The Red Rocks Music Festival has announced its 2019 season with concerts in two venues in Sedona.
“Our goal is to offer concerts, at affordable prices, that will appeal to a variety of musical tastes — from tangos to Chinese folk songs to Gershwin and of course, the great classical masters including Bach, Beethoven, Chopin and Mozart, to name a few,” said Moshe Bukshpan, executive director. “We are a small organization with a limited schedule, so we try to make every concert a memorable experience from the music to the venue.”
This is the first year that the Red Rocks Music Festival will be held at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre, Sedona’s premiere arthouse theater venue, operated by the Sedona International Film Festival.
In addition to presenting mainstream films, the theater also features award-winning independent and foreign films from around the world, as well as concerts and other special events. The Sedona Creative Life Center has been a partner and venue for Red Rocks since 2002.
The season opens with Piazzolla: The Genius of Tango including arrangements that are being premiered for the first time in Arizona. Astor Piazzolla [1921-1992] was an Argentine tango composer, bandoneon or accordion player, and arranger. He revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and classical music.
Featured musicians, Elmira Darvarova, Grammy-award nominated violinist; Howard Wall, French horn, New York Philharmonic; and Thomas Weaver, concert pianist and Curtis Music School faculty, will bring Piazzolla’s tangos to the Sedona stage Sunday, Aug. 18. You will feel like dancing.
From Mozart to Gershwin and More will be presented Sunday, Sept. 8, at 3 p.m. in Sedona. Guest violinists David Ehrlich and Yibin Li will perform with principals from the Phoenix Symphony including Alex Laing, clarinet, Christopher McKay, viola and Jan Simiz, cello.
Raised in Israel, violinist David Ehrlich started his professional career as concertmaster and soloist with the Tel Aviv Chamber Orchestra and toured as guest soloist with other Israeli chamber orchestras.
In the U.S., he served as concertmaster and soloist of the Colorado Festival Orchestra, Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra and was associate concertmaster with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.
Later, he joined the Audubon Quartet as first violinist and toured all over the world, performing in some of the most prestigious concert series, collaborating with many of the world’s great chamber musicians and appearing on radio and television.
Yibin Li has performed as a soloist with major symphonies in China including the Beijing National Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Taipei Symphony Orchestra and Gaoxiong Symphony Orchestra.
In the U.S., she gave her New York debut at Carnegie Hall in 2001 and has had solo performances with the San Diego Symphony, Hunter Symphony and Syracuse Symphony Orchestra. She directed and played chamber music recitals in many New York City venues including Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Hall and Carnegie Hall.
Li will be the featured artist in East Meets West on Saturday, Sept. 7. This concert features a mix of Chinese folk songs and classical music. “We are trying to broaden our reach by offering music that appeals to new audiences,” Bukshpan said.
The final concert in the series is Polonaise-Fantasie, the story of a pianist, on Saturday, Sept. 21, featuring Ukranian-born pianist Inna Faliks. Her distinguished career has taken her to thousands of recitals and concerts throughout the United States, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. She is also head of the piano department at UCLA.
Polonaise-Fantasie is a unique performance that combines a recital of short piano works from Bach to Chopin to Carter combined with Faliks’s autobiographical essays. Her story chronicles her childhood in Odesa, the former Soviet Union, her family’s emigration to America,
It’s also her love story, as she is reunited as an adult with the childhood friend who is now her husband.
“It is my hope that, in sharing this story, I offer audiences a glimpse into the life of a performing musician, as well as into my very personal story — the story that makes me the artist I am today,” Faliks said.
The concert schedule is as follows:
- Piazzolla: The Genius of Tango, Sunday, Aug. 18, 3 p.m., Sedona Creative Life Center, 333 Schnebly Hill Road.
- East Meets West, Saturday, Sept. 7, 7:30 p.m., Sedona Creative Life Center.
- From Mozart to Gershwin and More, Sunday, Sept. 8, 3 p.m., Mary D. Fisher Theater, 2030 SR 89A.
- Polonaise-Fantasie, the story of a pianist, Saturday, Sept. 21, 7:30 p.m., Sedona Creative Life Center.
The Red Rocks Music Festival educates, engages and challenges audiences through a unique collaboration of musicians from leading Arizona performing arts organizations and world-acclaimed artists. An integral part of the Festival’s mission is education.
Master classes and workshops enable young musicians to learn skills from master musicians. The festival provides outreach educational music programs that inspire students to appreciate and continue their interest in the arts.
Ticket prices for all concerts are $36 for general admission and $14 for children ages 14 and under. Patrons can take advantage of the Festival Special and pay $108 for a ticket to all four concerts.
Visit redrocksmusicfestival.com for information or to purchase tickets. Information
