LFAM | Solos, Duos and More

'There are concerts that make you realise what you've been missing... The first half of Thursday's Lontano concert at St John's, Smith Square, provided the answer.' The Independent
Curated by visionary Cuban-American conductor-composer, Odaline de la Martínez, the five-day London Festival of American Music (LFAM) aims to promote the work of outstanding American composers who are well established at home but less well known to UK audiences.
This concert, titled 'Solos, Duos and More', features Daniel Asia’s Pine’s Last Poems, Arlene Sierra’s A Young Mind in Old Bees, as well as works by Alfred Lerdahl, Barbara Jazwinski, Elena Ruehr, Augusta Reed Thomas, and Aaron Einbond. Featured soloists are Salome Siu, mezzo-soprano; Heather Roche, clarinet; Dominic Saunders, piano; Clare O’Connell, cello; and Alison Wormell, bassoon.
PROGRAMME
Barbara Jazwinski Dreams of Vagabond Winds*
Elena Ruehr Of Water and Clouds*
Augusta Reed Thomas Rainbow Bridge to Paradise*
Arlene Sierra A Young Mind in Old Bees*
Alfred Lerdahl Three Diatonic Studies*
Daniel Asia Pine's Last Poems*
Aaron Einbond Resistance*
*UK Premiere
ARTISTS
Lontano
Odaline de la Martínez conductor
Aaron Einbond electronics
Heather Roche clarinet
Dominic Saunders piano
Claire O'Connell cello
Alison Wormell bassoon
Born in Cuba and brought up in the USA, Odaline de la Martínez is now based in the UK where she has become a formidable force on today's classical music scene, pursuing a busy career as an award-winning composer, conductor, record producer and event curator. Working with everything from Mozart symphonies to the latest contemporary music, she has acquired an illustrious reputation for her versatile and eclectic vision, with a longstanding special commitment to contemporary music, women composers and Latin American composers in particular. Amongst her many achievements, Martínez was the first woman to conduct a BBC Prom at the Royal Albert Hall in 1984.
Since its foundation in 1976, Lontano has been recognised as one of the UK’s most exciting and versatile exponents of twentieth and twenty-first century music. Lontano’s work includes themed seasons in London, opera and music theatre productions, concerts and tours throughout the UK and abroad, and regular recordings on its own LORELT label, as well as workshops and educational projects. Lontano also records for numerous other companies including Albany Records, Summit (USA), Da Capo (Denmark), Metier Records and Retrospect Opera (UK). The ensemble is internationally renowned, and its tours have taken it to many countries in Europe as well as both North and South America. The ensemble began their biennial London Festival of American music in 2006.