MIAMI & OTTAWA, Ontario - Feb. 2, 2016 - PRLog -- Dranoff 2 Piano Foundation will present a 2-piano Latin Jazz and Classical music concert on Sunday, February 21, 2016 at 7:30pm at the New World Symphony at 500 17th Street, Miami Beach. This exciting and unique program will feature Cuba and Latin America’s most renowned and celebrated composers’ music – Lecuona, Piazolla and Carlos Guastavino – the “Schubert of the Pampas”. The concert will also feature Manuel Valera’s Migrant Voyage, a never-before performed 2-Piano work commissioned by the Dranoff 2 Piano Foundation in conjunction with Bacardi, USA. This annual award for contemporary Latin Jazz composers is known as the “Bacardi Choice.”
Gold medal winners of the 1997 Dranoff International 2 Piano Competition, Edward and Anne Turgeon have been critically acclaimed as one the great duos of our time, playing to sold out audiences in hundreds of concert halls around the world including Concertgebouw of Amsterdam, Carnegie Hall, Music Toronto, Norfolk and San Francisco Chamber Music Festivals.
Based in New York City, Grammy nominated artist, pianist and composer Manuel Valera was born and raised in Havana, Cuba. In the USA he has become well known in the NYC modern jazz scene, garnering national reviews and lending his talents as a pianist and composer to such notable artists as Arturo Sandoval, Paquito D’Rivera, Brian Lynch, Dafnis Prieto, Jeff “Tain” Watts, John Benitez, Samuel Torres, Joel Frahm, Yosvany Terry among many others.
Valera is also the leader of his working band Manuel Valera and the New Cuban Express, a project deeply influenced by the experiments of Cuban artists from the 70s and 80s. In addition, he has been awarded several grants for composition, most notably Dranoff 2 Piano Bacardi Choice commission for Latin Jazz, Chamber Music America’s New Jazz Works and the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award. Manuel has travelled the world performing in over 30 countries at some of the biggest international venues and festivals.
“The 'Bacardi Choice' commission reflects the Bacardi commitment to creativity in music – in our being part of a celebration of life, our core philosophy about supporting the arts, and our passion for helping Miami culture flourish,” says Bacardi North America.
Bacardi has a long-standing history as a patron and promoter of music. In the early 1920s, in Cuba, the Bacardi family’s legacy in music was cemented by Facundito Bacardi, grandson of founder Facundo Bacardí Massó. Facundito would share the Bacardi family’s passion for music, creating a festive music environment by throwing open the doors of the family home for parties and musical acts.
2 Piano Loves Latin prices are $35 general admission; $50 VIP; $5 Students. For tickets or to purchase online through the New World Center at www.nws.edu for more information, please call Dranoff 2 Piano (305)572-9900.
About Dranoff International 2 Piano Foundation, Miami’s Gateway to the World of Music
For 30 years, the Dranoff International 2 Piano Foundation has been the world’s leading organization to champion exclusively two-piano repertoires and artistry. It is the only international foundation, accredited by the World Federation of International Music Competitions, to discover, promote, and award honors to top professional duo piano artists through its competition, commissions, and presentations of duo piano concerts. The Dranoff promotes awareness to a new generation of students of the transformational power of music and the arts through its multi-disciplinary, educational, and inspirational concert program, Piano Slam. The Dranoff is one of the few world-class performing arts organizations headquartered in Miami-Dade County, whose activities span the globe and create recognition abroad of the region’s positive image and commitment to the highest standards of creativity and the arts. Dranoff also promotes Miami as an international cultural destination. It exposes its home audiences to major international artists, thereby creating a cultural bridge to foster universal understanding and respect through music.
About Bacardi U.S.A., Inc.
Bacardi U.S.A., Inc. is the United States import and distribution arm of one of the world's leading spirits and wine producers. The company boasts a portfolio of some of the most recognized and top-selling spirits brands in the United States including BACARDÍ® rum, the world’s best-selling and most-awarded rum, as well as the world’s most-awarded spirit; GREY GOOSE® vodka, the world’s leading superpremium vodka; DEWAR’S® Blended Scotch whisky, the world’s most-awarded blended Scotch; BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® gin, the top-valued and fastest-growing premium gin in the world; MARTINI® vermouth and sparkling wines, the world’s leading vermouth and the world's favorite Italian sparkling wines; CAZADORES® 100% blue agave tequila, one of the most popular premium tequilas in Mexico and the United States; and other leading and emerging brands including ST-GERMAIN®, a superpremium elderflower liqueur. For additional information, visit www.bacardiusa.com.
Media Contacts:
Carlene Sawyer
Dranoff 2 Piano Foundation
(305) 572-9900
Carlene@dranoff2piano.org
Eduardo Cutillas
Bacardi USA
(305) 573-8511
ecutillas@bacardi.com
Duo Turgeon
Born in Montreal and Toronto respectively, Canadian pianists Anne Louise-Turgeon and Edward Turgeon have been playing together since 1988, and performing professionally since 1996. Critically acclaimed as one of the top piano duos of our time, the Turgeons have given hundreds of performances, including a European debut at the Concertgebouw of Amsterdam, and a New York debut at Carniege Hall, to name a few.
The Turgeons appear on seven compact discs, including "New Music for Two Pianos" (Vanguard Classics), "Romantic Dances" and "Latin American Journey" (Marquis). They were featured in the PBS documentary "Two Pianos — One Passion", and they have been heard in numerous broadcasts on classical music stations throughout the world including National Public Radio's "Performance Today", BBC, ABC, WNYC, WPR, MPR, WGBH, Dutch Public Radio, and numerous CBC programs.
The Turgeons' prizes and awards include the prestigious Murray Dranoff International Two Piano Competition (Miami, 1997) and first prize in the Sixth International Schubert Competition for Piano Duos (Czech Republic, 1995). They received additional special prizes at the Dranoff, including the award for best performance of work, "Chiaroscuro", by John Corigliano. The latter prize included an opportunity to complete a world premiere recording of Chiaroscuro, which American Record Guide described as having "hypnotic intensity".
Photos: (Click photo to enlarge)
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