Described by the New Millennium Guitar Magazine as "a superb guitarist
as well as a first-rate composer and arranger," twice grammy-nominated musician
José Manuel Lezcano has captivated audiences on four continents. His programs
featuring traditional and Latin American repertory, and his own original compositions
have taken him as recitalist, collaborative musician, and concerto soloist from
Carnegie Recital Hall and the North-South Consonance Series in New York City to
major venues and festivals in Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, China, the Czech
Republic and Germany.
Born in Havana, Cuba in 1960, Lezcano was invited to join
the faculty of Keene State College in New Hampshire in 1991, where he is Professor
of Music and teaches courses in guitar, music theory, and Latin American music.
He earned degrees from Peabody Conservatory (BM), University of South Carolina (MM),
and Florida State University (Ph.D. music theory). Dr. Lezcano's own Guitar Concerto
(2004), has received critical acclaim. Fanfare Magazine wrote, "Colorfully
scored ... agreeable music, and dashingly performed by the composer." Dr. Lezcano
has performed his concerto with the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional of Peru, and orchestras
in Ecuador, Colombia, and New Hampshire. In 2008, Lezcano's work on the CD "Remembrances/Recuerdos"
was nominated for two Grammys, for "Best soloist with orchestra," and
"Best contemporary composition." Dr. Lezcano has earned numerous awards,
including first prize in the MTNA National Guitar Competition, the NH State Arts
Council Individual Artist Fellowship, NHMTA Composer of the Year (2002 & 07),
KSC Distinguished Research Award, and a Fulbright Award to Ecuador where he performed
as orchestral soloist and pursued research on indigenous guitar traditions. Jose's
scholarly publications include Latin American Music Review, Soundboard, and the
Latino Encyclopedia. He has lectured throughout the state for the NH Humanities
Council on Ecuadorean Indian guitar traditions, rituals, and mythology.
August Watters is a multi-stylistic,
improvising mandolinist, composer/arranger, and teacher in the Boston area. As an
international clinician he has taught in Italy, Germany, Canada, England, and the
Czech Republic. He has performed with some of the leading figures in today’s
revival of this most elegant instrument, including Carlo Aonzo, Roland White, Matt
Flinner, Butch Baldassari, Bill Keith and Marilynn Mair. His work as an improviser,
interpreter, composer and arranger bridges contemporary classical music, jazz, bluegrass,
folk music traditions, and the historical concert mandolin repertoire.
Watters teaches at Berklee
College of Music, where he is an Associate Professor of Ear Training. In addition
to founding the Berklee New Acoustic Music Ensemble and other original curricular
offerings addressing the needs of improvising string players, Prof. Watters has
taught Berklee classes in harmony, composition, and arranging, as well as private
mandolin lessons. He is also an Emmy award-winning arranger, with dozens of studio
credits as arranger, orchestrator and conductor for television and film music. Prof.
Watters is also founder of Boston Mandolins, the New England Mandolin Ensemble,
and Cape Cod Mandolin Camp. He holds a Masters of Music Education from Boston University,
and a Bachelor’s of Music from Berklee College, majoring in Jazz Composition
and Arranging.
Artists' websites:
Loring-Greenough House, 12 South Street, Jamaica Plain
Suggested donation $10-15 sliding
scale, JPTC members receive a 20% discount, + $1 preservation fee.
reservation requests to notlobreservations
at gmail dot com
Coffee from JP Licks
Pastries from Fiores
FanReach
ReverbNation
Artist Website
Facebook
Myspace