Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Ian Scionti, Flamenco Homecoming




Ian Scionti, flamenco guitarist and AHS graduate, will be performing at the Southern Oregon University Music Recital Hall Sunday, December 13 at 8:00 PM.  He will be accompanied by percussionist Terry Longshore, Director of Percussion Studies at SOU.

Scionti has been living, studying, and performing in Sevilla, Spain, the heart of flamenco music and culture, since 2004. Scionti’s formative musical years growing up in Ashland began with piano study with the late Dave Marston.  He moved on to study guitar with Jeff Ebnother, jazz guitar with Ed Dunsavage, and later classical guitar with Joseph Thompson. While in his formative years in southern Oregon, he performed with local jazz musicians as well as a brief stint with the Jefferson State Jazz Orchestra.

Scionti has studied with and been influenced by the leaders in modern flamenco, including guitarists Manolo Sanlucar, Miguel Ángel Cortés, Niño Pura, and Manolo Franco.  He was introduced to flamenco while pursuing his musical career in New York City. Scionti was inspired to learn more about flamenco, leading him to travel to Spain in the summer of 2003 where he fell in love with the sounds and rhythms of Andalucía. Sevilla has been his home since then.

Scionti has performed throughout the United States and Europe, including Germany, England, France, Greece, and Hungary, appearing both as a solo artist as well as accompanying dancers and singers. For this performance, Scionti will be playing classic flamenco pieces as well as newer songs that respond to the modern direction of this Spanish folk genre.

Terry Longshore is active as a performer, composer, and educator of percussion and has performed throughout the U.S. as well as in Sweden, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, India, and the U.K. He performs regularly as a soloist and with percussion duo Skin & Bones, flute/percussion duo Caballito Negro, and multi-media ensemble Sonoluminescence.  In 2007, Longshore studied the art of flamenco percussion in Spain and has since been active accompanying flamenco guitarists, dancers, and ensembles including guitarist Rafael Cuen Garibi, ensemble Calo Flamenco, and his ongoing project with guitarist/vocalist Grant Ruiz, Dúo Flamenco.  He can be heard on numerous CD and motion picture recordings and has premiered many compositions for solo percussion, chamber ensemble, and symphony orchestra.  Terry Longshore is a Yamaha Performing Artist and an artist endorser for Remo drumheads, Vic Firth sticks and mallets, and Zildjian cymbals and his compositions are published by Go Fish Music.

Longshore holds bachelor's degrees from the California State University at Fresno and Sacramento. He earned the master's and doctoral degrees in contemporary music performance from the University of California, San Diego where he studied under percussion virtuoso Steven Schick.  He has taught at several universities and colleges and currently holds the position of Associate Professor of Music and Director of Percussion Studies at Southern Oregon University.

Tickets for this performance are $15 for general admission and free for students.  Tickets and season passes may be purchased by calling 541-552-6101 or at the Music Box Office prior to the performance.  For more information, please visit Southern Oregon University’s Music Department website at http://www.sou.edu/music  


Friday, December 4, 2009

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

SOU Percussion Ensemble presents "In the Dream"


Come join us for a night of great music!  Featured repertoire will be:

"In the Dream" by Erik Griswold for percussion sextet
"Variations on a Ghanaian Theme" by Daniel Levitan for percussion trio
Shona marimba music "Vamudara" and "Mweya"
"Third Construction" by John Cage for percussion quartet
"Nagoya Marimbas" by Steve Reich for marimba duo
"Ionisation" by Edgard Varèse for percussion ensemble

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Performances with RVSO

Last night was the first night of 3 concerts performing Ricardo Lorenz's "Pataruco: Concerto for Venezuelan Maracas and Orchestra" with the Rogue Valley Symphony Orchestra with guest conductor Martin Majkut.

The concert well very well - thanks to Maestro Majkut and the orchestra for a wonderful performance. I had so much fun and the audience's response was so touching. It was a very special night and I am very excited to perform again tonight at the Craterian Ginger Rogers Theatre in Medford and tomorrow in Grants Pass.

Also featured on the concert was my incredible colleague, Dr. Rhett Bender, performing "Fantasia for Saxophone and Chamber Orchestra" by Heitor Villa-Lobos. Rhett gave a fantastic performance - truly inspiring.

It's been exciting to work with Martin Majkut, a fantastic conductor and passionate musician. If you have a chance to come to tonight's or tomorrow's concert - do - you'll love it!

Thanks all!

Saturday, October 24, 2009

College Music Society National Conference

I just returned from presenting at the College Music Society National Conference in Portland, OR. It was great fun - saw some old friends, and made some new ones! Below is a picture of me with some new percussionist friends - Nicholas Papador (who gave a wonderful presentation and performance of Francois Rose's "Points d'emergence", Andy Bliss, and Erin Walker.
Last month I performed 2 Oregon Shakespeare Festival Green Shows with Phoenix, AZ-based flamenco ensemble Calo Flamenco, directed by Martín Gaxiola. They were incredible, we had great fun, and some future collaborations are already in the works! Here are some pics from the second show:
Lena Jácome, Martín Gaxiola, me, Chris Burton Jácome, and Bernadette Gaxiola

Bernadette Gaxiola performing a beautiful solea por bulerias.
3 photos above: Rhett Bender

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

I'm back!

Hello all,

Well, it's been a while - sorry for the long absence! I've been really busy with lots of performing and adventures, but I'll try to keep this blog better up to date! Instead of trying to fill in the last 5 months, I'll just start up from now! Phew!

Last week Dúo Flamenco performed at the OSF Green Show to a great audience - thanks to all of you who came out. It was great fun!
Photo: Alex Georgevitch
This week I will be performing with Calo Flamenco, one of the largest flamenco troupes in the US, from Phoenix, AZ. I jammed with them today and it was great! Muy caliente! We play the OSF Green Show tonight, Sep. 29 and Thursday, Oct. 1, both at 6:45 PM. You don't want to miss this if you are in the Southern Oregon area!