Morgan Szymanski will also be embarking on the `Sketches of Mexico Project`. The project will involve the wonderful music of Mexican composer Julio Cesar Oliva. The focus of the project will be his 20 Mexican Sketches (Veinte Estampas de Mexico) a musical journey across the many states and famous sites of Mexico. Morgan visited Mr Oliva in Mexico City and played the pieces to him. Mr Oliva is delighted with the project and will dedicate a new piece for Morgan.

The project will also involve visual artists from Mexico, the UK, Ireland, Portugal and China. Each artist will create a visual work inspired on the music and locations. The project will be launched in early 2012 and will involve interactive concerts as well as exhibitions of the works. There will be a strong educational side to the project which will involve working with art and music students in Mexico and the UK.

Concerts this season include two performances at the Ripon International Festival as well as the ILAMS/Bolivar Hall Guitar Festival in London sharing the stage with violinist Harriet Mackenzie and playing duets with Brazilian guitar legend Celso Machado. For information please visit the concert diary.

Other engagements include Szymanski`s debut with Northern Sinfonia, playing Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez” at the Sage Gateshead as well as concerts with ODuo, Trinity Orchestra, and the Adderbury Ensemble.

1. The Music: A magical journey through Mexicos sounds, colours, dances and styles.

20 Mexican Sketches: Julio César Oliva (Mexico, b.1947)

Oliva’s 20 Mexican Sketches were never intended as concert works, but rather as a stylistic and didactic collection for young guitarists to become acquainted with traditional Mexican rhythms and musical forms. However, this simplicity still manages to conjure wonderful images, ambiences, sounds and colours. Mexico’s distinct and varied geography is portrayed in a mixture of pre-hispanic, popular and modern sound worlds, taking the listener on a musical journey through famous and wonderful locations such as Acapulco, Oaxaca, Yucatán, Chiapas, Veracruz. Imagery is present in the music in homage to the Virgin of Guadalupe, the two famous volcanoes – Popocatépetl and Ixtaccíhuatl – the pyramids of Teotihuacan and the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, now embraced by the sprawling capital, Mexico City.

Oliva’s works are complemented by six songs by Manuel María Ponce (1882-1949), Mexico’s foremost composer and father of Mexican nationalism. Throughout his life he collected melodies and themes which are present in his compositions. The selection of popular pieces and songs reflect Ponce’s unending devotion to the guitar and his close relationship with Andres Segovia.

2. Visual Arts: Sketches, design and multimedia.

Artists and designers from Mexico and the United Kingdom have been invited to take part in this unique collaboration. Each artist will provide their own interpretation inspired by the music in the form of sketches, paintings and designs. These images will be used in the following ways, depending on location and venue.

• a) As part of an exhibition
• b) In a unique video installation to be projected throughout the performance.
• c) In post-cards to be sold at concerts.
• d) On the Sarabande Records website and/or Facebook page.

3. Education:

The education and outreach part of the project is an essential part in order to promote Mexican culture, music and art in schools. Workshops will include a didactic performance of the music, as part of a presentation of the art works. Students will then be invited to create their own sketches.

The project will be presented to promoters and venues in Mexico and the UK for inclusion in programmes during 2012. The launch of the project in Mexico will be in Mexico City’s CENART on the 25th of August 2012.

“When Morgan asked me to work for him I was absolutely delighted. Morgan is not just an outstanding young musician but also a fantastic communicator and a joy to work with.

My own career in music began more than a few years ago in Italy, working for ORIA, one of the oldest and most established music agencies in Italy.
If you would like to talk to me about Morgan please do get in contact and I look very much forward to meeting you at some of Morgan’s future concerts�?.

Laura Tear Artist Management,
62, Annandale Road
London SE10 0DB

tel+44 (0)20 8293 9911
skype: lauratear

www.lauratearmanagement.com

Buy Machaca: ‘Los Ambulantes’ now from iTunes:

STOP PRESS! On the 27t April Machaca will release their much awaited album ‘Los Ambulantes’ at London’s South Bank Centre, (Purcell Room) during La Linea 2010! The album features works by Piazzolla, Lauro, Villa-Lobos, Machado, Cardoso, Iannarelli and the world premiere recording of Stephen McNeff’s ‘Los Ambulantes’. Machaca is delighted to collaborate with Mr. Galo Cerón on guitar and cuatro and the fabulous Adam Walker on flute. For tickets please go to http://www.comono.co.uk/det.php?ev=723

2010 also sees the launch of Sarabande Records, a label set up by Morgan and Dylan Szymanski to continue providing high quality recordings by the UK’s most promising young artists. For further information please visit www.sarabanderecords.com

As a recitalist Morgan starts the year performing works by Oliva, Ponce, Lauro, Barrios and Piazzolla and the British Museum’s ‘Moctezuma’ exhibition amongst the prints of Kahlo, Rivera, Orozco, and Siqueiros amongst others (second performance on 25 March).  May sees Morgan’s solo debut recital in Vienna’s Musikverein. Chamber music projects include collaborations with ODuo (percussion), Ruth Rogers (violin), Clara Mouriz (mezzo-soprano) and concerts in China and Germany with Adam Walker (flute), as well as concerti by Rodrigo, Ponce and Piazzolla. Highlights in the first half of the year include performances for the City of London, North Norfolk Music and Bermuda Festivals as well as a concert to commemorate the of the Bicentenary of Mexico, Argentina and Chile at London’s Bolivar Hall. Other solo recitals include Oxford Hollywell Rooms, Deal Festival and Canterbury as well as tours of Mexico, Chile and Argentina.

For further information please visit Morgan’s concert diary.

www.classicalguitarmagazine.com

This year saw the fruition of collaborations with distinguished artists, instrumentalists and orchestras, leading to a varied output of repertoire and performances. Collaborations in 2008 included performances with John Williams (guitar), the Sacconi Quartet, Odeion Quartet (South Aftrica), Gemma Rosefield (‘cello), Alison Balsom (trumpet), Clara Andrada (flute), Ruth Rogers (violin), Mark Padmore (tenor), Machaca, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Cadogan Hall and Fairfield Halls), Southbank Sinfonia, Bournemouth Symphony and the CBSO Youth Orchestra.

Recordings included the release of ‘Songs in Time of War’ – the music of Alec Roth on the Signum Label (www.signumrecords.com)) with Mark Padmore, Phillipe Honore and Alison Nicholls. Morgan also recorded Heitor Villa-Lobos’s ‘Prelude No.1’ for Ginkgo Music (www.ginkgomusic.com), project Tropical Forest Ecuador. Profits from this CD will go towards the preservation of the Ecuatorian rain forest.

Premieres included the world premiere of Morgan Szymanski’s ‘Zambezi Sarabande’, for children’s choir, massed marimbas and guitars and string quartet – performed at the closure of the Bulawayo Music Festival in Zimbabwe. The collaboration between Morgan Szymanski and ODuo, which already includes a wealth of repertoire by Piazzolla, Machado, Brouwer, Ponce and Lauro led to the creation of a new piece for guitar and percussion: ‘Los Ambulantes’ by Stephen McNeff. ‘Los Ambulantes’ are the street vendors, jugglers, clowns, musicians, acrobats and dancers that live on the streets of Mexico City. The work was premiered at the Wigmore Hall, and was performed at the Mexico tour of Machaca, to critical acclaim. The arrangements of ‘Five English Folk Songs’ by Alec Roth for tenor and guitar were premiered at a concert for the Rochdale Music Society with Mark Padmore.

During the first half of 2008 Morgan Szymanski will be involved in series of projects involving chamber music, concerti and solo recitals. January sees performances with the Saconni Quartet, performing Alec Roth’s Quintet for Guitar and Strings (especially written for the Saconni Quartet and Morgan Szymanski) as well as Simone Iannarelli’s Valzer Brillante (both recorded on Machaca – Mano a Mano) as well as works by Vivaldi, Giuliani and Boccerini.Other chamber music projects include a collaboration with the ODuo (Oliver Cox and Owen Gunnell) performing works by Ponce, Piazzolla, Bellinati and Lauro as well as the World Premiere of a new work especially written for the trio by Stephen McNeff. This work entitled ‘Los Ambulantes’ is inspired on the street vendors of Mexico City and will be premiered at the Wigmore Hall (10th of March). The trio will also be performing at St. George’s in Bristol. Other collaborations include recitals with Clara Andrada (flute), Gemma Rosefield (cello), Alison Balsom (trumpet), Ruth Rogers (violin), Laura Mitchell (soprano) and Mark Padmore (tenor).Morgan will be performing Joaquin Rodrigo’s ‘Concierto de Aranjuez’ with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at London’s Cadogan Hall (26th of February) and Fairfield Halls (7th June) and makes his debut with Southbank Sinfonia, (7th and 8th of March) and the Colne Philharmonic Orchestra (15th of March). April will see a series of solo recitals in Mexico as well as concerts with Machaca for the Festival de México en el Centro Histórico and the Anglo-Mexican Foundation (13th, 15th and 17th of April), whilst May sees a return visit to Zimbabwe, with concerts in Harare and the Bulawayo Festival.

He will also be performing at the London International Guitar Festival in a tribute to Venezuelan composer Antonio Lauro (10th of October) and a tribute to Andrés Segovia with Carlos Bonell (24th of October) at London’s Bolivar Hall.

Chamber music projects include two concerts with the ODuo (11th of September, Rye Festival; 18th of October, Stratford-on-Avon) and a duo recital with violinist Ruth Rogers (30th of November, London). Morgan will also be taking part in a new recording of the works of Alec Roth. Solo recital dates include concerts in Loughborough, Rye, Hertfordshire, and Bracknell.

For further information please consult the concert diary.

Other exciting projects include the performance of Alec Roth’s ‘Quintet for Guitar and Strings’ with the Sacconi Quartet at the Bangor New Music Festival as well as concerto’s with the Hallam Sinfonia in Sheffield, the Charities Philharmonia in London’s St. John’s Smith Square and the Tunbridge Wells Symphony Orchestra.

Solo recitals include London’s Blackheath Halls, the Hollywell Rooms in Oxford and festivals in France, Mexico and the UK.

Chamber music projects include work with Machaca, Ruth Rogers, Gemma Rosefield, Laura Mitchell, Phuong Nguyen and the ODuo amongst others as well as duo recitals with his former teacher, Carlos Bonell.