Piano Music of Venezuela

NEW PALTZ — Clara Marcano is a pianist of very special qualities: her sensitivity of touch, awareness of style ….and the expressive personality in her playing, are quite unique. – Edith Vogel, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, England.

New Paltz, NY-Clara Marcano, a recipient of several awards for her contributions to the cultural life of Venezuela, will perform piano music of Venezuela, on Tuesday, March 23 at 8:00 p.m. in McKenna Theatre at the State University of New York at New Paltz.

Known for her expansive repertoire and sensitive command of style and technique, Marcano will perform works of composers spanning the 19th- and 20th-centuries, including a selection of folk and popular songs and dances. The evening’s performance exemplifies the rich variety of rhythms and melodies typical of Venezuelan musical tradition.

The program includes works by Antonio Estevez, Teresa Carreno, Juan Vicente Lecuna, Antonio Lauro and Alba Quintanilla; as well as three waltzes from the 19th-century (works by Rafael Saumell and Rogerio Caraballo); arrangements by Vicente Emilio Sojo (works by Rafael Isaza and Blas Maria Tovar) and Luis Zea (works by Antonio Lauro, Otilio Galindez and Cruz Felipe Iriarte).

Born in Ithaca, New York, Clara Marcano has spent most of her life in Venezuela, the native country of her parents. She studied in Caracas at the Juan Manuel Olivares Conservatory and Jose Angel Lamas Music School. After receiving a Piano Performance Diploma under Cristina Vidal de Pereira, Marcano traveled to London for further studies at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama under Edith Vogel, Adrian Thorne, Alfred Nieman and Hans Keller. She obtained the Licenciature in Piano Performance with a medal of distinction, and the much coveted Concert Recital Diplomas-Premier Prix.

Marcano’s has performed in England, USA, Peru, Cuba, Nicaragua, Barbados and Venezuela, appearing in solo recitals, chamber music concerts and as soloist with orchestras. She has performed with the celebrated Venezuelan guitarist Alirio Diaz. Her new CD of Venezuelan music will soon be released.

Tickets to the concert are $5 general admission, $4 staff and senior citizens $3 students. They are available at McKenna Theatre beginning one hour prior to the performance. For further information call (845) 257-3872. Piano Music of Venezuela is funded, in part, by the alumni and friends of New Paltz through the SUNY New Paltz Foundation.

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