Recital to sizzle with sounds of Latin America

On Sun., April 5, La Sierra University's director of keyboard studies Elvin Rodríguez, together with four other pianists, will perform works by Latin-American composers in an evening of sultry sounds from south of the border.

The evening will feature the following works and pianists: “Scaramouche” by Darius Milhaud, including a movement with Brazilian flair, with pianists Rodríguez and adjunct faculty member Jungwon Jin; “Fantasia in F Minor, Op. 103” by Franz Schubert, with pianists Rodríguez and La Sierra University music department Chair Kimo Smith; “Le Grand Tango” by Astor Piazzolla with pianists Rodríguez and Victor Moreno; “Tres Romances Argentinos” by Carlos Guastavino with pianists Rodríguez and Moreno; “Ritmo” and “Gracia” from “Danses Andalouses” by Manuel Infante, with pianists Rodríguez and Lorenzo Sanchez.

The recital will take place in Hole Memorial Auditorium at 7 p.m. Ticket prices are $10 general admission, $5 for seniors and $20 family admission. No admission fee for children under 12.

Rodríguez graduated from the Manhattan School of Music and Teachers College, Columbia University. He has performed extensively in solo and chamber recitals on the West and East coasts of the United States, and is a frequent presenter at workshops and conferences. Rodríguez has also done extensive research and development of computerized, on-line courseware for music education, specifically in the area of music theory.

Jin studied at The Juilliard School prior to earning a Bachelor's of Music at the Manhattan School of Music and a doctorate at the University of Southern California. She has performed extensively, both in recital and with orchestra, in the United States, Asia, and Europe. ABC radio in Australia, KBS Radio-Television in Korea, KCRW radio in Santa Monica, and the Young Artist Showcase on WQXR in New York have featured her performances. A multiple prize winner in competition, she is also a recording artist whose projects include “Selected Solo Highlights” from the Sydney International Piano Competition, and “In Search of Light: Works of Claude Debussy.” She teaches piano at La Sierra University, Glendale Community College and East Los Angeles College.

Victor Moreno, a Panamanian pianist, studied economics and piano performance in Panama where he also was professor at the National Institute of Music and the French School of Panama, Paul Gauguin. Moreno served as pianist for the U.S. Forces Chapels in the Panama Canal Zone and has performed in concerts and for evangelistic meetings in Europe, Cuba, North, Central and South America.

Moreno performs regularly on the international Christian satellite television broadcast 3ABN. He cites performances for the president of Panama and NATO Gen. Wesley Clark in Europe among his memorable career moments. Moreno's current musical activities include teaching piano at Hinsdale Adventist Academy in Hinsdale, Ill. and serving as music director for the Hinsdale Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation.

Sánchez's early teachers included Anita Nørskov Olsen, a retired La Sierra music professor and piano teacher, and Robert Ward at the University of Southern California. In 1988 he completed a master's degree at the Manhattan School of Music and in 1992 earned a doctorate of musical arts at USC.

Sánchez has premiered new concert music for piano, including Robert Guillory's “Concertino for Piano and Orchestra” and appeared several times as a lecturer and performer at the annual Paderewski Festival in Paso Robles, Calif. He has collaborated in concerts featuring music by African-American composers including William Grant Still and George Walker and performed in vocal, chamber and solo concerts featuring music by Mexican composers. He edited and helped publish piano music by Mexican composer Domingo Lobato. Along with violinist Konstantin Zioumbilov, Sánchez recorded a compact disc of sonatas for violin and piano which includes Mr. Lobato's “Sonata Nöel”.

Smith attended the University of Hawaii, La Sierra University, and University of Southern California. He completed his bachelor and master degrees, magna cum laude, in Organ Performance at USC. He received the Organ Department Outstanding Achievement Award on both occasions. He is a member of the USC chapter of Pi Kappa Lambda, a national music honor society. Smith completed his doctoral studies at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Smith is a winner of several competitions sponsored by the American Guild of
Organists and Music Teachers National Association and has been involved in church music for over twenty-five years. He is the organist at the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood and the University Church of Seventh-day Adventists in Loma Linda. He has served as an accompanist in concerts throughout the United States and Europe.

La Sierra University is at 4500 Riverwalk, Riverside. Call (951) 785-2036 for more information. A campus map is at https://lasierra.edu/index.php?id=981.

PR Contact: Larry Becker
Executive Director of University Relations
La Sierra University
Riverside, California
951.785.2460 (voice)