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Music of Latin America - Recital and Lecture

Presented by Blair School of Music

March 18, 2011

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Guest Artist Alejandro Drago, violin with Amanda Virelles, piano; Carlos Castilla, guitar

 

A native of Argentina, Alejandro Drago frequently performs as a violin soloist in major Argentinean cities and with the leading orchestras of Argentina. He has performed in prestigious concert halls around the world, from Russia, Lithuania, Belarus, Yugoslavia, Austria, France and Portugal to Haiti, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Brazil, Mexico and the United States.

He maintains strong connections with the music of his homeland through his career as a performer, researcher, lecturer, and arranger. Dr. Drago’s scholarly works have become important references in English language scholarly studies of Tango music. His symphonic and chamber arrangements of Argentine music have been performed extensively in Europe and Latin America, as well as in the United States by the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

Alejandro Drago holds degrees from Moscow State Conservatory and the University of Southern Mississippi where he received a Doctorate.

 

Colombian-American guitarist, Carlos Castilla, has been featured as a soloist with orchestras and chamber ensembles as well as in solo recitals throughout Latin America and the United States. He collaborated with orchestras featuring stars such as Placido Domingo, James Galway, and Bernadette Peters. Castilla is the co-founder of Duo Guitiano, along with Cuban pianist Amanda Virelles, and is known for his innovative technique, warm and powerful sound, and soulful interpretations.
Carlos Castilla holds degrees from Los Andes University at Bogotá-Colombia and the University of Southern Mississippi where he obtained a Doctorate in Guitar Performance and Pedagogy.

 

A native of Cuba, Amanda Virelles’ performing engagements as pianist have taken her to France, Russia, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Cuba as well as to the United States. She founded Duo Guitiano together with Colombian-American guitarist Carlos Castilla.

Amanda Virelles studied at the Moscow State Conservatory Tchaikovsky, the Russian Academy of Music Gnessins in Moscow and the University of Southern Mississippi where she received a master’s and a doctorate. She is currently on the faculty of Blair School of Music.