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| PineCone & NC Museum of History present Songs of the Soul PineCone kicks off the new year with a free concert at the North Carolina Museum of History with the program "Songs of the Soul, " featuring musicians Teresa Fernandez and Ed Stephenson & The Paco Band. This program explores the cultures of Latin America and Spain through music by offering a sampling of the distinctive sounds and textures of each culture. Teresa Fernandez was born and raised in Havana, Cuba. Her parents were from Galicia, Spain. Fernandez graduated from Havana University with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration. In 1966, Teresa and her family left Cuba to settle in Madrid, Spain, until 1968, when her husband was transferred to Minneapolis, Minnesota. A year later, they were transferred to Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 1971, they were relocated to San Juan Puerto, Rico, and by 1974, they were transferred to Raleigh, North Carolina which has been their home since then. Singing was in Fernandez's heart since an early age, and eventually, while working as a Cost Accounting Manager in electronic manufacturing companies, she began voice training with emphasis in operatic arias and Art songs. She also continued to sing the folkloric music of Spain and Latin America, which is so dear to her. She started singing in the International Festival of the City of Raleigh during a time when only dances were performed to represent Latin America culture. Fernandez performed with the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra in 2000, and with the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra Chamber Players as a vocal soloist in the 2003, 2004, and 2005 seasons, primarily singing works by the Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla. She also performed on the local NBC Christmas 2000 and 2001 programs, and the "Landmarks and Landscapes" workshop at the American Dance Festival at Duke University. In all of these instances, she sang in Spanish for American audiences. She appeared in the role of Mother Abbess in the "Sound of Music, " staged by the Benson Little Theater in 2001. At North Carolina State University, Fernandez took a semester of acting classes, which led her into appearing in various plays staged by the University Theater, both as a singer an actress. Fernandez also brings her music to patients in the wards of Duke University Hospital as part of the Health Arts Network of Duke (HAND). She performs music from Latin American countries such as Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, Cuba, Peru, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Venezuela. Ed Stephenson came to North Carolina to study with Aaron Shearer at the North Carolina School of the Arts. Today, he performs throughout North America not only as a soloist, but also as a member of the North Carolina Guitar Quartet, where he plays an integral part in commissioning new works for this genre. The Quartet's most recent project includes the recording of Voices from the Garden by David Kechley, now available on compact disc under the Liscio label. Stephenson has played for the North Carolina Symphony, the North Carolina Theater, the North Carolina Bach Festival, and the National Opera Company. In addition to his active performing career, Stephenson was awarded the North Carolina School of the Arts "Teacher of the Year Award" in 1995 and is on the music faculty at Meredith College. The Paco Band is a high energy flamenco-jazz ensemble. In addition to Stephenson, the band members are Craig Hilton (guitar), Peewee Watson (Bass), and Sara Romweber (percussion). They perform original music as well as compositions by Paco de Lucia, Al Di Meola, Chick Corea and Ottmar Liebert. The Music of the Carolinas series invites people to discover and celebrate North Carolina's rich musical heritage by featuring the best home-grown North Carolina traditional artists, as well as by showcasing the musical and performance traditions of the various cultures that call North Carolina home today. The concert begins at 3 p.m. in the NC Museum of History's Daniels Auditorium. It is free and open to the public, and program notes will be provided. write your comments about the article :: © 2009 Jazz News :: home page |