PROGRAM
Southwest Guitar Symposium 2024
Duo Fortis
Dr. Isaac Bustos and Dr. Alejandro Montiel, guitar with Dr. Tracy Cowden, piano
Friday, March 8, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. UTSA Recital Hall
Danza Española No 1 from “La Vida Breve”
Manuel De Falla (1876-1946)
Milonga Jorge Cardoso (b. 1949)
Selections from Tango Suite
Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992)
Duo Fortis
Isaac Bustos and Alejandro Montiel, guitars
From Concierto Madrigal for Two Guitars
Joaquín Rodrigo
I. Fanfare (1901-1999)
II. Madrigal
III. Entrada
IV. Pastorcito, tu que vienes, pastorcito, tu que vas
V. Girardilla
VI. Pastoral
VII. Fandango
VIII. Arietta
IX. Zapateado
X. Caccia a la Española
Duo Fortis
Isaac Bustos and Alejandro Montiel, Guitars
Dr. Tracy Cowden, Piano
ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES
Classical guitarist, pedagogue and educator Isaac Bustos enjoys an extensive performing career that has taken him to Canada, Central America, Europe, China, and all over the US. Bustos has made several Radio and Television appearances and is in demand as clinician and master class teacher invited to perform in some of the most prestigious festivals around the globe.
Dr. Bustos has acquired an impressive number of top prizes in over 12 major international competitions, 7 of which are first prizes. Isaac has premiered new guitar works by composers Nico Muhly, Blas Atehortúa, Samuel Zyman, Frank Wallace, Mark Cruz, Peter Lieuwen, and Joe Williams II. In the Spring of 2019, he premiered a new concerto for guitar and orchestra, commissioned and dedicated to him, by American composer Peter Lieuwen under the baton of maestro Franz Anton Krager and the University of Houston Symphony Orchestra. Isaac has recorded for the Delos, MSR and Vgo Recordings labels.
Chamber music collaborations have included performances with the Grammy award-winning ensembles Los Angeles Guitar Quartet and Conspirare Choir, the Turtle Creek Chorale and legendary Mexican cellist Carlos Prieto. Bustos is also a founding member of the award-winning Texas Guitar Quartet and has released two critically acclaimed discs with the group. Highlights of the 2022-23 season included performances with the Chattanooga Symphony, Austin Classical Guitar, and Southwest Symphony, Orquesta Sinfonica de Cusco, and Camerata de Queretaro.
Isaac holds a Bachelor of Music degree in guitar performance from the University of New Hampshire, a Master of Music degree and Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin, where he worked under the guidance of renowned American guitarist Adam Holzman.
As an educator, his commitment to teaching is reflected in the success of his students whose prize-winning performances have included victories in numerous competitions around the Us. Dr. Bustos serves on the faculty at the University of Texas – San Antonio School of Music, where he is head of guitar studies and artistic director of the Southwest Guitar Symposium.
Described by Soundboard Magazine as a “flawless musician, filled to the brim with polished technique,” GRAMMY™ nominated guitarist & arranger Alejandro Montiel enjoys a performing career that has taken him throughout the United States, Mexico, China, Central America, and Europe. He holds graduate degrees from the Peabody Conservatory and the University of Texas at Austin, and is a founding member of the Texas Guitar Quartet.
A champion of new works for guitar, Alejandro has premiered pieces by Joseph V. Williams, Mark Cruz, John Truitt, Brian Herrington, and Samuel Zyman. He was part of the instrumental ensemble for the US premiere of Andy Pape’s opera “Houdini The Great”, collaborated with cellist Bion Tsang on a new
score by Joseph Williams for the Alfred Hitchcock silent film “The Lodger”, and was part of the 2015 world-premiere of Nico Muhly’s new work for chamber choir and guitar ensemble titled “How Little You Are.” More recently, he gave the Houston premiere of Clarice Assad’s “Three Sketches” for two guitars and violin.
Besides being a regularly invited artist, adjudicator, and clinician for guitar festivals around the US, Dr. Montiel is the Guitar Ensemble director at UTSA School of Music and also directs the guitar studio at Lone Star College - Montgomery. Alejandro is also a sought-after chamber musician throughout Texas - notable collaborations include Grammy-winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, Grammy-winning choir Conspirare, soprano Estelí Gómez, Line Upon Line percussion group, violinist Jennifer Choi, flutist Julee Kim-Walker, clarinetist Håkan Rosengren, and cellist Louis-Marie Fardet. Additionally, Dr. Montiel has been featured on multiple recordings, including the Texas Guitar Quartet’s critically acclaimed debut album “RED” and its follow up, “ICON.” Alejandro resides in the Houston area with his family.
Appointed in 2018 as Roland K. Blumberg Endowed Professor in Music and Chair of the Department of Music at The University of Texas at San Antonio, Tracy Cowden’s professional life centers around making music with others, whether in duos, chamber music, or orchestral settings. Her work as a collaborative pianist includes a wide range of music and partners, from the music of Jane Austen’s songbook with soprano Julianne Baird, to klezmer-influenced music with clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein and cellist Nick Cannelakis, to American fiddle music with violinist Mark O’Connor. She is also active in commissioning and performing 21st century music, and has premiered works in concerts from Kalamazoo to Bangkok.
Cowden’s interest in poetry and art song has led her to commission a song cycle by Gregory Hutter that features the poetry of Edgar Allan Poe, and another by Daron Hagen titled Vegetable Verselets, which features poetry by Margaret Hays. This song cycle, along with other works by Hagen performed by Cowden, soprano Ariana Wyatt, tenor Brian Thorsett, and cellist Benjamin Wyatt, was released on an album titled Rapture and Regret on the MSR Classics label in 2021.
Cowden’s recent work includes performing in health care settings, both in person and virtually, and facilitating interdisciplinary research regarding music and health; she is a member of the Brain Health Consortium at UTSA. Also active as a clinician and lecturer, Cowden has presented master classes and workshops on topics related to collaborative music-making and creative programming across the country. She has been a presenter or performer at conferences including the National Opera Association, Music Teachers National Association, College Music Society, the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, International Trumpet Guild, International Tuba Euphonium Conference, and the National Flute Association. Cowden is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music through the Music Teachers National Association, and currently serves as the chair of the MTNA National Certification Commission, as well as chair of the College Music Society 2021 National Conference Committee, and as a visiting evaluator for the National Association of Schools of Music.
A Michigan native, Cowden has previously served as a faculty member at Virginia Tech, Ohio Wesleyan University, Kalamazoo College, and Hope College. She received the D.M.A. and M.M. degrees in piano accompanying and chamber music from the Eastman School of Music, and a B.M. degree in piano performance from Western Michigan University.
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