Start your New Year with Quinteto Latino & FRIENDS

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This concert is very special to us as it resonates with something close to our hearts. You may already know that a large part of our quintet's mission is to perform and expand the knowledge of classical music written by Latin American composers. Mexico has a huge classical music heritage that is relatively unknown in the United States.

One of the most well-known living Mexican composers is Mario Lavista. Since we first discovered Mario Lavista's wind quintet Cinco danzas breves we were so impressed by his music that we included the piece in our standard repertoire AND began to search for more of his music. This concert is the result of our search.

Lavista's music, while sounding uniquely Mexican, traverses cultural boundaries and has universal appeal.

Quinteto Latino and Friends

Frank Johnson, piano
Jim Kassis, percussion
Joel Davel, percussion

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Mario Lavista is one of Mexico's most well-known, loved and respected living composers. He has won the Premio Nacional de Artes y Ciencias, the Medalla Mozart and numerous other composition awards. He founded Pauta, one of the most important music journals in Latin America.

Born in Mexico City in 1943, Mario Lavista began piano studies as a child and enrolled at the Conservatorio Nacional de Musica in 1963 under the guidance of Carlos Chavez, Hector Quintanar and Rodolfo Halffter. He studied at the Schola Cantorum in Paris (1967-1969), where he also attended courses given by Henri Pousseur, Nadia Boulanger, Christoph Caskel and Karlheinz Stockhausen.

Upon his return to Mexico he founded Quanta, a collective improvisation group. In 1972, he worked at the electronic music studio of radio and television in Tokyo, Japan. He has worked on interdisciplinary projects, such as Jaula (1976), and in the creation of multiple scores for films produced by Nicolas Echevarria. Around 1980, he explored extended techniques of traditional instruments in collaboration with performers Marielena Arizpe (flutist), Bertram Turetzky (bassist), Leonora Saavedra (oboist) and El Cuarteto Latinoamericano (strings), in the compositions Triptico, Dusk, Marsias and Reflejos de la noche, respectively. In 1982, he founded Pauta, one of the most important music journals in Latin America, and has served as its chief editor ever since. As a writer, he has produced many essays, most of which are collected in Textos en torno a la musica.

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Tonantsin - Our Mother

http://www.sfmosaic.com/travel/sf/sf05.php

Tonantsin Penace is a gift to the people of San Francisco from Colette Crutcher and the Instituto Pro Musica de California. This mural is dedicated to all those who work to preserve the cultural heritage of Latin America.

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About Quinteto Latino

Quinteto Latino blends the vibrant colors and vigorous rhythms of Latin American music with the sumptuous voices of the wind quintet: flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn & bassoon. Whether exploring new twists on traditional folk songs or premiering works by living composers, these five musicians perform with impeccable artistry & infectious energy - educating, enriching & entertaining listeners of all ages & backgrounds.

Founded in 2003 by French hornist Armando Castellano, this unique ensemble is passionately dedicated to a dual mission: to expand the cultural boundaries of classical music and to make that music available, relevant and inspiring to entirely new audiences.