MIGUEL ZENON & LUIS PERDOMO,
ARTE DEL BOLERO
November 21, 2024 | 7:30 PM
Camp Concert Hall
PHOTO:
JIMMY KATZ
Thank You
MIGUEL ZENÓN & LUIS PERDOMO
H. G. Quigg Fund
THANKS TO OUR 2024-25 MODLIN ARTS PRESENTS
SEASON SPONSORS & COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Louis S. Booth Arts Fund
Dewitt Fund for the Arts
E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation
A. Dale Mayo Fund
Virginia B. Modlin Endowment
Tucker-Boatwright Festival
Norman and Eleanor Leahy
William and Pamela O'Connor
IS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF Specific projects are supported in part by the
Welcome
At Modlin Center for the Arts, we are committed to providing the University of Richmond campus and our broader community with the best in diverse, thoughtprovoking, and captivating performances. Each season is cultivated with our attention to showcasing artists who provide insight into our shared humanity. At the University of Richmond, we pledge to you—our patrons and partners, on campus and in our region—that the arts will provide broad access to rich voices, creative passion, and unforgettable experiences.
Paul Brohan, Executive Director
PHOTO: JIMMY KATZ
Fall 2024
P Ticketed: Paid
F Free: Tickets Required
F Free: No Tickets Required
Modlin Arts Presents
Department of Theatre and Dance
Department of Music
World Premier
Modlin Commission
September
David Esleck Trio Thu 5 Sep 7:30pm
Family Weekend Concert Fri 13 Sep 7:30pm
What Belongs to You, an opera for tenor and chamber orchestra Thu 26 Sep 7:30pm Sat 28 Sep 7:30pm
What Belongs to You : Panel Discussion with Creative Team Fri 27 Sep 7pm
October
Stop Kiss
Thu-Sat 3-5 Oct 7:30pm
Sun 6 Oct 2pm F
Circa, Duck Pond
Thu 10 Oct 7:30pm P
Las Cafeteras
Fri 18 Oct 7:30pm P
Family Arts Day: Latin Ballet of Virginia, Fiesta del Sol
Sun 20 Oct
Art Activities 1pm Show 3pm F
Keith Phares, baritone
Thu Oct 24 7:30pm F
Master Class:
Keith Phares, baritone
Fri Oct 25 TBD F
Wagner & Kong Duo: Christoph Wagner, cello, Joanne Kong, piano
Fri 25 Oct 7:30pm F
14th Annual Celebration of Dance
Fri 25 Oct 7:30pm F
Step Afrika! Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence
Sat 26 Oct 7:30pm P
Fall Choral Concert
Sun 27 Oct 3pm F
The Soul Rebels
Thu 31 Oct 7:30pm P
November
Tessa Lark (violin), Joshua Roman (cello), and Edgar Meyer (double bass)
Fri 8 Nov 7:30pm
Jazz & Contemporary Combos Wed 13 Nov 7:30pm
Third Practice Festival
Fri 15 Nov 7:30pm Sat 16 Nov 2pm, 7:30pm
Popular Music Ensemble Tue 19 Nov 7:30pm
Jazz Ensemble with guest saxophonist Dr. Dan Puccio Wed 20 Nov 7:30pm
Miguel Zenón & Luis Perdomo, El Arte del Bolero Thu 21 Nov 7:30pm
The House That Will Not Stand
Thu-Sat 21-23 Nov 7:30pm Sun 24 Nov 2pm
Global Sounds Sun 24 Nov 3pm
Wind Ensemble Mon 25 Nov 7:30pm
December
Chamber Ensembles
Mon 2 Dec 7:30pm
University Symphony Orchestra Wed 4 Dec 7:30pm
Cécile McLorin Salvant Fri 6 Dec 7:30pm
51st Annual Festival of Lessons and Carols Sun 8 Dec 5pm, 8pm
Spring 2025
P Ticketed: Paid
F Free: Tickets Required
F Free: No Tickets Required
Modlin Arts Presents
Department of Theatre and Dance
Department of Music
World Premier
Modlin Commission
January
BODYTRAFFIC
Fri 24 Jan 7:30pm
February
Manual Cinema, Frankenstein Sat 1 Feb 7:30pm
Ronald Crutcher, cello Sun 2 Feb 3pm
Richard Becker, piano Wed 5 Feb 7:30pm
Lab Project: The Woman in Black Thu-Sat 6-8 Feb 7:30pm Sun 9 Feb 2pm
Billy Childs Quartet with Sean Jones, The Winds of Change Fri 7 Feb 7:30pm
Leyla McCalla Thu 13 Feb 7:30pm
Documentary Film Screening: The Sound of Santiago by Dr. Mike Davison and Ed Tillett Wed 19 Feb 7:30pm
Third Coast Percussion with Zakir Hussain Fri 21 Feb 7:30pm
University Dancers
40th Anniversary Concert Fri-Sat 28 Feb-1 Mar 7:30pm Sun 2 Mar 2pm
March
Kardeş Türküler
Sat 1 Mar 7:30pm
Doris Wylee-Becker, piano
Sun 2 Mar 3pm
Anzû Quartet
Wed 5 Mar 7:30pm
Kronos Quartet with Peni Candra Rini
Fri 21 Mar 7:30pm
Tanya Tagaq
Thu 27 Mar 7:30pm
Neumann Lecture on Music: Robert Fink
Mon 31 Mar 7:30pm
April
Twyla Tharp Dance with Third Coast Percussion
Sat 5 Apr 7:30pm
Global Sounds
Sun 6 Apr 3pm
Jazz & Contemporary Combos
Wed 9 Apr 7:30pm
Simone Dinnerstein, piano Fri 11 Apr 7:30pm
Spring Choral Concert
Sun 13 Apr 3pm
Wind Ensemble
Mon 14 Apr 7:30pm
Popular Music Ensemble Tue 15 Apr 7:30pm
Urinetown
Thu-Sat 17-19 Apr 7:30pm Sun 20 Apr 2pm
Chamber Ensembles
Mon 21 Apr 7:30pm
University Symphony Orchestra
Wed 23 Apr 7:30pm
Cuban Spectacular: From Mambo to Motown Thu 24 Apr 7:30pm
MODLIN CENTER FOR THE ARTS PRESENTS
MIGUEL ZENON & LUIS PERDOMO, EL ARTE DEL BOLERO
Join us at 6:30 PM for a pre-concert artist talk with Miguel Zenón and Luis Perdomo, led by VPM Music Jazz Host Annie Parnell.
ABOUT THE MUSIC
As an instrumentalist, I spend a lot of my time working on making the saxophone an extension of my creative process. This process is always filtered through interpretation and expressiveness, and more often than not I find myself looking up to some of my favorite singers (people like Ismael Rivera, Cheo Feliciano and Andy Montañez) as sources of inspiration. In their individual voices I can hear a reflection of their unique personalities, all manifested at the highest level through their interpretation of songs. These melodies become vehicles for their creativity—a canvas on which they’ll portray their feelings and states of mind.
But these are not just any songs. These are songs they have heard hundreds of times, familiar pieces of music they know very well, and that is sort of the way I feel about the repertoire on this album. We chose compositions from the Bolero era that we could just play right away, without giving it a second thought: songs from the times of our parents and grandparents that somehow stuck around long enough for us to get to know them and truly love them. They are all as
PHOTO: JIMMY KATZ
essential to our development as the music of Charlie Parker, John Coltrane or Thelonious Monk, but perhaps even more familiar. When we play these songs, we can hear the lyrics in the back of our minds—something that provides a very deep connection, one that is hard to replicate in any other situation. It really is almost beyond familiar. These songs are part of us.
We recorded this music as a live show, all in one take, without much preparation other than discussing tonalities and some basic elements on form. We were more than pleasantly surprised with the results and decided that they deserved to be shared. There is nothing like making music with someone else, finding a common language we can grab onto and then just going and exploring that together. We hope this comes across here, and that you enjoy the music.
— Miguel Zenón
Tonight’s performance will last about 70 minutes, without intermission.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
MIGUEL ZENON, saxophone
Grammy Winner, Doris Duke Artist and Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellow Miguel Zenón represents a select group of musicians who have masterfully balanced and blended the often-contradictory poles of innovation and tradition. Widely considered one of the most groundbreaking and influential saxophonists and composers of his generation, he has also developed a unique voice as a conceptualist, concentrating his efforts on perfecting a fine mix between jazz and his many musical influences.
Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Zenón has released seventeen recordings as a leader, including his latest Golden City (2024), the Grammywinning album El Arte Del Bolero Vol. 2 (2023) and the Grammy-nominated Música De Las Américas (2022), Sonero: The Music of Ismael Rivera (2019) and Yo Soy La Tradición (2018). He has worked with luminaries such as The SFJAZZ Collective, Charlie Haden, Fred Hersch, Kenny Werner, David Sánchez, Danilo Perez, The Village Vanguard Orchestra, Kurt Elling, Joey Calderazzo, Steve Coleman, Ray Barreto, Andy Montañez, Jerry Gonzalez & The Fort Apache Band, The Mingus Big Band and Bobby Hutcherson.
In April 2008 he received a fellowship from the prestigious John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. Later that year he was one of 25 distinguished individuals chosen to receive the coveted MacArthur Fellowship, also known as the “Genius Grant.” In 2011 he founded Caravana Cultural, a program which presents free-of-charge Jazz concerts in rural areas of Puerto Rico. In 2022 he
received an Honorary Doctorate from La Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the highest honor bestowed by the institution. In 2024 he received a Doris Duke Artist Award from the Doris Duke Foundation.
Zenón has been featured in publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe and The Chicago Tribune. In addition, he topped both the Jazz Artist of the Year and Alto Saxophonist of the Year categories in the 2014 JazzTimes Critics Poll and was selected as Alto Saxophonist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association in 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2020 (when he was also recognized as Arranger of the Year). In 2023 he was recognized by the same organization as the Composer of the Year.
As a composer he has been commissioned by SFJAZZ, NYO Jazz, The New York State Council on the Arts, Chamber Music America, Logan Center for The Arts, The Hyde Park Jazz Festival, The John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, MIT, Spektral Quartet, Miller Theater, The Hewlett Foundation, Peak Performances, PRISM Quartet and many of his peers. Zenón has given hundreds of lectures and master classes at institutions all over the world and is a faculty member in the Music & Theater Arts Department at MIT, as well as the current Visiting Scholar for the Harmony and Jazz Composition Department at Berklee College of Music.
LUIS PERDOMO, piano
There are moments in music when an artist illuminates the scene with imagination, virtuosity and above all, an undying dedication to swing.
Pianist/composer/bandleader Luis Perdomo is that moment!
Ever since he came to New York in 1993 from Venezuela, Perdomo has emerged as one of the most in-demand sidemen – as evidenced by his celebrated work with a wide array of jazz and Latin stars – from Ravi Coltrane to Ray Barretto, and by his six criticallyacclaimed recordings as a leader. The release of his magnificent new, Hot Tone label debut CD, 22, features bassist Mimi Jones’ supple, deep basslines and drummer Rudy Royston’s quicksilver rhythms, in a trio he christened The Controlling Ear Unit. “I wanted to create an environment where a sensitive player could make his own musical choices, without fear of the consequences,” Perdomo says. “The word ‘unit’ is appropriate because although the current group is a trio, it doesn’t really have to be restrained to that. It could have a different format, depending on what the music calls for.”
On 22, save for his elegant rendition of the Bees Gees’ classic ballad “How Deep is Your Love,” Perdomo delivers a stunning set of original compositions, mostly inspired by his adopted and native hometowns, and that mysterious number.
“2015 marks my twenty-second year living in New York City, and I left my hometown when I was twenty-two years old,” he says. “I remembered the exact moment when I moved, and the feelings I had had at the time...especially during the last two days in Caracas and the first two days in New York City. There again, I saw the two and two formula, and realized that there was a little recurring theme there. So I began scoring all of those memories and trying to convey them through music: translating some dates that were very significant to me into notes.”
Perdomo’s lyrical and logical pianism embodies Bud Powell’s bop-at-thespeed-of- swing, Oscar Peterson’s technical brilliance, and Ahmad Jamal’s melodic genius. And his numbers-into-notes compositional technique, which he learned from Richard DeRosa, an instructor from his Alma Mater, the Manhattan School of Music, forms the basis of two songs: “Cota Mil” a funky, labyrinthine, Patanemo-grooved number named after a prominent highway north of Caracas, which derives its compositional motifs from the dates of the Venezuelan Battle of Independence in 1821 and the Batalla de la Juventud/Battle of the Youth in 1814. The martial, “Days Gone Days Ahead,” was inspired by the day Perdomo got his US Student Visa on 8/13/93.
Perdomo has appeared on over two hundred records, and has become a firstclass sideman to artists like Dave Douglas, David Sanchez, Tom Harrell, Steve Turre, Ben Wolfe, Ray Barretto, Brian Lynch, David Gilmore, Conrad Herwig, Ignacio Berroa, and other great musicians. He was a member of Ravi Coltrane’s Quartet for ten years, and is a founding member of the Miguel Zenón Quartet. Perdomo recorded on three Grammy-nominated CD’s: Coltrane’s Influx, Zenón’s Esta Plena, and Alma Adentro: The Puerto Rican Songbook.
PHOTO: JIMMY KATZ
Modlin Arts Presents
CECILE MCLORIN SALVANT
Fri 6 Dec 2024
Camp Concert Hall
THIS ACCLAIMED VOCALIST COMBINES JAZZ, HATIAN AND FRENCH INFLUENCES, AND CAPTIVATING MUSICAL STORYTELLING TO CREATE AN UNFORGETTABLE MUSICAL EXPERIENCE.
BODYTRAFFIC
Fri 24 Jan 2025
Alice Jepson Theatre
THIS FORWARD-THINKING LOS ANGELES DANCE COMPANY BRINGS THEIR INNOVATIVE AND CONTEMPORARY CHOREOGRAPHY TO THE MODLIN CENTER STAGE.
MANUAL CINEMA, FRANKENSTEIN
Sat 1 Feb 2025
Alice Jepson Theatre
LOVE, LOSS, AND CREATION MERGE IN UNEXPECTED WAYS AS MANUAL CINEMA PRESENTS ITS THRILLING VERSION OF THE CLASSIC GOTHIC TALE FRANKENSTEIN.
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