Guitar Orchestra & Latin American Ensemble present From Bohemia to Beatlemania

The Keene State College Guitar Orchestra and Latin American Ensemble will present a program entitled "From Bohemia to Beatlemania, and from Sierra to Altiplano," on Wednesday, April 17, 7:30 PM, in Alumni Recital Hall, Redfern Arts Center on Brickyard Pond. The 15-member Guitar Orchestra and 28-member Latin Ensemble are both directed by Dr. José Manuel Lezcano, Professor of Music.

The program includes the beloved Slavonic Dance no. 4 by Czech composer Antonin Dvorak, a wonderfully crafted exploration of Bohemian melodies and rustic rhythms, and a staple of the orchestral repertoire. Also on the program is "Cuban Landscape with Rain," by Leo Brouwer, an appealing blend of minimalism, New Age harmonies, and program music, even depicting a hailstorm. The haunting and lyrical "Summa" by Estonian composer Arvo Part provides an example of this composer's style described as "holy minimalism." The evening will include a performance of former LA Guitar Quartet member Andrew York's newly minted "Hemingway" for guitar orchestra, a tone-poem that skillfuly blends spatial effects, orientalist melodies, and idiomatic guitar writing. Rounding out the program are two standards by Lennon/McCartney (Day-Tripper and Lady Madonna), and a Venezuelan joropo.

The Latin American ensemble, assisted by members of the Flute Choir and Guitar Orchestra, will present folk dances from the Andes on panpipes, charango, and bombo. Music Education major Amy St. Louis will sing "Crying She Left," an Afro-Bolivian song by "Los Kjarkas" that became an international hit in 1989 when recorded by French pop group Kaoma, spearheading the Brazilian "Lambada" dance-craze.

Tickets are $5 & $10 and can be purchased at the door or by calling ahead to the box office at 603.358.2168.