has learned from. As a player, Peter brings his uniquely innovative style to the shakuhachi, playing with great feeling and creativity.

Please join us for an evening of inspirational music. Seating is limited, so please consider arriving early. As always, presentations of the center are offered without charge. Donations, especially for such a special evening as this, are most gratefully accepted.