23festivalinternacionaldr.alfonsoortiztirado 2007 / Boletín No. 311  / Enero 11,  2007

Concert of International music
from semi-classic to popular

Baritone Jorge Lagunes accompanied for cellist Maria Teresa Balcazar, percussionist Luis Huerta and pianist Angel Rodriguez will offer a Concert of international music “From semi-classic to popular”, within the frame of gala nights of the 23rd International Festival Dr. Alfonso Ortiz Tirado 2007, on Tuesday 23rd at Alamo’s City Hall and on Thursday 25th at the Local Theater Auditorium “Profr. Romeo Gomez Aguilar” in Navojoa, at 20:00 hours.

Jorge Lagunes, baritone
Two important events marked his career this year: on June in Los Angeles California he received the Placido Domingo Award, an award that maestro Placido gives to a Hispanic artist due to the artist trajectory; and in July was his debut in the Covent Garden in London.

Among his presentations stands out his performance in Rigoletto with Israel’s Philharmonic Orchestra, with conductor Daniel Oren; in La Traviata and Andrea Chenier in Washington, with maestro Placido Domingo conducting.

Since his debut in the New York City Opera performing Escamillo in Carmen, Jorge Lagunes has sung the main roles of baritone with the opera companies from, Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Madrid, Bilbao, Mallorca, Berlin, and Geneva; and in a new production of La Traviata, under the conduction of Franco Zeffirelli, that he performed in Busseto, Ravenna, Ferrara and Modena, Italy.

Jorge Lagunes has been invited by Placido Domingo to participate in seven different productions with Washington and Los Angeles operas. His activity in Mexico is permanent; every year he intervenes with the National Company of Opera from the Fine Arts, accomplishes concerts with orchestras of our country; and presentations and tours of popular music. 

Angel Rodriguez Morales, pianist
Composer, arranger and orchestra director. He was born in La Habana, Cuba, where he began his musical studies at age of 5. Since 1987 he specializes in the lyric singing genre, as a pianist and opera and concert repertoire.

In Cuba he has been pianist from the Choir of the Great Theater of La Habana, from the Superior Institute of Art and from the Cuban National Opera. In Mexico he has been teacher of UNAM’s National School of Music; from Superior School of Music and from INBA’s National Conservatory of Music; from the International Society of Mexican Art Values, and harpsichord player in different operatic productions.

Angel Rodriguez has offered recitals in Europe and Latin America as director of chamber groups and joining remarkable representatives of the lyric singing. He has been acclaimed for his energy, security, quality of sound and ability to alternate with great figures of the belo-canto. His versatility as a musician has taken him to stand out in the popular music field, as an arranger, composer and director, as well, for several television programs and for orchestras in the country.

Throughout his career he has been pianist for prominent singers of opera and popular genre, as well, among them:  Ramon Vargas, Jorge Lagunes, Rolando Villazon, Fernando de la Mora, Luis Maria Bilbao, Timothy Robert Blevins, Luis Giron May, Olivia Gorra, Maria del Sol, Eugenia Leon and Susana Zabaleta. With them Angel Rodríguez has performed in the most important forums of Mexico.

He is pianist of Mexico National Company of Opera, where collaborates with famous artists like Placido Domingo, Francisco Araiza, Veronica Villarroel, Justino Diaz, Barbara Dever, Juan Pons, Cristina Gallardo, Anatoli Kotscherga, Karen Huffstodt, Greer Grimsley, Kathleen Cassello and Jürgen Linn, among others. He is titular director of the Philharmonic Cameratta of Puebla and artistic director of Cuba en mi Corazon, spectacle that reforms the Cuban popular music.   

Luis Huerta, percussionist
Native from Mexico City, he began his musical education at age 17 with Juan Carlos Novelo. Novelo’s tutorship has been fundamental in his professional career. Luis Huerta participated in the International Seminar of Jazz, imparted by teachers from Berkeley College of Music in 1989, where he obtained a scholarship to improve his drums studies in Boston, and received a master-class from Dave Weckl.

He has been a drummer for Julio Revueltas and with him Luis Huerta accomplished the recordings and presentations of discs: De Tierra y Cielo, Mi Santa Maria, La Casa del Portal and El Cuerpo. He opened the concerts of Steve Vai in the Metropolitan Theater in 1997. As a drummer-percussionist Luis Huerta participated with Guillermo Briceño and the Military Band in concerts through the city with the musical play “Fame” (Insurgentes Theater), in the musical video “Todos queremos amor” of artist Gyan Marcos and from techno-pop group Luna Limon from Aztec Music Company with appearances on TV and different forums.

He was part of the exclusive band of the Argentinean singer song-writer Noel to have the promotion tour of his first compact disc in Mexico Ilumíname and participated with musicians from all over the world in a production from Foundation for World’s Awakening in India, in the recording of seven songs in co-authorship.

He was supporting drummer in the classes given by Marc Cooper and in 2002 he became drummer of the musical group fusion Cuba-Mexico Avane, they played in the National Auditorium in the 50 years anniversary of Celia Cruz’s artistic career celebration; he has played for Yuri, Aleks Syntek, Marco Antonio Muñiz, Pedro Fernandez, Kabbah and Daniela Romo, among others. He was invited for the radio station “Sabrosita” to alternate with Oscar de Leon in the racetrack “Hermanos Rodriguez”; he was request for the Italian producer Maurizio Coli to record the first compact disc of the duet Rocio and Amanda.

In 2003 he participated as a producer and performer next to Carlos Law, well-known Mexican singer who lives in Spain, for the realization of the official song for the “Festival de las Almas” sponsored for the government of the State of Mexico. His versatility has taken him to play with famous singer of the lyric genre, from opera, zarzuela and operetta, to groups and singers of popular music of great prestige; he links his professional work with the scholastic activity, nowadays he teaches in Fermatta Academy.