Credit: SZALON logo by Mia Bosna
Sunday, October 1st, 2023, 7:00 PM ET - Welcome; 7:30 PM - SZALON. (Philadelphia, USA: GMT-4)
October 1st, 37-Year Anniversary SZALON!
1. Singer/songwriter Lana Cenčić will perform originals and covers on voice, tabla and keyboards from her home studio in Orlando, Florida
2. Accordionist Iwo Jedynecki performs Sonata no. 1, "Infinity”, an exciting piece by Warsaw-based composer Paweł Janas that showcases the amazing classical accordion’s versatility, from the Salon in Philadelphia
3. Jazz singer Maci Miller will perform a few selections from her new album “nine” with her jazz trio: Aaron Graves, piano, Mike Boone, bass and Byron Landham, drums
4. Noëlle Streuber-Eden (violin) and Maria Dell’Orefice (piano) will perform two salon pieces: Fritz Kreisler's virtuosic "Danse Espagnole" and Manuel Ponce's "Estrellita"
5. Viano Quartet (Hao Zhou & Lucy Wang, violins; Aiden Kane, viola; Tate Zawadiuk, cello) will perform “La Muerte del Angel” by Astor Piazzolla and “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” by Wallace Willis arr. Hao Zhou
6. Tania Stavreva will perform her original composition “Rhythmic Movement” and an excerpt from her upcoming album “Piano Flamenco”
7. Vocalist Sara Michaels will perform songs from her recent album with E. Shawn Qaissaunee (guitar), Diane Monroe (violin), Aaron Graves (piano) and Jason Fraticelli (bass)
8. Tina Davidson will read from her memoir Let Your Heart Be Broken accompanied by pianist Maria Corley, who will play Davidson’s music
9. Soprano Megnot Toggia and pianist Sirapat Jittapirom will perform songs by Charles Ives
10. Salil Subedi will perform nature inspired Himalayan electroacoustic folk music from his studio in Kathmandu, Nepal
Lana Cenčić
Lana Cenčić is a longtime New York based, recently to Florida relocated American/Austrian/Croatian singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer and all-around performer. Lana was born into a musical family, in Zagreb, Croatia. She started performing at the age of three at the Zagreb State Opera House. She is Founder of TÍHO, LANA IS and Co-founder of LANA & FLIP. Lana is a former touring musician and vocalist at “KURIOS” Cirque du Soleil.
Donations: Paypal - cenciclana@gmail.com
Music Download: https://lanacencic.bandcamp.com/track/when-you-get-out-of-here
Streaming: https://songwhip.com/lanacencic
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUM3b0beepvjqeRcB3dKcbw
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lanacencic/
Instagram: @lanacencic
TikTok: @lanacencic
Videos:
Iwo Jedynecki
A versatile and experienced performer, Iwo Jedynecki is aiming to change the perspective for classical accordion in the United States with his original and unique approach to concert presentations and programming. Winner of top prizes at over thirty international music competitions (most recently Astral Artists Competition 2022), a first classical accordionist to receive the famed Fulbright scholarship, collaborating with composers and performing in 25 countries on four continents. Highlights of his 2023/2024 concert season include performance with Kronos Quartet at Carnegie Hall, Piazzolla Concerto with West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, festival in Norway, France, Mexico, Cuba and several commissions of new works.
Instagram: @iwo.classicalaccordion
Website: www.mikolajczyk-jedynecki.pl
Facebook: Duo Karolina Mikolajczyk & Iwo Jedynecki
Videos:
Maci Miller with Aaron Graves, Mike Boone, and Byron Landham
Somewhere at the intersection of Norah Jones and Bille Holiday, is Philadelphia’s Maci Miller. Whether she’s interpreting jazz standards, belting out the blues, or her performing her own compositions, Miller captivates and entertains audiences around the globe with her unique and soulful jazz vocals. Maci has worked with some of the greatest in the business, including Jeremy Pelt, Mike Boone (Buddy Rich), Aaron Graves (Little Jimmy Scott, Cassandra Wilson), Byron “Wookie” Landham (Betty Carter, George Coleman), David O’Rourke (Les Paul/Bucky Pizzarelli), Steve Jankowski (Nile Rodgers, Chicago), Larry McKenna, etc. Her 5th independent album, “nine” is an incredibly swinging album, where Miller shows off her writing skills. Six of the nine tracks are written by Miller and her co-writer/ producer extraordinaire, Aaron Graves, plus she brings new life to Cedar Walton’s “Firm Roots” with beautiful lyrics about life, love, and connection. Maci has sung in legendary rooms such as Smalls, The Jazz Standard, Chris’s Jazz Cafe, SOUTH Jazz Kitchen, and The Michener Museum, in addition to the True Blue Jazz Festival, South Jersey Jazz All Star Series, Jersey North to Shore Music Festival, and Flowers for Andaman Jazz Festival, BKK. Her travels have also taken her to one of the top jazz clubs in Asia - the Bamboo Bar in Bangkok,Thailand - where she had several artist-in-residency extended runs. Adding to her extensive musical experiences, Maci is also featured guest vocalist w/several notable orchestras and pops concerts.
Links:
www.instagram.com/macimillerjazz
Aaron Graves was raised in Reidsville, North Carolina. He learned to play various instruments including piano, bass, organ, and drums, in the church where his father, a great musician with a musical family, was pastor. Aaron eventually moved to Washington, D.C. at the age of sixteen to play bass guitar with Richard Smallwood and attended The Duke Ellington School for the Performing Arts. This where he began haring the art form that some call jazz. After touring with various artists that included Richard Smallwood, Myrna Summers, The Voices Supreme, and Henry Davis, Aaron entered Howard University and received a Special Talent Scholarship. After two years study he transferred to the University of the District of Columbia to study with Jazz Master Calvin Jones. Aaron received a National Endowment of the Arts grant and studied with Jazz Master Kenny Barron. He has also studied with Jazz Masters Barry Harris and Stanley Cowell. Aaron has been blessed to perform and/or record with greats that include Stanley Turrentine, Oscar Brown, Jr., Dakota Staton, Houston Person, Ernie Andrews, Marlena Shaw, Linda Hopkins, Cassandra Wilson, Antonio Hart, Greg Osby, Keter Betts, Bill Lee, Grady Tate, Kenny Burrell, Frank Foster, Grover Washington, Jr., Vanessa Rubin, Earl May, The Blackbyrds, The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra and many others.
Mike Boone began with piano lessons at the age of eight and later attended the prestigious Eastman School of Music to study bass. After touring with Ben Vereen and Buddy Rich, he moved to Philly in 1983. After embracing the upright bass, he found himself in the company of legendary local musicians, including John Swana, Sid Simmons, Byron Landham, Shirley Scott, and many more. Mike especially recalls his tutelage from Trudy Pitts—and Bill “Mr. C” Carney’s insistence that he convert from electric to acoustic bass. As a leader, Mike has produced a few albums of his own and is currently an adjunct professor of jazz at Temple University. Nowadays, he is often accompanied on stage by his teenage son, musical prodigy Mekhi Boone, who plays drums. The bassist also has a vibrant social media life on Facebook where his provocative posts garner buzz-worthy responses. Ultimately, for the elder Boone, it is all about the power of music. “I was blessed to learn the real deal: street jazz. So I take some of that street jazz with me into the classroom and directly on the bandstand and that’s what I try to portray. I’m not trying to do a bunch of hip stuff. I’m just trying to swing my ass off. I’m trying to tap into God because that’s where all this stuff comes from anyway. I’m just trying to make people feel good and to do my job. Musicians are healers—we’re doctors, we heal people. People come in, and if they don’t feel good, we’re supposed to make them feel good.”
Byron "Wookie" Landham came to be recognized as one of the top jazz drummers in Philadelphia, where he has been employed by well-known hard bop and soul-jazz improvisers like organist/trumpeter Joey DeFrancesco and the late organist/pianist Shirley Scott. Landham also has a fine reputation outside of Philly as a sideman for guitarists Lee Ritenour and Randy Johnston to tenor saxophonist Houston Person. Landham has also been employed by the late vocalist Betty Carter, although that association isn't typical of his résumé -- the adventurous, risk-taking Carter had a reputation for being avant-garde, whereas Landham has focused primarily on hard bop and soul-jazz. Philly is Landham's home town; Landham became a fixture in Philly jazz venues (especially a club called Ortlieb's Jazzhaus) and often played alongside people who were highly regarded in that city -- including trumpeter John Swana, pianists Orrin Evans and Sid Simmons, organist Papa John DeFrancesco(Joey DeFrancesco's father), and veteran tenor saxophonist Bootsie Barnes (who commands a devoted following in Philly but isn't well-known outside the city). Another musician Landham has played with extensively is Joey DeFrancesco.
Videos:
Noëlle Streuber-Eden and Maria Dell’Orefice
After a solo performance at Carnegie Hall, her debut at the Kimmel Center with Wieniawski’s violin concerto No. 2, and a concert tour of Iceland with Temple University’s Youth Chamber Orchestra, 14 year-old Noëlle Streuber-Eden is excited to be back at Andrea’s Szalon with new salon pieces. A transplant from the Greater Chicago area, Noëlle embarked on her musical journey at the age of three and three-quarters and currently studies solo violin with Prof. Guillaume Combet here in Philadelphia. She has worked in masterclasses and studios with Almita Vamos, Ida Kavafian, Jennifer Koh, Jung-Min Amy Lee, Angela Sin Ying Chan, and during the 2022 Heifetz Summer Institute, Prof. Desirée Ruhstrat. Her musical talent has most recently been recognized with the prestigious Advanced Study Scholarship for the Ann Newman Quartet at the Settlement School, the Ambler Symphony Orchestra’s Elmer and Louise Menges Scholarship, and continued membership in Temple University’s Center for Gifted Young Musicians. Noëlle has won first prizes in several renowned competitions, including the Ninth Annual PYAO Young Artists Solo Competition, the International Clara Schumann Competition, the Pennsylvania Opus Music Competition, the Elite International Music Competition in New York, and the Contemporary Music category at the Charleston International Music Competition. Passionate about music, mathematics, and cats, she lives in a Philadelphia suburb with her family and her two feline companions, Herman and Millie.
Links:
noelleviolin.art, Noëlle Streuber-Eden's YouTube Playlist
Maria Dell’Orefice, a classical pianist and avid violinist, has shared the stage with a multitude of performers including Alexander Markov, Francesca DePasquale and Chris Botti. While Maria frequently presents solo and collaborative performances in the Philadelphia area, she has also performed solo piano in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall after winning the Semper Pro Musica Competition, Elite International Music Competition, and Crescendo International Piano Competition. Maria recently returned from a program in Mondavio, Italy in which she accompanied opera singers in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. As a violinist, she has played as the principal second violinist with the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra and has performed as a member of the Baylor Symphony Orchestra and the Waco Symphony Orchestra. Maria is a recipient of the Association of Church Musicians of Philadelphia Organ Grant, which funds private organ lessons and she is currently the organist at Our Lady of the Assumption Roman Catholic Church in Strafford, PA. She studied under Charles Abramovic, Lambert Orkis, Jane Abbott-Kirk, and Sheila Paige and is a student of the Taubman technique. She earned her B.M. in Piano Performance from Baylor University in Waco, TX and an M.M. in both Piano Performance and Collaborative Piano from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA.
Videos:
Viano Quartet (Hao Zhou, Lucy Wang, Aiden Kane, and Tate Zawadiuk)
Praised for their “virtuosity, visceral expression, and rare unity of intention” (Boston Globe), the Viano Quartet (Hao Zhou & Lucy Wang, violins; Aiden Kane, viola; Tate Zawadiuk, cello) are one of the most sought-after performing young ensembles today and currently in-residence at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Bowers Program from 2024-2027. Since winning First Prize at the 2019 Banff International String Quartet Competition, they have traveled to nearly every major city across the globe, captivating audiences in New York, London, Berlin, Hong Kong, Vancouver, Paris, Beijing, Toronto, Lucerne, and Los Angeles. The members of the quartet are all graduates of the Curtis Institute and the Colburn Conservatory of Music, where they formed in 2015. During the 23/24 season the quartet can be heard in Canada, Arizona, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Florida, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, Utah, New York, and California. The name “Viano” was created to describe the four individual instruments in a string quartet interacting as one. Each of the four instruments begins with the letter “v”, and like a piano, all four string instruments together play both harmony and melody, creating a unified instrument called the “Viano”. For more information, visit vianoquartet.com
Website: vianoquartet.com
Instagram: instagram.com/vianoquartet
Videos:
Tania Stavreva
"Bulgarian-born piano dynamo" (Time Out NY) Tania Stavreva is "a unique pianist, combining genuine quality with a refreshing approach to programming." (Bachtrack.com), "a fully formed and fearsomely talented pianist” (CultureCatch.com) and "one of a new breed of self-sufficient young classical musicians...hands of great skill and power, electric flair and colorful musicality." (BlogCritics.com). Ms. Stavreva has been featured internationally in BBC Music Magazine, CNN, Time Out NY, ABC7, NY1 News, Keyboard Magazine, NY Daily News to name a few. Some career highlights include solo performances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Grammy Museum Auditorium, Kaufman Center, Chicago Cultural Center, French Cultural Center of Boston, and Bulgarian National Radio Concert Hall. She's featured on Mason Bates album "Stereo Is King" on Innova Recordings and her debut solo piano album "Rhythmic Movement" will be released in later in 2016.
Merch and CDs: www.taniastavreva.com/shop
People can sign the mailing list at my official site www.TaniaStavreva.com
Social Media Links:
www.facebook.com/TaniaStavreva.Official
Instagram: @tania_stavreva
https://www.youtube.com/@taniastavrevamusic
Support: https://www.taniastavreva.com/make-a-gift.html
And my Patreon-like monthly newsletter: https://buy.stripe.com/6oEeWQc7B8JgddC9AC
Videos:
Sara Michaels with E. Shawn Qaissaunee, Diane Monroe, Aaron Graves, and Jason Fraticelli
With her lush and soulful voice, Sara Michaels breathes new life into The Great American Songbook and classic blues by drawing from her background of both spiritual music and musical theater. Some of her original songs reflect hope and healing in today’s suffering world, while others take you on a “joy-journey” about the musical genre she loves most, jazz. She performs with premier jazz artists on her debut album of nine original pieces entitled “Chapter One: Full Circle”.
Website: saramichaelsmusic.com
Contact email: phelan.sara@gmail.com
Berklee College of Music Alumnus (Jazz Composition/Music Education) E. Shawn Qaissaunee has been in demand as a multi-instrumentalist, composer/arranger and music instructor for over thirty years. Sought out for his talents on guitar, bass, piano, percussion and the rubab and dutar, two instruments from his native Afghanistan, Shawn is known for his musical virtuosity, sensitivity, lyricism and spirited creative energy in the jazz tradition. His constant devotion to musical traditions, while at the same time striving to bring new energy and relevance to his live performances has made him a beloved and admired artist in the greater community and beyond. In 2023 Qaissaunee has maintained a busy performance schedule as well as teaching music and recording and producing several new albums.
Website: www.esqmusic.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/esqmusic
Twitter: twitter.com/esqmusic?lang=en
Diane Monroe is a versatile violinist, composer, and educator. While in demand as a classical chamber artist, she gained visibility in the jazz community with membership as first violinist of the Max Roach Double Quartet, Uptown String Quartet and subsequently the String Trio of New York. Her performances with distinguished artists of many backgrounds include Odean Pope, Arnold Steinhardt, John Blake Jr., Yo-Yo Ma, Paul Badura-Skoda, Steve Wilson, Jon Faddis, Bobby Zankel, Tom Lawton, Michal Scmidt, Marie Christine Delbeau, Mark O’Connor, Tony Miceli, and Uri Caine. She performs regularly with her own duo-to-septet ensembles, in collaboration with dancers Germaine Ingram and Leah Stein, and with Philly’s own coveted story-teller, Charlotte Blake Alston. Monroe enjoys premiering works of contemporary composers within all genres, as well as of her own creations. In 2018, Ms. Monroe won both a Pew Center for Arts & Heritage Fellowship Award and Project Grant, which funded her suite for violin, string quartet, Kora, Banjo, percussion, bass, and narrator, Violin Woman, African Dreams. Her quartet composition Vibes, and her orchestration of Fred Rogers’ You Are Special, appears on the Sony Classical Records sound track for the film “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”. Monroe has coached and taught members of the Ying, Brentano, Shanghai, Marian Anderson, PubliQuartet, and Attacca string quartets. She holds degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music and the Philadelphia Musical Academy (now U.Arts).
https://www.wrti.org/post/violinist-diane-monroe-speaks-heart-about-healing-power-music
https://www.innova.mu/albums/orchestra-2001/point
https://www.discogs.com/Diane-Monroe-Tony-Miceli-Alone-Together/release/10052683
Aaron Graves was raised in Reidsville, North Carolina. He learned to play various instruments including piano, bass, organ, and drums, in the church where his father, a great musician with a musical family, was pastor. Aaron eventually moved to Washington, D.C. at the age of sixteen to play bass guitar with Richard Smallwood and attended The Duke Ellington School for the Performing Arts. This where he began haring the art form that some call jazz. After touring with various artists that included Richard Smallwood, Myrna Summers, The Voices Supreme, and Henry Davis, Aaron entered Howard University and received a Special Talent Scholarship. After two years study he transferred to the University of the District of Columbia to study with Jazz Master Calvin Jones. Aaron received a National Endowment of the Arts grant and studied with Jazz Master Kenny Barron. He has also studied with Jazz Masters Barry Harris and Stanley Cowell. Aaron has been blessed to perform and/or record with greats that include Stanley Turrentine, Oscar Brown, Jr., Dakota Staton, Houston Person, Ernie Andrews, Marlena Shaw, Linda Hopkins, Cassandra Wilson, Antonio Hart, Greg Osby, Keter Betts, Bill Lee, Grady Tate, Kenny Burrell, Frank Foster, Grover Washington, Jr., Vanessa Rubin, Earl May, The Blackbyrds, The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra and many others.
Jason Fraticelli is a bassist, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and band leader who has been immersed in the Philadelphia and New York jazz and original music scenes for over 20 years. He co-leads the acclaimed 10-piece electro-jazz outfit the Fresh Cut Orchestra, and received a Pew grant to record one of his extensive works with them.
Tina Davidson and Maria Corley
Tina Davidson, a highly regarded American composer, creates music that stands out for its emotional depth and lyrical dignity. Lauded for her authentic voice, The New York Times has praised her “vivid ear for harmony and colors.” Her memoir, Let Your Heart Be Broken, Life and Music from a Classical Composer, is praised by VAN Magazine as “an unequivocally poetic memoir on love, loss, and music.”
https://www.facebook.com/tinadavidsoncomposerauthor/
https://www.instagram.com/tinadavidson.music/
Maria Thompson Corley (BM, University of Alberta; MM, DMA, The Juilliard School) has appeared as a solo and collaborative pianist in Canada, the United States, Central America, the Caribbean, Bermuda and Europe. Her engagements as a soloist with orchestra include the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Gunther Schuller. She and cellist Sara Male formed Duo Chiaroscuro in 2011; among their passions is performing concerts for people whose special needs prevent strict observance of concert protocols. Dr. Corley has recorded CD's for Naxos, Albany, Parma, MSR Classics, and independent labels. Excerpts from her discs have been featured in movies and on television, radio and digital platforms, nationally and internationally. A sought-after composer, her short-form operas The Sky Where You Are (Jenny O’Connell, librettist) and The Place (Sandra Oyinloye, librettist) were included in the first two Decameron Opera Coalition productions. She is a co-recipient, with librettist Diana Solomon-Glover, of Opera America’s IDEA grant for The Boy from Troy, about civil rights icon John Lewis. Her compositions have been commissioned by renowned performers and institutions, and studied, performed, and recorded in the US and abroad.
www.mariacorley.com
Facebook – Maria Corley
Maria Thompson Corley (@mariathompsoncorley) | Instagram
Videos:
Megnot Toggia and Sirapat Jittapirom
Soprano Megnot Toggia graduated with her M.M. in Voice Performance from Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance. She has been seen in recital with Sirapat Jittapirom and Gabriel Feldt as part of the South Philadelphia-based Notsolatin concert series. She has been seen in Opera Ithaca’s productions of Gianni Schicchi as La Ciesca, Hansel and Gretel as the Dew Fairy, and Le Nozze di Figaro as Barbarina, Temple University Opera Theater’s production of Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore as Adina, Monteverdi’s Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in patria as Minerva, and ENA Ensemble’s Fringe Festival production of Ganymede 5 as Rita.
Sirapat Jittapirom is a Thai-American pianist based in Philadelphia, PA. She plays with the Keystone State Boychoir, Drexel’s University Chorus, and is staff at Temple University and University of Delaware in the Voice and Opera Theater Departments. She also works with ArtSmart organization as a keyboard mentor.
Salil Subedi
Salil Subedi is a musician and performing artist from Kathmandu, Nepal. He is a pioneer Nepali didgeridoo player who ushered a fresh wave of earthy aboriginal sounds in Nepal fusion music. With it, he plays a mix of Nepali folk instruments like bansuri, madal, murchunga, including sacred and healing instruments like dhyangro, bells, and bowls. He performs improvised vocals blending throat singing, ragas, and folk melodies. Salil is also the author of two books on Himalayan singing bowls. He is a virtuoso theatre artist and an educator who leads Earthbeat Live, creating nature and wildlife conservation drama groups for children and youth in towns and villages of Nepal and India. Salil has experience as a team leader of a mobile community FM radio, archiving audio and songs in rural parts of Nepal, where he has walked on foot for days with his team. He has performed with international artists like Mark Atkins, Louis Bertignac, Willi Grimm, acclaimed Nepali musicians and artists like Bijaya Vaidya, Trikaal Band, Cadenza on occasions like Gharana Music Festival, Swizzeridoo - the Swiss didgeridoo festival, Drum Jatra. He has done extensive musical tours in Canada, Switzerland, Austria, Mongolia, China, and India. His 2022 album 'Didgeridoo & Overtones' reflects some of his styles with the didgeridoo and other instruments. Tonight, join Salil for a captivating performance from Kathmandu featuring a fusion of Nepali folk instruments, Himalayan folk with some flavors of Hindustani classical, blues, and rock, as the artist skillfully incorporates live looping techniques to create a unique electroacoustic experience.
Links:
You can do direct donations to support Salil’s work via Western Union, international bank transfer or email
Video:
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