Nancy Roldán, Piano. Sonus Founder and Artistic Director

Acclaimed an “excellent pianist” and admired for her ability to “breathe life into the score,” Argentine born pianist Nancy Roldán has concertized worldwide interpreting solo, chamber music, and repertory with orchestras. Passionate for the performance of traditional and contemporary repertory, she has premiered numerous compositions, many of which were dedicated to her. She has performed USA premieres of the works of Carlos Guastavino, whose music she championed since her early career, recording for piano solo, two pianos, and violin/piano duos. In 2005, she founded the Liszt-Garrison International Festival and Competition [aka Franz Liszt International] under the aegis of the American Liszt Society. Dr. Roldán retired from teaching at the Peabody Conservatory/JHU in 2007. www.nancyroldan.com

Alejandro Cremaschi, Piano. Sonus Executive Director

Pianist Alejandro Cremaschi, born in Mendoza, Argentina, currently teaches piano and piano pedagogy at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Dr. Cremaschi studied with Dora De Marinis, Dr. Nancy Roldán and Lydia Artymiw. Alejandro first became captivated by Carlos Guastavino’s musical universe in 1991, when he moved to Baltimore to study piano with Dr. Roldán. He is an active performer and clinician, and has recorded as a soloist and chamber pianist for the labels IRCO, Ostinato, Marco Polo and Meridian Records. His pedagogical edition and recording of Ginastera's Doce Preludios Americanos for piano was published by Carl Fischer in 2016.

Guillermo Anzorena, Baritone

Since 1999, Guillermo Anzorena has performed worldwide as a member of the "Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart" - an ensemble for contemporary music. He sang opera world premieres and numerous premiered works dedicated to him by renowned composers such as Hilda Paredes, Lucia Ronchetti, Elena Mendoza, Phillipe Leroux, and James Hullick. Under famous conductors such as Simon Rattle, Roger Norrington, and Tito Ceccherini, he sang with prominent orchestras and music ensembles. Recently, he carried out concerts and recordings with the Argentinean pianist Silvia Dabul. Guillermo was born in Argentina, where he started classical singing education with Prof. Cangemi and Prof. Opitz with whom he studied the German Lied. He completed his education in Germany with Prof. West and Prof. Litaker.

Gabriella Cavallero, Actor

Gabriella’s voice has been featured as narrator of several Emmy-nominated PBS documentaries, in nearly 1000 audio books for the Library of Congress’ National Library Service, on Audible, and on countless commercials and industrials in both her native Spanish and English. She has over 30 years of experience as an actor, director, producer, and dialect/voice/communications coach. In 26 seasons at the Tony Award-winning Denver Center Theatre Company and on many of Colorado’s top stages, she has played a wide range of roles in dozens of productions. She co-founded and was Artistic Director of Modern Muse Theatre Company. Gabriella has narrated and sung on many stages, directing and narrating Argentine-themed programs and fundraisers including the work of Guastavino and Piazzolla. She is featured narrator and chanteuse in the recording Piazzolla, Here & Now for Centaur Records.

José Miguel Cueto, Violin

Recognized for the beauty of his tone, Mr. Cueto performs worldwide as chamber musician and guest soloist with orchestras. His recordings with orchestra include the Menotti Violin Concerto with Concert Artists of Baltimore (Sonora Label), Italian Violin concerti by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Ottorino Respighi, and the premiere of Cueto’s violin and string orchestra arrangement of La rosa y el sauce (The Rose and the Willow Tree) by Carlos Guastavino with the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra of Russia (Marquis label). Mr. Cueto is Concert Master of the Maryland Lyric Opera Orchestra and the Chesapeake Festival Orchestra. He teaches at Catholic University of America and St. Mary’s College. For more information visit www.josemiguelcueto.com

Andrew Gerle, Piano, Composer

Andrew Gerle is a composer/lyricist, librettist, pianist and author. His works for musical theatre have won numerous awards; his most recent, La Tempesta, with legendary Fantasticks lyricist Tom Jones, had its world premiere in Tokyo last fall, and his current project, Whisper Darkly, aims to be the first virtual reality musical. He has performed as piano soloist with the National Symphony, the Yale Symphony Orchestra, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and on programs for National Public Radio and Television. He is also the author of The Enraged Accompanist's Guide to the Perfect Audition and Music Essentials for Singers and Actors (Hal Leonard/Applause Books), and is on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music. He has been a student of Dr. Roldán for many years. www.andrewgerle.com

Daniel Glover, Piano

Daniel Glover has served on the faculties of New York University, University of the Virgin Islands, University of San Francisco, and Notre Dame de Namur University. Glover has performed in 42 states and 27 countries throughout Europe, Asia, North/South America and the Caribbean. Mr. Glover trained with such luminaries as Eugene List, Abbey Simon, Jerome Lowenthal, Nancy Bachus and Thomas LaRatta. He holds a master’s degree from the Juilliard School, where he was a scholarship student. He has recorded ten CDs, which have been broadcast on radio stations in Israel, Argentina, Germany, Canada, and the United States.

Gila Goldstein, Piano

Pianist Gila Goldstein has performed as a solo artist and a collaborative pianist throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Korea, the Philippines, Europe and Israel. She is a member of the piano faculty at Boston University School of Music. A Board member of the American Liszt Society and the Founder-President of its NY/NJ Chapter, she has been a frequent guest performer at the Society’s annual festivals. A champion of the music of Israel's leading composer Paul Ben-Haim, she recorded two volumes of his entire piano and chamber works on the Centaur label. She is an alumna of the Manhattan School of Music and the Tel-Aviv University’s School of Music. www.gilagoldstein.com

Enrique Graf, Piano

Internationally acclaimed pianist Enrique Graf is one of the world’s premiere virtuosos, equally sought after as a soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. After winning all national competitions in his native Uruguay, Graf came to the Peabody Conservatory to study with Leon Fleisher on a full scholarship from the Organization of American States. He won First Prize in the William Kapell International Competition, the National Ensemble Competition, and the East & West International Competition. Graf has played 37 different concertos with orchestras all over the world and recorded with the Moscow Philharmonic, the Janacek Philharmonic and the Charleston Symphony. His recordings include solo works by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Liszt, Mendelssohn, Debussy, Chopin, and Mussorgsky and concertos by Beethoven, Grieg, Poulenc, Hart, Balada, and Gershwin. The New York Times and The Washington Post have said: “A master, elegant, a fiery virtuoso, whatever he chooses to play is invariably well played.” www.enriquegraf.com

Joseph Kingma, Piano

American pianist Joseph Kingma, praised by the New York Concert Review as, “showing the command of a master and a composer’s insight,” enjoys a prolific national and international career as a soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. He won first prize in the Franz Liszt International Piano Competition [AKA Liszt-Garrison International Festival and Competition], sponsored by the American Liszt Society, and has won awards in many other contests. A regular concerto soloist, he is also a guest artist with the Palm Beach Chamber Music Festival. He is currently the Keyboard Division Coordinator and Assistant Professor of Piano at Palm Beach Atlantic University. His website is www.josephkingma.com.

Pablo Lavandera, Piano

Argentine pianist Pablo Lavandera arrived in the US in 1998 as a Fulbright Scholar. Early in his career, he was awarded the Performer Award granted by the Argentine Society of Composers and Authors (SADAIC) for his passionate commitment to the performance of past and present Argentine Composers. In 2009, Lavandera and violinist Joanna Kaczorowska won the Collaborative Artists First Prize on the Liszt-Garrison Festival and International Piano Competition in Baltimore, Maryland. In Argentina, he has performed and recorded music by contemporary composers included in the "Argentine Music Anthology," as well as Irma Urteaga’s Complete Works, and Rodolfo Arizaga's piano concerto. He is Artist in Residence at Stony Brook University, where he teaches piano, chamber music, and accompanying. He holds an MM from the New England Conservatory of Music, a Performers’ Degree from Indiana University, and a Doctorate of Musical Arts from NYSU at Stony Brook.

Sanghie Lee, Piano

Dr. Sanghie Lee is an internationally accomplished pianist. In 2019, she won the Bronze Award at the NTD International Piano Competition. She has won first prizes in many other competitions, including the Liszt-Garrison International Piano Competition and the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition. She has been invited to perform at music festivals and numerous recitals in the United States and Korea. As an active chamber musician, she is the leader of the piano trio, Canorus. She earned her DMA & Artist Diploma as a full scholar at the College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati. Previously, she studied at the Jacobs School of Music in Indiana and Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea. Dr. Lee recently joined the University of North Georgia Music Department as a faculty member of the keyboard division. sanghie.lee@ung.edu

Solange Merdinian, Mezzo-Soprano

Acclaimed for her “smoldering stage presence” (New York Times) and her “richly-hued voice” (BBC Music magazine), American-Argentinean mezzo-soprano Solange Merdinian has garnered an international reputation for her versatility and interpretation as a recitalist, chamber musician, and opera singer in repertoire ranging from baroque to contemporary, folk, tango, cabaret, and world music. She is the Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of the nonprofit, New Docta, and the New Docta Festival in Argentina. Highlights include a critically praised “tour de force” performance in Maria de Buenos Aires, Opera Tango by Piazzolla; 2019 winner of the Pro Musicis Competition. In March 2020, she released her debut album “Composing Roots” in collaboration with Federico Diaz and Pablo Zinger. She holds a Master in Voice and Vocal Performance from Bard College Conservatory and a Bachelor of Music from Juilliard. www.solangemerdinian.com

Lilia Salsano, Piano

Lilia Salsano is one of the pre-eminent Argentine pianists of her generation. She frequently performs at prestigious International Festivals – highlights of which are the "Festival Martha Argerich - Buenos Aires," the “Echoes Festival of Classical Latin Music” (London- UK) and the “Festival Pianistico Internazionale” (Italy). A passionate ambassador for Argentine and Latin-American composers, she is the first Argentine pianist to record the Complete Piano Works by Carlos Guastavino (released in 2020). Salsano is the resident pianist of the Symphony Orchestra of the Province of Santa Fe. She is a graduate of the University of Litoral and a faculty member at the Liceo Municipal of Santa Fe. www.liliasalsano.com.ar

Salvatore Sclafani, Piano

Salvatore Sclafani, born in Palermo, Italy, has been awarded prizes in the International Caraglio Competition and the Premio Crescendo in Italy, the Concours de la Fondation Andrée Charlier in Belgium, and the Concours-Festival Répertoire Pianistique Moderne in France. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Arts and Arts Sciences in Brussels and holds an Asstanship at UlB. His research focuses on the influence of Argentinian folk music on selected piano works by Argentinian composers Carlos Guastavino (1912-2000) and Alberto Ginastera (1916-1983). Salvatore is currently piano professor at Conservatoire de Maubeuge (France). He holds an MA in Music Performance (Piano) and an MA in Music Pedagogy from the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles (Belgium), where he studied with Belgian pianist Eliane Reyes.

Fernando Viani, Piano

Fernando Viani is a versatile artist with an extensive solo and chamber music repertoire, who is passionate in the performance of music of his native Argentina, as well as works by the great classical composers. Viani considers himself an ambassador of music and his mature performances never fail to leave a deep impression on his audience. As a soloist, he has performed with orchestras in Germany, Brazil, and Argentina. As collaborator he has performed with artists, such as Guillermo Anzorena, Sontraud Speidel, and Alicia Borges. He teaches at the Bern Conservatory and offers master classes in Europe, North and South America.

en.fernando-viani.com

Jorge Villavicencio Grossmann, Composer

Jorge Villavicencio Grossmann’s music has been performed throughout the United States, Latin America, and Europe by ensembles such as the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Sao Paulo Symphony, Klangforum Wien, Boston Musica Viva, Talea Ensemble, the Amernet, Borromeo, Mivos and JACK quartets. He is a 2016 Fulbright Scholar who has received awards such as the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation fellowship, Fromm Music Foundation Commission, Aaron Copland Award, Bogliasco Foundation Fellowship, Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and a fellowship from Vitae. He is associate professor of music composition at Ithaca College and director of the Ithaca College Contemporary Ensemble. In addition, he is Head of Composition at VIPA, Valencia International Performance Academy.

Sonus 2020