Flutist and associate professor of music Nora Lee Garcia will perform a recital entitled βMusic of the Americasβ with guitarist Rene Izquierdo at the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Rehearsal Hall at 8 p.m.Β Saturday, Oct. 3.
The recital celebrates Latin heritage and includes music from Cuba, Brazil and Argentina. Garcia, who is of Puerto Rican descent, said she likes to present a concert annually during Latin Heritage Month in order to celebrate Hispanic awareness and to connect with her cultural heritage.
βWe are playing three suites, each of which shows a different portrait of the countries,” Garcia said. β’Suite Habana’ [by Eduardo Martin] is a portrait of Cuba. Suite de Buenos Aires [MΓ‘ximo Diego Pujols] gives a musical glimpse of the Argentinian capital. The third suite [Astor Piazzolaβs βHistoria del Tangoβ] tells the history of the tango dance, from 1900 to today. There are stories behind all of the music.”
Garcia is one of the most highly regarded flutists in the concert world today andΒ teaches inΒ the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ School of Performing Arts. She decided to perform with Izquierdo after a mutual colleague recommended them to each other. The two have never met and will have just two rehearsals together before their performance Saturday.
βRene is from Cuba and is a faculty member at Wisconsin State University in Milwaukee. He travels all over the world playing all types of music. Weβve never met, but are working together on a collaborative recording, to come out in May,β said Garcia.
She welcomes the community to come to the free performance. βThis concert is meant to connect people to different cultures. It is popular music from different countries and beautiful in nature,” she said. “It is a concert that everyone can find something to identify with and enjoy.β
Garcia will perform in another concert, also entitled βMusic of the Americas,β on Oct. 17 with the Bach Festival Society. She has been the principal flutist of the society for 20 years.