DUO DA CAPO
Pas de Deux: Duos, Pairs and Partnerships
With works by Still, Price, Piazzolla, and more!
"A must see duo"
April 1st, 2025
7:30 p.m. | UTSA Recital Hall
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO COLLEGE OF LIBERAL AND FINE ARTS SCHOOL OF MUSIC
DUO DA CAPO PRESENTS
PAS DE DEUX: DUOS, PAIRS AND PARTNERSHIPS
INCANTATION AND DANCE
ANDANTE CON ESPRESSIONE
SUITE FOR OBOE AND HARP
1: MINUET
2: VALSE MINIATURE
3: JIG
ARABESQUE NO 2
LA PLUS QUE LENT
HISTOIRE DU TANGO
WILLIAM GRANT STILL (1895-1978)
FLORENCE PRICE (1887-1953)
WILLIAM ALWYN (1905-1985)
CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862-1918)
CLAUDE DEBUSSY
ÁSTOR PIAZZOLLA (1921-1992) CAFE, 1930 NIGHTCLUB, 1960
About the performers:
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO COLLEGE OF LIBERAL AND FINE ARTS SCHOOL OF MUSIC
Jaleen Seshadri has been a performer and educator for over 25 years. A native of central New York state, she received a Bachelor's of Music in Oboe performance from Berklee College of Music, and a Master's of Music in Oboe performance from New England Conservatory of Music. Her performance credits include: principal oboe with the US Army Forces Command Band, Augusta Symphony, Silicon Valley Symphony and she performs regularly with Austin Symphony and Opera, Temple Symphony Orchestra, Corpus Christi Symphony, Victoria Symphony and San Antonio Philharmonic As an educator, Ms Seshadri was formerly on faculty at Santa Clara University and currently maintains an active oboe studio in Round Rock She has two musical children, Gabriel (16) and Anna (13) and enjoys exploring the beautiful state and national parks, climbing, trail running and cooking (when she's not making reeds!)
Sarah Oliver is not only a harpist, but also an educator, speaker, and wellness advocate The Michigan native holds degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory and the Moores School of Music Sarah has won principal harp positions with the Baton Rouge Symphony and the Corpus Christi Symphony and prizes in many solo competitions, including the American Harp Society and the Midwest Harp Festival
Sarah is co-founder of Duo Da Capo, a chamber music group With oboist Jaleen Seshadri, the Duo is focused on promoting lesser-known composers Duo Da Capo commissions new works and pushes the boundaries of their instruments by arranging pieces to suit their collaboration and audiences
Sarah’s personal mission of providing health awareness and support for the music community is reflected in her founding of Studio Da Capo, where she works with musicians on creating physical and mental fitness and longevity through individual training, group coaching, and group workshops
Sarah's commitment to education is also evident through her service as a faculty member at Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX, as well as her active in-person and virtual teaching studio
When not involved in the music community, Sarah can be found curled up with a book and a cat, trying out a new creation in the kitchen, or enjoying a hike in Austin with her husband and dog, Emma
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO COLLEGE OF LIBERAL AND FINE ARTS SCHOOL OF MUSIC
Claude Debussy (1865-1918)
Popular French composer, Claude Debussy, was among the most influential composers of the late 19th and earliest 20th centuries
From around 1900 Debussy’s music became a focus and inspiration for an informal group of innovative young artists, poets, critics and musicians who began meeting in Paris They called themselves Les Apaches -roughly translated The Hooligans-to represent their status as “artistic outcasts” The membership was fluid, but at various times included Maurice Ravel, Igor Stravinsky, and Manuel de Falla.
Debussy’s Deux Arabesques were composed between 1888 and 1891 and were written originally for piano Debussy was still in his 20s at the time and his Deux Arabesques are considered one of the earliest expressions of French Impressionism
In music, the term Arabesque refers to a highly ornamental melody whose free unfolding expresses a slowing of time within the composition Unlike the straight line, which is the most direct path from A to B, the curving movement of the arabesque creates an effect of circular phrases and perpetual melodies In Europe, Arabesque meant ‘in the Arabic style’ and applied to music, can indicate meandering and circular, interwoven melodies The term arabesque also referred to the subtle ornamental embellishments of the Moorish architecture and only later spread into music
We will be performing Arabesque No 2, Allegretto Scherzando and have paired it with the achingly beautiful and energetically contrasting, La Plus Que Lente
Le plus que Lente, 1910
Le Plus que Lente is a lovely waltz originally composed for piano (and translates as ‘more than slow’) Despite its title, La Plus que Lente was not meant to be played slowly; “Lente” in this context refers to the valse Lente genre that Debussy attempts to emulate and that was sweeping Paris at the time The title here, also carries a hint of the composer ’s trademark sarcasm
This waltz ventures into the sultry, atmospheric world of Parisian cafe music, and at moments the music even anticipates the bluesy strains of jazz
Please listen for push and pull of the tempi between the harp and oboe (musicians call this Rubato) and the quickly contrasting dynamics Debussy uses to create texture and color We hope you love our Debussy pairing of his 2nd Arabesque and Le Plus Que Lente
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO COLLEGE OF LIBERAL AND FINE ARTS SCHOOL OF MUSIC
Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992)
Our final piece today will be 2 movements from Astor Piazzolla’s History of Tango: Cafe, 1930 and Nightclub, 1960
Astor Piazzolla was an Argentinian composer born in 1921 and revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and classical music
In 1925 (at 3 years old) he moved with his family to Greenwich Village in NYC and began to play the bandoneon, after his father spotted one in a pawn shop. He began to take lessons on his bandoneon (an accordion-type instrument in the concertina family) as well as composed his first tango in 1932, La Catinga
In 1936 Piazzolla returned to Argentina with his family where he continued to perform in tango orchestras, get married and start a family of his own, and begin formal composition lessons with Alberto Ginastera, an eminent Argentine composer of classical music In 1953, Piazzolla entered a classical composition competition and was awarded the Fabian Sevitzky Award, which funded him with a grant to travel to Paris to study with legendary composition teacher, Nadia Boulanger
Histoire du Tango is Piazzolla’s only work for flute and guitar and was written in 1985 It is one of the most famous compositions by Piazzolla and is often played with different combinations, including violin, flute, piano, harp or marimba History of Tango attempts to convey the history and evolution of the tango in four movements: Bordel, 1900; Cafe, 1930; Nightclub 1960 and Concert d’aujourd’hui
From Piazzolla’s own concert notes:
Cafe, 1930 (2nd movement): This is another age of the Tango. People stopped dancing it as they did in 1900, preferring instead simply to listen to it It became more musical, more romantic This tango has undergone total transformation: the movements are slower, with new and often melancholy harmonies Tango orchestras come to consist of two violins, two concertinas, a piano, and a bass The tango is sometimes sung as well
Nightclub, 1960 (3rd movement): This is a time of rapidly expanding international exchange, and the tango evolves again as Brazil and Argentina come together in Buenos Aires The bossa nova and the new tango are moving to the same beat. Audiences rush to the night clubs to listen earnestly to the new tango
It was Piazzolla’s life work to bring the tango from the bordellos and dance halls of Argentina into the concert halls of Europe and America, and he was encouraged by his composition teacher NOT to become another European-style composer, but to apply to the TANGO the lessons of his time studying with her
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO COLLEGE OF LIBERAL AND FINE ARTS SCHOOL OF MUSIC
We have immensely enjoyed arranging our Pas de Deux program today and hope you leave inspired by the partnerships and musical connections that we’ve presented for you today Thank you to our host **** for supporting us, always
We are Duo da Capo, please follow us on Facebook for performance notifications and connect with us at our website, duodacapo org
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HELP THE UTSA CLARINET CHOIR GET TO CLARINETFEST 2025
• The UTSA Clarinet Choir has been invited to perform at the International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest this July
• ClarinetFest, the world’s largest clarinet conference, unites performers, educators, and industry professionals. UTSA Clarinet Choir will premiere works by San Antonio composers Clarisa De la Garza and Dr. Tyler M. Webster on July 13th in Fort Worth, TX.
• Premiering two new works at this international conference is a major achievement. Students will gain invaluable artistic growth, networking opportunities, and exposure to world-class performances.
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