TAGS

Carlos Rafael Rivera, Concierto de Guitarra, Denis Azabagic, Guitar Concerto, Iliana Matos, Javier Jose Mendoza, Marcin Dylla, Mesut Ozgen, Rene Izquierdo

ABOUT THIS PROJECT

2-2-2-2, 0-2-2-0, TIMP, Strings

In September of 2017, I began work on a commission initiated by Maestro Mesut Ozgen, Director of the Miami International GuitArt Festival, that would celebrate Cuba’s heritage. The work is the result of a grant for this season’s festival A Lo Cubano – a realization of Maestro Ozgen’s vision, and part of an endowment by The Knight Arts Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Being of Cuban descent, I was thrilled to write a contemporary addition to the Classical Guitar Concerto repertoire, dedicated to three of today’s most renowned guitarists: Marcin Dylla, Denis Azabagic, and Rene Izquierdo. The Concierto a Tres is a 16 minute, three-movement concerto for Classical Guitar and Chamber Orchestra. My intention is to accessibly present Afro-Cuban, as well as Pan-American, idioms to a broader classical audience, while positively expanding the repertoire for guitar and orchestra. Concierto a Tres will be premiered this evening by the FIU Symphony Orchestra and Maestro Javier Jose Mendoza. Maestra Iliana Matos graciously offered to perform the movement dedicated to Denis Azabagic for this premiere, as he was not able to be in Miami. I could not feel more privileged at her participation in premiering this new work for the Classical Guitar and Orchestra.

I look forward to sharing more about the work with you in the near future!