Come celebrate the release of Toomai String Quintet‘s new album, Cuerdas Cubanas!
This concert features modern string
arrangements of legendary songs by
Ernesto Lecuona, as well as salsa, bolero, and mambo classics by some of Cuba’s most revered composers. Joined by special guest vocalist Alina Roitstein, Toomai will have you dancing in your seats to these infectious rhythms and passionate melodies.
SYMPHONY SPACE
Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theater
2537 Broadway (off 95th Street), NYC
Admission: CCCNY Members: $20
Before purchasing, write in the following Discount Code: CCCNY610
FOR TICKETS, CLICK HERE:
http://www.symphonyspace.org/event/10136/Music/toomai-string-quintet-cuerdas-cubanas
A NOTE FROM TOOMAI’S BASSIST, ANDREW ROITSTEIN, ABOUT CUERDAS CUBANAS:
“I grew up listening to my grandmother playing many of these songs on the piano. Over the last ten years that Toomai has been an ensemble, we’ve incorporated Cuban music into our concerts and educational work. This album is a culmination of these projects.”
The program will include the following selections (and more!):
• Danza lucumí, Zambra gitana, and En tres por cuatro (Ernesto Lecuona)
• A gozar con mi combo (Israel “Cachao” López)
• Cómo fue (Benny Moré)
• No encuentro palabras (Ernesto Duarte, popularized by Celia Cruz)
For a sneak preview of Cuerdas Cubanas, click here:
http://soundcloud.com/user- 859886446/gitanerias-by- ernesto-lecuona- arr-andrew- roitstein
The Toomai String Quintet is an ensemble devoted to playing a variety of musical styles from around the world and illuminating them through interactive performances. This award-winning group of string players has been engaging audiences in New York and across the U.S. for over a decade, performing concerts and workshops in collaboration with presenters such as Carnegie Hall, Midori and Friends, 92nd Street Y, and The Juilliard School. The quintet comprises violinists Alex Fortes and Emilie-Anne Gendron, violist Erin Wight, cellist Hamilton Berry, and bassist Andrew Roitstein.
www.toomaiquintet.com
A versatile vocalist, Alina Roitstein is known for her “beautiful voice and equally beautiful presence” (El Nuevo Herald). Her career, spanning jazz and Latin music, opera and art song, and choral music has taken her to venues all over the world, including London’s Wigmore Hall, Osaka’s Symphony Hall, Glasgow’s Royal Conservatoire, Seoul Arts Centre Concert Hall, Carnegie Hall’s Neighborhood Concert Series, and Los Angeles’ REDCAT. Her recording credits include Trevor Anderies Quintet’s Promise of a Tree (Orenda Records) and River Song Quintet’s Monarchs. A committed educator, Roitstein is on thevoice faculty at Pasadena City College and has performed master classes and workshops at colleges throughout the United States. [www.alinaroitstein.com]
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Cuban-American bassist, arranger, and educator Andrew Roitstein has been featured in chamber music concerts in Zankel Hall and the Kennedy Center, and has
performed with the New York Philharmonic and Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestras. He is a founding member of the Toomai String Quintet, an ensemble that has appeared in chamber music series at Carnegie Hall and the 92nd Street Y, among other prestigious venues. Roitstein enjoys playing Latin American music and performs with tango greats and Grammy winners Pablo Ziegler and Hector Del Curto. He is involved in many initiatives in arts education, and is Senior Music Curriculum Specialist for Juilliard’s Global K–12 Programs. As an arranger, his works have been performed by members of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, members of the New York Philharmonic, and Joshua Bell, among others. Roitstein received his Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees at the Juilliard School.
Image above: Fantasy, by Gonzalo Borges
This concert is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
And is presented with the promotional collaboration of
