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Event
San Jose Youth Symphony's Season Opener: A Celebration of American Composers!
The San Jose Youth Symphony's Philharmonic Orchestra, under the artistic leadership of Music Director and Conductor, Yair Samet, presents its Season Opener, a celebration of American music and composers, including works by Aaron Copland and Don Gillis, both 20th century composers.
SJYS is thrilled to have as guest soloists, world-renowned jazz pianist and composer, Taylor Eigsti, and his wife, Ashley DuVal, trumpet soloist and SJYS Alumna! They will perform two world premieres; first, the piece, Distress, the theme from the soundtrack of the movie, "Detachment," in its new version for a full symphony orchestra; and second, Recycled Rhapsody, Double Concerto for Piano, Trumpet and Orchestra, co-written by Taylor and Ashley.
SJYS is also extremely excited to feature local bassist and composer, Sascha Jacobsen, and Classical Revolution's ensemble-in-residence, the Musical Art Quintet, who will perform yet a third world-premiere work tonight called Caballo Negro, which is Sascha's orchestration of the piece originally written for the quintet, with our Philharmonic Orchestra.
About TAYLOR EIGSTI
New York-based pianist and composer Taylor Eigsti started playing the piano when he was 4 years old. Growing up in Menlo Park, California, he was quickly labeled a prodigy, and began performing at age 8. Over the years, he has since released 7 albums as a leader, and has had the opportunity to travel and perform extensively throughout the U.S. and internationally, including venues such as Carnegie Hall, Hollywood Bowl, Olympia Theatre (Paris), and numerous international jazz festivals. In 2007, Eigsti received two GRAMMY nominations for Best Instrumental Composition and Best Jazz Instrumental Solo, and was featured on the cover of several music magazines, including Keyboard Magazine and Jazziz. Eigsti's albums have garnered 4-star reviews from publications such as "Downbeat", "Billboard" and many others. Eigsti has also been featured numerous times in various television specials, many NPR appearances, and recently composed music for the motion picture "Detachment" (starring Adrien Brody, currently in theaters worldwide).
The national spotlight has allowed many more listeners to become accustomed to Eigsti, which has led to the good fortune of performing or recording with such luminaries as Dave Brubeck, Joshua Redman, Frederica Von Stade, Nicholas Payton, Esperanza Spalding, Vanessa Williams, Patti Austin, David Benoit, James Moody, Dianne Schuur, Hank Jones, Julian Lage, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Christian McBride, Red Holloway, Ernestine Anderson, Eric Harland, Christian Scott, and Ambrose Akinmusire, among many others.
Eigsti has also had the great opportunity to work with and write music for various symphony orchestras, and has written an extensive repertoire of music for orchestra and jazz ensemble. Various soloist and compositional features include working with the Oakland East Bay Symphony, San José Chamber Orchestra, Reno Philharmonic Orchestra, Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra, Boston Youth Symphony, Tassajara Symphony, and multiple collaborations with the Peninsula Symphony Orchestra. Taylor is greatly looking forward to his first collaboration with the San Jose Youth Symphony, and with trumpet soloist and co-composer Ashley Duval.
About ASHLEY DUVAL
Ashley is thrilled to return to play with the San Jose Youth Symphony. She joined the SJYS in 1999 for their summer tour of Germany and Austria, continuing to perform with the group as Principal Trumpet and lead trumpet in the brass quintet until graduating in 2002. While still in high school, she performed in Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliette" with the San Jose Symphony. While in college, she performed "Carnival of Venice" as the featured soloist with the U.C. Berkeley wind ensemble.
In 2002, she made her first trip to New York performing at Lincoln Center as a member of the award-winning SFJazz High School All Stars big band, where the group finished as semi-finalists in the prestigious Essentially Ellington competition. Since moving to New York in 2007, Ashley has performed in several Broadway shows, including the Broadway rendition of the seasonal favorite, The Grinch, and the two year run of the Tony Award winning revival of South Pacific, starring Kelli O'hara and Paulo Szot. She appears on the 2008 "Broadway's Carols for a Cure" album.
She has performed, recorded and toured with a wide variety of globally acclaimed groups across a wide range of genres, including Shock G and the Digital Underground, Sly and the Family Stone, members of The OJay's, and the Kenny Neal Band. Before moving to New York, she was a fixture in the Bay Area music scene, performing with numerous salsa, reggae, afrobeat, blues, funk and soul groups at many of the top bay area venues and music festivals, including Yoshis, The Paramount, The Independent, Great American Music Hall, Reggae on the River, Sierra Nevada Music Festival and the Efes Pilson Blues Festival circuit across 22 cities in Turkey.
About SASCHA JACOBSEN
Sascha Jacobsen was born into a musical family, going as far back as his great, great, great, great grandfather, who was a bassist for the Moscow Opera. He completed a Master's degree at the University of Southern California, and then went on to teach at Humboldt State University. He has served on the faculty at Laney College and the Sequoia Chamber Music Festival.
Sascha performed as principal bass with the Santa Cruz Symphony, and the American Musical Theatre in San Jose, and as a section member of the Monterey Symphony and the Sarasota Opera. He has also performed on the world premier production of Martin Short's Fame Becomes Me, Hugh Jackman In Performance, and Rita Moreno "Life Without Makeup", recorded on the new cast album of A Chorus Line, and has toured the world with the Argentine Tango group: Trio Garufa.
He is a founding member of Classical Revolution, and the Musical Art Quintet, which performs his original works. Srad Magazine called the Quintet's debut release, Nuevo Chamber "...Stylish and Vigorous...beautifully arranged." His Jazz group, the Sascha Jacobsen Quintet, released its premier CD Outer Sunset, in 2002, which Double Bassist magazine declared, "shines a light on Jazz that it hasn't basked in for years."
About THE MUSICAL ART QUINTET (MAQ)
The Musical Art Quintet was formed in 2008 in the Mission district of San Francisco during chamber music jam sessions every Sunday night at Cafe Revolution. Each week a new piece of music was written by MAQ band leader Sascha Jacobsen to be performed at Classical Revolution, and ink still wet, we would read through the piece in front of a live audience. As our repertoire grew, a core group of players emerged and the quintet was founded. In the past 5 years, the Classical Revolution model has spread around the world, with over 30 active chapters in cities around the US, Canada, and Europe.
The name of the quintet is taken from The Musical Art Quartet, a string quartet formed in the 1940's and led by the Great-Grandfather of the bassist and composer of the quintet, Sascha Jacobsen. The Quintet's debut recording, Nuevo Chamber, released on the Classical Revolution Records label, has received much critical acclaim:
East Bay Express says: "Classical music is sexy again. Lest you doubt that, look no further than chamber group, The Musical Art Quintet"
SF Guardian says: "composer-bassist Sascha Jacobsen's concoctions hop nimbly through a world of styles while impressing with ear-catching intricacy and handsome
technique....indelible tracks like "Milonga de San Francisco" and Afrobeat- inflected "Fela Feliz" are spirited treats that will have you twirling across the floor."
STRAD Magazine: "...Stylish and Vigorous...beautifully arranged"
NY Times: "polished performance"
Songlines Magazine: "spontaneity shines through on this classy debut album"
Although classically trained, the members of The Musical Art Quintet are skilled improvisors and each one brings with him a special area of expertise. Whether it is Argentine Tango, Afro-Cuban Son, Klezmer, Classical works, or even Electronica, the Quintet is at home. The music of band leader, Sascha Jacobsen, is essentially rhythmic in nature, utilizing dance forms to propel his melodies forward. Each piece is based on a dance form, but instead of a Sarabande or a Gigue, Jacobsen uses rhythms like Cha Cha Cha or Milonga. Nuevo Chamber is the name for this genre that blends world music influences with a chamber music ensemble, infusing rhythms from Argentina, Cuba, Africa, Jazz, Classical and even Electronica into a new style of music.
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LocationCalifornia Theatre (View)
345 South First Street
San Jose, CA 95113
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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