Joanne Rile Artists Management

The Atlanta Symphony to Present Leon Bates with Gershwin Classic

John Rile — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:58:33 +0000

James L. Paulk writing for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, “This week’s Atlanta Symphony Orchestra concerts will feature two important African-American artists. Renowned pianist Leon Bates will perform Gershwin’s ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ with the orchestra. And the orchestra will present the world premiere of ‘Different Rivers,’ by Atlanta-based composer Alvin Singleton. Bates tours regularly, performing a wide-ranging repertoire with major orchestras. But if he has a specialty, it would be Gershwin, which he has performed and recorded often. He is an energetic performer, ideally suited for ‘Rhapsody in Blue,’ Gershwin’s popular ‘jazz concerto.’ And, as if to contradict any stereotypes anyone might have about concert pianists, Bates is also a dedicated body builder and a major sports fan.”

Nai-Ni Chen and the Ahn Trio Share the Mayo Stage in “Temptation”

John Rile — Wed, 09 May 2012 15:02:37 +0000

Bill Nutt reports for NJ Press Media, “When you go to a concert, you expect see the musicians play. When you go to a performance by a dance company, you plan on seeing dancers move. Never the twain shall meet, right? However, the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company seldom does what is expected. Neither does the Ahn Trio, an ensemble comprised of Korean-born siblings. So when the two groups perform ‘The Temptation of the Muses’ at the Mayo Center the audience will have the rare sight of seeing the musicians on stage interacting with the dancers. Angella Ahn is quick to note that she and her sisters will not be dancing. ‘But we do move around,’ she says. Nai-Ni Chen, founder of the dance company, agrees. ‘Our idea was to stretch the boundaries of a dance performance,’ she says. ‘The challenge was to move the musicians from one place (on stage) to another. In this way, the musicians’ moving actually becomes part of the dance.’”

The Prism Quartet Makes History at the Curtis Institute of Music

John Rile — Fri, 04 May 2012 00:09:18 +0000

The Prism Quartet is making history as the first saxophone ensemble to conduct a residency at the Curtis Institute of Music, one of the world’s finest conservatories. The residency culminates in Prism concerts in Philadelphia and New York City featuring compositions by two Curtis faculty members: Pulitzer Prize-winner Jennifer Higdon (Short Stories) and Independence Foundation-fellow David Ludwig (Josquin Microludes, world premiere). The program also includes premieres of works by Katerina Kramarchuk, Thomas Oltarzewski, Gabriella Smith, Daniel Temkin and Timothy Woos — extraordinary student artists from Curtis’s composition department. The May 9th concert will take place at the Curtis Institute of Music’s Field Concert Hall in Philadelphia.

For His Spring Dance Opener Roni Koresh Re-ignites ‘Bolero’

John Rile — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 01:26:52 +0000

Merilyn Jackson, for the Philadelphia Inquirer, writes. “What modern choreographer doesn’t want to sink his teeth into making a new Bolero? Sure, everybody’s done it. But Roni Koresh really made a quirky new one for Koresh Dance Company’s spring opener…Koresh titled the evening’s four works ‘Out/Line,’ which also was the name of the first of three world premieres on the bill.
. “But it was his fresh take on Bolero that outshone all the other works…Composer Maurice Ravel had envisioned the work in a factorylike setting, because its rhythms sounded mechanically driven. Koresh boldly strayed from the usual, taking his cue from Ravel’s original vision and adding lots of humorous notes. His sensational dancers even smiled while dancing it, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a smiling Bolero before. There were some signature Koresh gestures throughout: splayed fingers, shaky hands, elbows up, clasped hands, and eyes raised to heaven. But they seemed there as a grounding sign, a cheeky reminder that, hey, this is fun, seriously.”

Elisa Monte Dance Returns to the Lake Placid Center for the Arts

John Rile — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:22:21 +0000

The Lake Placid News reports, “Elisa Monte Dance founded in 1981, bridges cultural barriers through the universal language of dance. From its earliest recognition on the world stage in 1982 as “Best Company” at the International Dance Festival of Paris, the company has succeeded for more than three decades. The work of Elisa Monte, a former principal dancer with Martha Graham Dance Company, Lar Lubovitch and Pilobolus, is widely recognized for its highly athletic and sensual style, as well as its technical and physical acuity, exploring a multitude of topics and themes. The company has performed in more than 40 nations on five continents. They have also appeared in major dance festivals including the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next Wave Festival, Jacobs Pillow, The Spoleto Festival both US and Italy, Umbria, Italy.”

Leon Bates will be Performing at Moravian College in Bethlehem

John Rile — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 21:33:46 +0000

Arts reporter Susan Kalan reported: “One of the first things we learn about pianist Leon Bates is that he balances his time between the performing venue and the local gym, no matter where he is. It’s a discipline he learned around age 20 as a young musician and has since found necessary in working with the mentality and mechanics of music. But don’t let his Herculean appearance fool you. He’s solid inside as well, especially when he starts talking about arts education.
‘ “He’ll join Conductor Donald Spieth and the 70-plus mem- bers of the Moravian College Community Orchestra on the South Campus at Foy Hall in Bethlehem, PA. Bates will perform Rachmaninoff’s ‘Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18.’ Bates calls Rachmaninoff one of his favorite composers because of his ‘sing-able’ melodies that stay in your ears. ‘He was very expressive, very emotional and a most capable pianist and composer. When he played, people were captured by it.’ ”

An Earth Day Jazz Concert with Famed Guitarist, Gene Bertoncini

John Rile — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 01:22:07 +0000

The Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens in Stamford, CT will present the inaugural show of its new jazz concert series on Earth Day, Sunday, April 22, which will feature guitarist Gene Bertoncini and special guests, drummer Joe Corsella, violinist Sara Caswell and bassist Michael Moore. There will be a 90-minute concert. Gene Bertoncini is one of the pre-eminent jazz guitarists active today. His fluid technique and lyricism have won him international praise and accolades. Bertoncini’s musical roots go back to his early years in the Bronx, where he grew up in a house filled with music. His love affair with the guitar began when he was seven, and by the time he was sixteen, he was appearing on New York television. Bertoncini’s teaching credits include the Eastman School of Music, where he regularly performs and conducts summer workshops for jazz guitarists, the New England Conservatory, New York University, and the Banff School of Fine Arts. Bertoncini is a regular supporter of the Bartlett Arboretum.

A Powerfull Program Delivered by Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company

John Rile — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 13:49:18 +0000

Robert Johnson of The Star-Ledger wrote about Carolyn Dorfman Dance: “On Sunday the Festival at Centenary College concluded with a powerfully danced program by the Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company. At its center, both the worried solo called ‘Hourglass’ and the co-dependent duet ‘Keystone’ began with images of equilibrium—a paradise of perfect balance that the dancers quickly lost and struggled to regain. Mica Bernas, Jacqueline Dumas Albert and Louie Marin gave these works their all, and the whole company shone in guest choreographer Doug Elkins’ rowdy ‘Narcoleptic Lovers’.”

Emanuele Segre Excels in Exciting New York Pro Musicis Guitar Fest

John Rile — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 20:43:14 +0000

Pro Musicis Concert Series presented a recital called “Guitar Fest” with three guitarists including Emanuele Segre. Segre came onstage in duo with Luiz Mantovani playing David Leisner’s “Mirage.” It is an excellent piece, and it was given a first-rate performance. Mr. Segre continued the evening with two South American works starting with “Canto de Ossanha” by Baden Powell. A captivating piece from its simple opening through its subsequent development, it was given an amazing degree of contrast and nuance by Mr. Segre, a most expressive and dramatic interpreter with one of the largest dynamic ranges I’ve heard from a guitarist. Prelude No. 1 in E Minor by Villa-Lobos was followed by two works by Roland Dynes, “Songe Capricorne” and then “Fuoco” from “Libra Sonatine,” alternately Bachian and Jazzy, punctuated with percussive bursts, and full of intense expression. It was a dynamic close to an exciting evening. –Rorianne Schrade for the New York Concert Review.

Soprano Louise Toppin Directs the North Carolina Videmus Festival

John Rile — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 14:11:21 +0000

The event will celebrate the 25th anniversary of Videmus, a nonprofit arts organization based in Durham. Louise Toppin, director of Videmus and music professor at UNC, said she was approached by the University to develop this year’s “Festival on the Hill.” Toppin said the festival is open to UNC students as well as those from other universities and high schools throughout the South. Toppin said that Videmus has tried to include the works of overlooked composers in the past as well as composers and musicians of today. “We always focus on making sure we’re chronicling the history,” she said. “The festival was influenced by the people who participated, but we need that conversation of ‘Where is it going in the future?’”