| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | PR Contact: Dana Scoby Artist Contact: Jeremy Cohen Office: 877-678-JAZZ |
"The entire competition was an incredible collection of first rate performers and musicians
and we are absolutely stunned and honored to win among such incredible company."
New York, NY – May 13, 2004 - Quartet San Francisco has been honored with both a Special Prize and the Grand Prize in the International Tango Competition, held May 10-12 2004 at the Auditorium of the Consulate General of Argentina in New York City. As a result of this award, the Quartet will be performing again in New York City and Long Island, and traveling to Argentina to perform in Buenos Aires' famous Tango venues in late August 2004.
The entire official press release from the event is included below:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jeffrey James Arts Consulting
Announcing The Winners of The New York City International Tango Competition For Professional Instrumentalists and Singers - Quartet San Francisco Wins American Airlines-Borello Travel Grand Prize of Concerts in Buenos Aires
New York, NY - The winners have been announced of the New York City International Tango Competition for professional instrumentalists and singers. The competition finals, which displayed a remarkable range of expression of the tango as an international, living, dynamic art form, were held before a standing room only audience on May 12, 2004, at the auditorium of the Consulate General of Argentina, 12 West 56th Street in Manhattan. The awards were presented by Competition Director Mirian Conti and the Acting Consul General of Argentina Alejandro Bertolo.
The American Airlines-Borello Travel Grand Prize: of round trip tickets to Argentina, complimentary stay at Hotel Presidente, and performances at Café Tortoni and other important Buenos Aires tango venues was awarded to Quartet San Francisco of San Francisco, California for their remarkable performances of their string quartet arrangements of traditional and newer tangos. The group was also awarded a special Chamber Players International Performance Showcase award for Spring 2005 concerts in the New York area.
Founded in 2001 by renowned jazz and classical violinist Jeremy Cohen, Quartet San Francisco is dedicated to performing every composition true to the style in which it was conceived. Their repertoire, although solidly grounded in traditional string quartet literature, includes Big Band, Latin and jazz music, performed with infectious enthusiasm and incredible technique. Other members of the group are violinist Kayo Miki, violist Emily Onderdonk and cellist Joel Cohen. Their website is www.quartetsanfrancisco.com.
A Special Prize of 4 days free stay, performances and participation in all workshops at the 6th World Tango Congress in Seville, Spain, in March 2005 was awarded to Tango Lorca of Kansas City, Missouri.
Another Special Prize of 3 days free stay and performances at the 5-star Hotel Grand Marina of Barcelona, Spain was awarded to the Best Duo - Bernardo Monk, Soprano saxophone and Octavio Brunetti, Piano, both from Buenos Aires. The duo was also awarded a Special Prize of a Caramoor Performance Showcase in 2005 at the Caramoor Festival, Katonah, New York. Pianist Octavio Brunetti was also awarded a Special Prize as Best Solo Pianist, sponsored by Certamen Musical Rioplatense of Argentina.
Two more Special Prizes for Best Singers were awarded to Claudia Gargiulo of Washington, D.C. and Chris Vasquez of Buffalo, New York.
Other distinguished participants in the competition were singers Mario Barreiro of Colombia, Elisa Brown of New York City, Leonardo Granados of Venezuela and Katie Viqueira of Boston, saxophonist Dr. Willie L. Morris, III of Ohio, "M20" - violinist Machiko Ozawa and pianist Makia Matsumura, both from Japan, flutist Lorena Barile of Argentina, "Duo Hidalgo-Peloquin" - pianist Roberto Hidalgo and Marc Peloquin of Mexico and the United States, solo pianists Dante Medina of Argentina, Sachiko Kato of Japan, Anibal Berraute of Miami, Martin Leopold Diaz of Barcelona, and ensembles The Tango Group of New York City and QuinTango of Washington, D.C.
The marvelous accompanists included pianists Jorge Aguilar of Mexico, Tiraje Ruckman of Turkey, guitarists Pablo Gonzalez and Francisco Navarro, both of Argentina and bandoneonist Tito Castro of Argentina.
The competition jury was comprised of Mirian Conti, Chair, Competition Director and internationally renowned pianist, Mario Broeders, composer and New York representative of Academia Portena del Lunfardo, Argentina, Ben Molar, legendary promoter of tango and tango musicians, Richard Nidel, World Music authority, Susan Palma, flutist of the Orpheus Chamber and American Composers Orchestras and Jeffrey James, international arts consultant.
More information about the Competition is available at their website - http://www.jamesarts.com/releases/nov03/tango_112803.htm. The schedule of performers can be seen at http://www.jamesarts.com/releases/april04/tangosked.htm.
Presented by Chamber Players International & Argentine American Society and hosted by The Consulate General of Argentina in New York, the Competition Grand Prize was sponsored by American Airlines and Borello Travel. The Competition's stated purpose of playing a meaningful role in the discovery and support of new talents exploring and preserving the art of Tango was more than realized by the tremendous outpouring of imagination, energy, talent and love of the tango that was evident to the performers and to the public.
For more information about the New York City International Tango Competition, contact Mirian Conti, Artistic Director at mirian.conti@verizon.net or publicity manager Jeffrey James Arts Consulting at 516-797-9166 or jamesarts@worldnet.att.net.
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