February 20th ZALON Program!

1.     Singer/songwriter Mary Scholz brings us original Americana folk songs and stories from her home in Los Angeles

2.     MINAS: Orlando Haddad (vocal/guitar), Patricia King Haddad (vocal/piano) and Andrew Neu (tenor saxophone) will perform selections from Getz/Gilberto from Orlando and Patricia’s studio in Lansdowne, PA

3.     Pianists Malcolm Halliday and Mauro Ledesma will perform “España” by Chabrier (arr. for 2 pianos) from Malcolm’s home studio in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

4.     Singer Pablo Buniak (Argentina) and pianist Alberto Macedo (Mexico) perform selections from their show Tango and other songs of love and heartbreak from Malcolm Halliday’s home studio in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

5.     Scott Hosfeld, viola and Wendy Prober, piano will perform selections from Maria Newman’s suite Grand Duo Concertante: The Ninth Hour of Divine Office from Wendy’s home in Tarzana, CA

6.     Kyle Flens will perform “Post-Lightened” by Alexis C. Lamb for solo drum set and electronic playback from the Dal Niente studio in Chicago

7.     Harpist & singer Erin Hill performs pop songs with her electric harp from her home in Kentucky

8.     Brazilian pianist Luiz Simas will perform his composition “A Peaceful Journey” and an arrangement of Jobim’s bossa-nova “Brigas Nunca Mais” from his home in Manhattan

9.     Keila Tonello (La Keila) performs a Spanish song, "Sin Embargo te Quiero" and a Mexican song, "Cielito Lindo" from the casita of Ben and Margaret Gall (Casa Sentosa de las Serpientes) in San Miguel de Allende

10.  Bandoneonist/composer Leandro Ragusa and pianist/composer Marina Ruiz Matta perform their compositions “Rio Negro” and “Indio Bravo” from Leandro’s home in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Mary Scholz

Philly native, Los Angeles based singer/songwriter Mary Scholz is a live circuit favorite, making a home in listeners’ hearts with her lyrical voice, introspective lyrics, and intricate guitar work. An internationally touring artist, Mary recently released the EP Lonesome, and has a new full length record heading our way later this year.

Links: 
Website: www.maryscholz.com
Website Store: www.maryscholz.com/store
Bandcamp: www.maryscholz.bandcamp.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/MaryScholz
Instagram: www.instagram.com/maryscholz 
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@maryscholzmusic 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/maryscholzmusic 
Twitter: www.twitter.com/maryscholz 
YouTube: www.youtube.com/maryscholzmusic

Videos:

MINAS with Andrew Neu

MINAS, along with saxophonist Andrew Neu, will pay homage to the classic album Getz/ Gilberto, one of the most successful and revered jazz albums of all time.  Minas has been synonymous with Brazilian music in the northeast for over 3 decades. Performing under its name since 1978, the ensemble is one of the most sought-after Brazilian groups in the United States today. Their interpretations of Bossa Nova, specifically the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim, are not only authentic, but their own. Andrew Neu and Minas have collaborated numerous times and their chemistry was right from day one. Andrew’s Stan Getz renditions not only bring Getz to mind, but are also his own.

Website: minasmusic.com 

Paypal: info@minasmusic.com

Venmo @Orlando-Haddad

Link to CD purchases: https://minasmusic.com/store

Also available on all streaming platforms, Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, Amazon

Videos:

Malcolm Halliday

Pianist, organist and conductor Malcolm Halliday has performed in the United States, Mexico and Europe, both as a soloist, conductor, and in collaboration with singers, instrumentalists, and orchestra. As pianist, he has performed frequently with historical pianos from museum and private collections, using period instruments in concerts at Jordan Hall and Faneuil Hall in Boston, Mechanics Hall in Worcester, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. A champion of more recent music, Malcolm Halliday can also be heard in two recordings of music by the American composer Leo Sowerby, including the solo album Impressions, featuring rare piano music of this Chicago-based original, and available on the Albany Records label. As conductor he appears in the Albany Records recording The River of Love, an album devoted to Shaker music and settings of Shaker themes by contemporary composers. A Fellow of the American Guild of Organists, Malcolm Halliday recently retired from his positions as Artistic Director of the Master Singers of Worcester and Minister of Music at the First Congregational Church in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, where he served for nearly thirty years. Malcolm Halliday currently lives part of the year in San Miguel de Allende in Guanajuato, Mexico, but frequently spends time at his lake house in Ashburnham, MA and continues concert work in the New England region. For more information about Halliday’s performances and his complete discography, visit his website at http://malcolmhalliday.com

Mauro Ledesma

Mauro Ledesma, pianist, resides in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. He has performed all around Mexico as a soloist and accompanist. He has performed in the United States with vocalist Morganna Love. They also represented Mexico in Canada, playing three concerts in Ottawa as a gift that the Mexican government sent to Canada for their 150th anniversary as a country. Recently, Mauro Ledesma produced and conducted a highly successful concert of the Mozart Requiem at the Parroquia.

Pablo Buniak and Alberto Macedo

Pablo Buniak was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. From a very young age he began his studies in music, piano, singing and musical theater. As a solo singer he has participated in various theatrical and musical projects such as Canciones de ida y vuelta, Así pasan los años, Glamour tango and recently Tangos y otras canciones de amor y desamor (Tangos and other songs of love and heartbreak). He has been part of different vocal and instrumental ensembles, such as Ars Nova, In Tune, Sing, Gran Elite, Excellence, with tours of Argentina and Mexico, and has performed with the Ensamble Acardenchado, under the direction of Juan Pablo Villa, Mexico. From 2021 he has been the main singer of the Tango Insurgentes Orchestra, performing in different locations in México. He has participated in various recordings of original soundtracks for musical theatre shows. He recorded his first solo album in Mexico, currently available on all digital platforms (Apple Music, Spotify, etc.). He is involved in projects that link art and education, forming part of the Instituto Mexicano del Arte al Servicio de la Educación (IMASE) in alliance with the Lincoln Center Institute, NYC. He has a degree in Artistic Education from the Universidad Veracruzana, and is also a singing teacher and vocal coach. Recently he became a Professor of Alexander Technique certified by The Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique in London, giving workshops throughout the country and individual classes in his studio in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

PayPal: paypal.me/PBuniak

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/PabloBuniak

Website: www.pablobuniak.com

Alberto Macedo is a Mexican pianist recently settled in San Miguel de Allende. He began his piano studies at the age of 7. Graduated as a Biochemical Engineer from ITESM, his life changed when he was hired by the then famous beach resort Las Hadas as a resident pianist, running their piano bar for more than 7 years. He has worked permanently as a resident pianist in the best hotels in Mexico City. He has also played in corporate events in prestigious cultural centers, museums and social clubs of this City. He was distinguished by the Sephardic Jewish Community in Mexico as one of their official musicians in residence. He has been hired by the Presidency of Mexico to liven up official banquets and cocktails at the Presidential Residence of Los Pinos and the Chapultepec Castle. Currently, he participates as a performer and musical director in the production of private shows and recordings for singers and instrumentalists, and he offers his cocktail piano & sing-along concept for private events. His vast repertoire of international music prides itself at over a thousand songs and spans a wide variety of genres. Recently he participated in a cultural exchange with the Fondation Claude Monet that allowed him to play at the Musée Claude Monet, in Giverny, France. He shares his musical knowledge through his original method Learn Piano Quickly: Technique, Harmony and Ear Training ®, and through his work as vocal coach.

YouTube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/user/TopWorldPiano

Videos:

Scott Hosfeld

Scott Hosfeld, violist and conductor, founded Washington State’s Icicle Creek Center

for the Arts in 1995, partnering with some of the world’s most respected musical artists and training elite-level classical musicians. He has collaborated in concert with soloists Camilla Wicks, Steven Doane, and Nathaniel Rosen, as well as with actors Pierce Brosnan, Billy Crystal, Katharine Ross, and Sam Elliott. He has been honored by the United States Congress, the State of California and his hometown of Malibu California for making a meaningful difference through music. American Record Guide writes, “Hosfeld offers a warm, sonorous viola sound...spectacular.” Hosfeld studied at the Manhattan School of Music under Lillian Fuchs. Grand Prize Winner of Young Artists International, he made his Carnegie Recital Hall debut as violist of the Riverside String Quartet. He has toured in concert worldwide and enjoys an extensive critically acclaimed discography as both violist and conductor. Hosfeld has served on the faculties of a wide array of college conservatories, most recently as the Conductor and Music Director of the Idyllwild Arts Academy, as well as the Malibu Coast Chamber Orchestra, Opera, and Silent Film Orchestras, and Malibu’s Concert on the Bluffs Symphony and Ballet. Hosfeld has also lent his craft to hundreds of films, including the highly anticipated 2019 release of Toy Story 4 and the 2020 reboot of the Animaniacs Series produced by Stephen Spielberg.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/scotthosfeld

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HosfeldScottC

Wendy Prober

Wendy Prober, piano has performed throughout the United States and Israel as a critically acclaimed chamber musician and soloist. She is the founding pianist of the award-winning Viklarbo Chamber Ensemble, host/presenter of the popular Los Angeles based, SPaCE Salon and Resident Pianist at the Montgomery Arts House for Music and Architecture in Malibu. She has taught on the faculties of Loyola Marymount University, the University of Judaism, and the Omaha Conservatory of Music Institute. Former Executive Director of the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony, she remains on the Board of Directors and is a Teaching Artist. Ms. Prober has been a featured soloist with Robert Kapilow’s wildly celebrated, “What Makes it Great” series and locally has been soloist with many orchestras including Los Angeles Jewish Symphony, Malibu Coast Chamber Orchestra and the Occidental-Caltech Chamber Orchestra. She has performed

recitals with Israeli Master Percussionist Chen Zimbalista, L.A. Chamber Orchestra Principal Cellist Andrew Shulman, cellist Michael Fitzpatrick and cellist Emilio Colón at Indiana University and has performed at the Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Los Angeles. She has performed TV and film composer Charles Fox’s “Victory at Entebbe” piano concerto several times, including at the Rubin Academy in Tel Aviv and with the L.A. Jewish Symphony at the Orpheum Theatre in L.A. Highly sought after as an expert in the field of new music, Prober is a close collaborator with composer Maria Newman, for whom she has premiered and recorded dozens of the composer’s works including the 2015 premiere of her piano concerto, “Emma McChesney.” Ms. Prober is Principal Pianist of the Malibu Coast Silent Film Orchestra. She is also pianist in the L.A. Jewish Symphony Chamber Players and regularly tours with violinist Lindsay Deutsch and TAKE 3, a pop-rock/classical crossover group.

Links:

http://www.viklarbochamberensemble.org/home.html

http://www.malibufriendsofmusic.org/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSg-tm-2phi4Sd_HeTb1rA/videos

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Viklarbo-Chamber-Ensemble-SPACE-Music-Salon-320593378522815  

Videos:

Kyle Flens

Kyle Flens is a percussionist based in Chicago. He is a member of the chamber music collective Ensemble Dal Niente, a collaborator with the percussion group Beyond This Point, and a former member of Projeto Arcomusical. As a performer Kyle gravitates to experimental music written by composers of our time. This gravitation has led to concerts across the Western Hemisphere. Concert highlights include the Foro Internacional de Música Nueva Manuel Enriquez (Mexico City), the Met Live Arts concert series at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the LA Philharmonic's Noon to Midnight Festival at Walt Disney Concert Hall (Los Angeles), the 5th International Festival of Percussion Ensembles (San José, Costa Rica), Institutio Inhotim (Minas Gerais, Brazil), and the Library of Congress concert series (Washington DC). Kyle received his Master of Music with a Performer’s Certificate from Northern Illinois University and his Bachelor of Music from Towson University as a Presser Scholar. While at NIU, he was the winner of the school’s concerto competition and received a graduate fellowship award. Kyle performs on Pearl Drums and Adams Percussion Instruments, and is honored to be an endorsed artist.

Donations: Venmo @Kyle-Flens, PayPal paypal.me/KyleFlens

www.kyleflens.com

www.alexislamb.com

www.dalniente.com

www.beyondthispoint.org

www.aromusical.com

Video:

Erin Hill

Harpist & singer Erin Hill has played & sung with Cyndi Lauper, Kanye West, Enya, moby, Sinead O’Connor, a-ha, Jewel, Josh Groban, for celebrities, for two First Ladies, and for royalty. Her Celtic album hit #1 on the Billboard world chart.  She was in the original Broadway casts of Titanic, Cabaret and Urinetown, and was featured by HBO playing the Game of Thrones theme on her harp. She has played solo at The Royal Albert Hall, and is also known as Dave Chappelle’s “Pretty White Girl” from Comedy Central’s Chappelle’s Show. Cleopatra Records has released Erin’s albums Harp Town, Christmas Harp, and Girl Inventor. Her show Harp Oddity: The Music of David Bowie debuted in NYC in 2019, and her Kate Bush show will debut in NYC this April at The Cutting Room.

www.erinhill.com 

https://www.instagram.com/erinhillharp/

https://twitter.com/erinhillharp

https://www.youtube.com/user/erinhillharp

Videos:

Luiz Simas

Rio-born Brazilian composer/singer/pianist Luiz Simas has been living in New York since ‘89. He has led original groups in festivals and clubs in the US, in Europe and in Brazil. Luiz’s voice and music have graced major venues including Birdland Jazz club, the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Room and the Iridium in New York, the Gamle Logen Hall in Oslo, the Pheasantry in London, the Phillarmonia Hall in Odessa and Sala Cecilia Meirelles in Rio. His repertoire includes his own infectious original tunes and improvisations, as well as his own brilliant arrangements of beloved music standards by major Brazilian composers.

Website: www.luizsimas.com

Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVU4HOd97Szb3KKCto-cy5w

Facebook: www.facebook.com/luizpaulosimas

Donations: paypal.me/luizsimas

Videos:

Keila Tonello

Keila Tonello, known onstage as La Keila, is from Buenos Aires and resides in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. She is a versatile and highly accomplished singer of diverse musical styles including tango, milonga, Mexican, Creole and Latin American music, jazz, Cuban music, gypsy and French songs. She performs all around San Miguel de Allende.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keilatonello

Leandro Ragusa and Marina Ruiz Matta

Leando Ragusa and Marina Ruiz Matta Duo was founded in 2011 and has toured three times in Germany, the Netherlands and Montreal. After 11 years of working solo, the duo gets together again for this concert. Both musicians have a long history in the musical environment of Buenos Aires, both within Tango and Contemporary Popular and Chamber Music. Marina Ruiz has presented three albums as a soloist, of which "Azul final" has obtained the third National Music Award of the Argentine Republic. She also works as a teacher of Dalcroze Rithm at the University of the Arts of Buenos Aires and of Piano at the Conservatory of Popular Music of Avellaneda. Leandro Ragusa is a composer and arranger for different ensembles in Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile, New York and Montreal. He recently participated in the album El Charrúa released at the Merkin Concert Hall in Manhattan.

For further information, please visit: 
https://www.leandroragusa.com/   
https:/www.marinaruizmatta.com

You can support Leandro’s artistry through Paypal  paypal.me/leandroragusa