ABOUT THE ARTISTS KRENCY GARCIA (EL PRODIGIO) Dominican accordionist Krency Garcia, also known as El Prodigio, is a native of Media Gorra, Cabrera, in the María Trinidad Sánchez province. He began his music studies in the town hall of his hometown. He subsequently moved to New York and continued his studies at Harlem School of the Arts, where he played first alto saxophone in the band. He went on to earn a degree in music theory and collaborative piano from Boston’s Berklee College of Music. Garcia has won numerous festivals as an accordionist, and has received several awards as a merengue composer, including six Casandra awards and two Soberanos, the highest honors given to artists in the Dominican Republic. El Prodigio has recorded and collaborated with influential artists such as Juan Luis Guerra, José Antonio Molina, Sergio Vargas, Wilfredo Vargas, Aventura, Chucho Valdez, Jochy Sanchez, Bryn Linch, and Xiomara Fortuna, among others, becoming a worldwide name for music from the Dominican Republic.
El Prodigio, nativo de Media Gorra en Cabrera, provincia María Trinidad Sánchez. Inicia sus estudios de música en el ayuntamiento de su pueblo natal. Viaja a New York y continua sus estudios en la escuela Martin Luther King de esa ciudad, allí se convierte en primer saxofón alto de la banda de música, donde concluyó la High School. Estudió canto en Harlem School of the Arts, teoría y armonía así como piano complementario en Berklee College of Music, confirmando que: “La música es un solo idioma, el género típico también se estudia y no pierde su esencia en adicción de otros colores armónicos que la hacen más rica aún.” Ha ganado numerosos festivales como acordeonista, ha recibido varios premios como autor de merengue y tiene 6 premios Casandra y dos Soberanos, máximo galardón que se entrega a los artistas en el país. Ha Grabado y colaborado con artistas influyentes como Juan Luis Guerra, José Antonio Molina, Sergio Vargas, Wilfredo Vargas, Aventura, Chucho Valdez, Jochy Sánchez, Bryn Linch, Xiomara Fortuna, entre otros, constituyéndose en el referente más notable de la másica típica en República Dominicana.
Thompson Arts Center at Park Avenue Armory | 643 Park Avenue at 67th Street
2020 ARTISTS STUDIO IN THE NEWLY RESTORED VETERANS ROOM
KRENCY GARCIA, “EL PRODIGIO” PERICO RIPIAO UNLIMITED tuesday, march 3 at 7pm Thompson Arts Center at Park Avenue Armory With Rosario Martínez Díaz, Cristian Vargas Gómez, Irvin Rosendo Báez Pichardo, Jesús María Rodríguez Lozano, Guillermo Alberto Rodríguez Monegro, Napoleón Antonio Rodríguez Mercado, Pablo José Toribio Gutiérrez, Rafael Antonio Mora Estévez, Mario Gonzales de la Cruz, Ruddy Rafael Gutiérrez Sánchez, Rayniere R Quezada, G Q TAMBORA, Raudy Miguel Blanco Campos This performance is approximately one hour, with no intermission.
SEASON SPONSORS
Support for Park Avenue Armory’s artistic season has been generously provided by the Charina Endowment Fund, The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, the Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, the Howard Gilman Foundation, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, The Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Foundation, the Marc Haas Foundation, the Juliet Lea Hillman Simonds Foundation, the Leon Levy Foundation, the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, the Richenthal Foundation, and the Isak and Rose Weinman Foundation. The artistic season is also made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Additional support has been provided by the Armory's Artistic Council. Cover photo: Luis Nova
ABOUT THE PROGRAM There are three styles of “merengue” in the Dominican Republic. Although similar rhythmically, they are distinguished by their instrumentation, repertoire and rhythmically interpretation by the performer; this being more attached to the musical syncope.
Existen tres estilos de merengues en la República Dominicana. Aunque similares rítmicamente, se distinguen por su instrumentación, repertorio y forma de interpretar rítmicamente por el ejecutante, siendo esta más apegada a la sincopa musical.
You will be able to enjoy the sonorities and essence of the accordion, the “guira” and the “tambura”, three instruments that originate the style of the “perico ripiao”, also known as the folkloric merengue of the Dominican Republic; the oldest style among these three and that is still commonly played.
Podrán disfrutar de las sonoridades y esencia del acordeón, la güira y la tambora, tres instrumentos que originan el estilo del perico ripiao, conocido también como el merengue típico en la República Dominicana; el estilo más antiguo entre estos tres y que se toca aun comúnmente.
An essential and fundamental part of this style is improvisation; this is when the public enjoys the musician that stands out in this area, as long as he has the syncopation dynamics that characterizes the merengue style.
Una parte esencial de este estilo es la improvisación; parte fundamental del merengue típico. El público disfruta del músico que se destaca en esta área, siempre y cuando cuente con la dinámica asincopada que caracteriza el estilo.
El Prodigio delivers an updated contemporary sound with harmonic and rhythmic colors incorporating instruments such as the electric guitar, brass and in some cases keyboards. He has also merged the typical merengue essence with different styles of music and lyrics which have resulted in the updating and permanence of the genre consumed by audiences of all ages. In the same way he has remained at the forefront of the sound technology of recent decades.
El Prodigio entrega un sonido con colores armónicos y rítmicos contemporáneos, actualizados a los nuevos tiempos incorporados instrumentos como la guitarra eléctrica, en algunos casos teclados y el Brass. Además ha fusionado en diferentes propuestas, de la esencia típica merenguera con diversos estilos de composiciones de música y letras que han dado como resultado la actualización y permanencia del género en el gusto de un público de todas las edades. De la misma manera se ha mantenido a la vanguardia de la tecnología desarrollada en el área del sonido en las últimas décadas.
Production Acknowledgments K B Paulino, Tour Manager Andres Salce, Artist Manager Hugo Fowler, Audio Technician
FEATURING Cresencio Garcia Mata (El Prodigio), Accordion/Acordeón Rosario Martínez Díaz, Bass/Bajista Cristian Vargas Gómez, Singer/Cantante Irvin Rosendo Báez Pichardo, Saxophone/Saxofon Jesús María Rodríguez Lozano, Guitar/Guitarra Ruddy Rafael Gutiérrez Sánchez, Singer/Cantante Rayniere R Quezada, Guïra Richard de Jesús López Hilario, Singer/Cantante G Q TAMBORA, Tambora Raudy Miguel Blanco Campos, Congas Guillermo Alberto Rodríguez Monegro, Sound Technician/Tecnico de sonido Napoleón Antonio Rodríguez Mercado, Band Boy Pablo José Toribio Gutiérrez, Band Boy Rafael Antonio Mora Estévez, Assistant/Asistente Mario Gonzales de la Cruz, Manager Thompson Arts Center at Park Avenue Armory | 643 Park Avenue at 67th Street
ABOUT THE ARTISTS STUDIO “…it was a block of music that made you think as the room does: Take note. Listen deeply. The rest of the world is not like this…that sublime and exclusive room, almost too opulent for this world.” —The New York Times Curated by jazz pianist, composer, and MacArthur fellow Jason Moran, this series of interventions in the Veterans Room includes a diverse mix of artists and musicians whose practices defy categorization and expressly mirror the innovative spirit of the exceptional young artists present at the room’s inception.
UPCOMING PERFORMANCE:
CAROL SZYMANSKI & JAIME BRANCH
april 4, 2020 at 7pm & 9pm
One of today’s outstanding avant-garde trumpeters, Jaime Branch, and Rome Prize Winner sculptor Carol Szymanski team up for the first time to present the Phonemophonic Alphabet Brass Band. Szymanski and her obsession with the shape of sound will fill the intricate architecture of the Veterans Room with a collection of instrument sculptures consisting of 26 brass horns whose shapes are based on the alphabet. The aural animation of this installation will be led by Branch and joined with a large ensemble of fellow brass musicians.
ABOUT THE VETERANS ROOM The Veterans Room is among the most significant surviving interiors of the American Aesthetic Movement, and the most significant remaining intact interior in the world by Louis C. Tiffany and Co., Associated Artists. The newly formed collective led by Tiffany included some of the most significant American designers of the 19th century at early stages of their very distinguished careers: Stanford White, Samuel Colman, and Candace Wheeler among them. The design of the room by these artists was exotic, eclectic, and full of experimentation, as noted by Decorator and Furnisher in 1885 that “the prepondering styles appear to be the Greek, Moresque, and Celtic, with a dash of Egyptian, the Persian, and the Japanese in the appropriate places.” A monument of late 19-century decorative arts, the Veterans Room is the fourth period room at the Armory completed (out of 18). The revitalization of the room responds to the original exuberant vision for the room’s design, bringing into dialogue some of the most talented designers of the 19th and 21st centuries – Associated Artists with Herzog & de Meuron, Platt Byrd Dovell White Architects, and a team of world-renowned artisans and experts in Tiffany glass, fine woodworking, and decorative arts.
The revitalization of the Veterans Room follows Herzog & de Meuron’s design approach for the Armory building, which seeks to highlight the distinct qualities and existing character of each individual room while interweaving contemporary elements to improve its function. Even more so than in other rooms at the Armory, Herzog & de Meuron’s approach to the Veterans Room is to amplify the beauty of the room’s original vision through adding contemporary reconstructions of lost historic materials and subtle additions with the same ethos and creative passion as the original artisans to infuse a modern energy into a harmonious, holistic design. The room’s restoration is part of an ongoing $215-million transformation, which is guided by the understanding that the Armory’s rich history and the patina of time are essential to its character, with a design process for the period rooms that emphasizes close collaboration between architect and artisan.
The restoration and renovation of the Veterans Room was made possible by The Thopson Family Foundation, Inc., Susan and Elihu Rose, Charina Endowment Fund, Lisa and Sanford B. Ehrenkranz, Almudena and Pablo Legorreta, Assemblymember Dan Quart and the New York State Assembly, Emanuel Stern, Adam R. Flatto, Olivia Tournay Flatto, Kenneth S. Kuchin, R. Mark and Wendy Adams, American Express, Rebecca Robertson and Byron Knief, Amy and Jeffrey Silverman, the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Anonymous (2). armoryonpark.org | @ParkAveArmory