The music included in this album is all related to guitarist and classical guitar professor at the University of Central Florida Eladio Scharrón. “Héroes” (Heroes in Spanish) recognizes the many composers that support and honor the classical guitar repertoire, as well as its inclusion in the chamber music repertoire. The composers in this CD follow in the tradition initiated by artists such as Manuel M. Ponce, Manuel de Falla, Benjamin Britten, and others since the beginning of the twentieth century. The idea of “Héroes” began two years ago with the support of Dr. Juan B. Aponte and Dr. Angel L. Rivera, both members of the Board of Directors of Fundación Francisco Carvajal, Inc. This foundation awarded Eladio Scharrón a grant for the commission of a new work for the Scharrón-Wiesinger Duo. The work, “Héroes”, composed by Alberto Rodríguez Ortiz, was premièred by Eladio Scharrón and Carrie Wiesinger in November of 2013 to celebrate the one- hundredth birthday of Spanish-Puerto Rican industrialist-philantropist and great supporter of cultural events in Puerto Rico, Don Francisco Carvajal Narvaez. A recording project followed, with the idea of using the works commissioned for the Carvajal birthday celebration as well as other solo and chamber works composed or dedicated to Eladio Scharrón and the Scharron-Wiesinger Duo, all covering a time span of over thirty years. This recording was made possible in great part by a grant awarded by Fundación Francisco Carvajal, Inc. in Puerto Rico, and was completed thanks to the generous support of the following donors in the United States: Linda and Joel Bambas, Colleen and Scott Bennett, Molly and Len Brenza, Natalie Schoch and John Coffey, Carolyn Striho and Scott Dailey, The Derminer Family, Andie Fron, Marylou Jansen, Adriana and Donnie G., Eleanore Schroeder and Matt Grimes, Diane and Ron Harris, Kevin Kluender, Mary Therese and Peter Kluender, Julie and Matt Mason, Marti and Kevin Miller, Temple B. Mosley, Luis Mota, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Quandt, Jr., Erin Walton-Doyle and Patrick Rorai, Lita Ruble, Debbie and Lowell Schaller, Emily Schaller, Betty McBride Smith and Donna and Dale Wiesinger. Program "Tiento por Tiento" by Antonio Ruiz-Pipó (Spain-France, 1934-1997) was premièred in 1980, in Madrid, for the commemoration of the four hundredth anniversary of the death of the Spanish composer Alonso Mudarra (1510-1580). Eladio Scharrón performed the French première in Paris at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris in 1981. Antonio Ruiz-Pipó dedicated the piece to Eladio Scharrón. "Preludio and Staccato Dance" by Jorge Morel (Argentina 1931-) is recorded here for the first time. Jorge Morel, worldwide known guitarist-composer, started his North-American career in Puerto Rico during the early 1960s; he was one of the first classical guitarists to appear on Puerto Rican television. Twelve years ago Morel gave Scharrón a copy of the manuscript score for Staccato Dance. Eladio Scharrón suggested a Prélude to accompany the piece and in August 15, 2015 Jorge Morel surprised and honored him with the Preludio, dedicated to him. This new version is in the present recording. "Modinha" by Stella Sung (Florida 1959-) was composed in 2003 and premièred at the “Festivale delle Due Cittá” that took place in the cities of Treviso and Rome, Italy, in homage to Heitor Villa-Lobos. Stella Sung, also a colleague at the University of Central Florida, dedicated the piece to Eladio Scharrón. Modinha is Sung’s first piece for guitar, followed by other works for solo guitar and guitar and piano. "Danzón", by the Cuban Antonio Brett (Cuba 1937-) was composed in 2005, that same year Eladio Scharrón premièred the piece in a concert at the University of Central Florida. Antonio Brett, who was also a colleague at the university, had his musical training in Cuba. The work was dedicated to Eladio Scharrón as well as to Leo Brouwer, one of his professors in his Cuba. "Tú y Yo" is a Puerto Rican “danza”, composed by Ángel Mislán (Puerto Rico 1862-1911), a Puerto Rican composer born in San Sebastián, Scharrón’s hometown. The arrangement for flute and guitar was commissioned by Eladio Scharrón and realized by Alberto Rodríguez Ortiz. This version was premièred at “Festival Internacional de Guitarra de San Sebastián, Puerto Rico”, in November 2013, by the Scharrón-Wiesinger Duo. "Héroes" by Alberto Rodriguez Ortiz is a four-movement sonata with musical motives borrowed from the Puerto Rican anthem, “La Borinqueña”. It references the original 1868 revolutionary lyrics by Lola Rodriguez de Tió. The programatic titles of the movements, “Love, Sedition, Jail Cells, and Glory”, refer to events in the life of Oscar Lopez Rivera while in a prison in the United States for his political ideas. Lopez Rivera eventually united all of the political factions in Puerto Rico in support of his freedom. Ironically, Francisco Carvajal, mentioned above, a cavalry captain in the Spanish civil war, was imprisoned by Franco in Granada in 1936. The work, dedicated to Carrie Wiesinger and Eladio Scharrón, was premiered at the “Festival Internacional de Guitarra de San Sebastián, Puerto Rico” in November 2013. "Fantasía" by Inocente Carreño (Venezuela, 1919-) was premièred by Colombian flutist Edison Carranza and guitarist Eladio Scharrón in Puerto Rico in a concert in celebration of the Five Hundredth Anniversary of the arrival of Christopher Colombus to the New World. The Première concert took place at the Museum of Art in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico in September of 1992. Inocente Carreño is an important Venezuelan musician that had a very distinguished career as composer and orchestra conductor. Carreño is originally from the island of Margarita and in his music we find a refined lyricism as well as dance rhythms that remind us of his Caribbean origins. We belief this is the first world recording of this work. "Introducción y Pasillo", by Colombian composer Francisco González (Colombia, 195? -) was also premièred by Edison Carranza and Eladio Scharrón in Puerto Rico in 1992. The work has a very evocative and lyrical introduction for solo guitar followed by a moderately fast movement of “pasillo”, a common dance to Colombia and Ecuador, with the flute carrying the main melody. "Jarcias", a work in three movements by Antonio Ruiz-Pipó, was composed in 1992 for and dedicated to Eladio Scharrón. The work was premièred during the same “Columbian” commemorative concert, mentioned above, in Puerto Rico. “Jarcias” is a Spanish term that refers to the ropes used in sailboats, a clear reference to the vessels used on Christopher Colombus’ voyages. This work has a clear influence from “cante hondo” (Andalusia flamenco music chant), mainly in the first movement, and from Andalusia dances in the third movement. The second movement makes reference to the death of one of Ruiz-Pipó’s students who died sometime before the composition of this work. "Tercer Concierto para Guitarra y Orquesta" (In Memoriam Manuel de Falla and Narciso Yepes) by Antonio Ruiz-Pipó came out of a request made in November 1992 from Eladio Scharrón to the composer for a new multi movement sonata for solo-guitar. Ruiz-Pipó was not very inclined to compose long multi movement works for the guitar so Scharrón decided to challenge him. To his surprise he answered with “why don’t I write you a concerto for guitar and orchestra?” Scharrón felt honored but at the same time somewhat worried since he knew that it was not an easy task to find an opportunity to première a contemporary concerto with orchestra. Antonio finished his concerto between 1995 and 1996 and sent him a manuscript copy of the piano and guitar reduction. Unfortunately around that time Narciso Yepes (1927-1997), the great Spanish guitarist and champion of the works of Ruiz-Pipó, fell sick with cancer and passed away on May 1997; Antonio added to the original title In Memoriam Narciso Yepes. To add to the tragedy Antonio got sick himself and passed away on October 17, 1997, the same day Eastman School of Music conferred officially Scharrón his doctoral degree. Antonio never heard the work performed from what his widow Ruth Wetzel-Ruiz-Pipó told us recently. In this particular recording the manuscript for piano and guitar was followed strictly; there are some notable differences with the published orchestral score. In relation to style, this work summarizes very well the characteristics that we find in works like Jarcias and the later suite Otoñales. The work also makes reference to works like De Falla’s Homage to Debussy, mainly in the slow section of the first movement, and De Falla’s Night in the Gardens of Spain, in several sections of the second movement. This work is clearly a homage to Manuel de Falla, as the original title indicates, the Andalusian composer that Ruiz-Pipó revered during his life. An ironic anecdote is that after Antonio’s death a solo guitar sonata was found among his manuscripts and published and performed posthumously: “Sonata pour un taxi” composed in 1963 for Alberto Ponce. This is the world première recording of this concerto. As a final note, the family of Antonio Ruiz-Pipó, originally from Granada, like Francisco Carvajal, was victim of the Spanish Civil War. They had to go into exile, under the care of the maternal grandfather, to the city of Barcelona where they arrived when Antonio was barely three years old. Antonio’s father disappeared, forever, following the murder of poet Federico García Lorca in 1936. Biographies Eladio Scharrón was born in Puerto Rico into a family of well-respected musicians. His education background includes a BA in music from the University of Puerto Rico with guitar studies with Ernesto Cordero, the Diplôme Supérieur de Concertiste at the École Normale de Musique de Paris in France where he studied with Alberto Ponce, and Eastman School of Music’s Doctor of Musical Arts degree and Performer's Certificate with Nicholas Goluses as his mentor. Eladio Scharrón has won a diversity of awards during his career such as Concurso de Guitarra de la Casa de España in Puerto Rico, the International Guitar Competition of Sable Sur Sarthe in France, and many academic awards and grants. As a guitar soloist and a soloist with orchestra he has participated in many guitar festivals in France, Italy, Peru, USA, Mexico, etc. Currently, he is working on the recording of Manuel M. Ponce’s complete works for guitar with two compact discs already available under the label Centaur, with three more CDs already in preparation to be added to the collection. He has collaborated with articles for Soundboard magazine and other journals. Eladio Scharrón is founder and musical director of the International Guitar Festival of San Sebastián, Puerto Rico that started in 2012, and teaches classical guitar at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. Carrie Wiesinger is an international performing and recording artist. Ms. Wiesinger is the Principal Flutist with the Hollywood Concert Orchestra, which tours extensively throughout the United States, China and Japan. Ms. Wiesinger holds the position of Second Flute with the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra in Michigan. She performs with many chamber ensembles throughout the United States, and is a regular performer at the International Guitar Festival of San Sebastián, Puerto Rico. Throughout high school, Ms. Wiesinger spent her summers at Interlochen Arts Camp studying flute and piano. She completed her undergraduate studies at Eastern Michigan University under the direction of Dr. Julie Stone. Ms. Wiesinger was a two-time concerto winner, MTNA winner and principal flutist with the Detroit Symphony Civic Orchestra. In 2001, she moved to New York City and studied with Linda Chesis at the Manhattan School of Music. While studying for her Masters in Flute Performance, Ms. Wiesinger played principal flute with the Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Sinfonia, and she played with the DiCapo Opera Company, NYC. Ms. Wiesinger was born in Washington, raised in Michigan and currently lives in Winter Park, Florida. She formed the Scharron-Wiesinger Duo with Eladio Scharron in 2011. Laszlo Marosi, recognized by his peers as a conductor’s conductor, enjoys a career of leading orchestras and wind bands at concerts, festivals, recording studios and academies around the world including Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Maestro Marosi received his musical education both in Hungary and the United States and holds a conducting degree from the Liszt Academy, Budapest, and a PhD in Music Education degree from Florida State University, Tallahassee. A proponent of contemporary music, Maestro Marosi has premiered and recorded many new works for orchestra and wind ensemble, including the premiere recording of Antonio Ruiz-Pipó’s Guitar Concerto No. 3 included in this album. For his contributions to Hungarian contemporary music, he was awarded the Artisjus prize by the Hungarian Composers Union, twice already; he was also awarded the FAME prize at the Mid Europe Wind Music Festival in Schladming, Austria for his international conducting activities. Maestro Marosi is currently the artistic director of the International Band Festival of Villa Carlos Paz (Argentina), the Artistic Advisor and Conductor for Stormworks Europe Publishing, and teaches graduate and undergraduate conducting at the University of Central Florida. The Members of the Budafok Dohnányi Orchestra are part of the youngest professional orchestra in Hungary, founded as a youth orchestra in 1970. Through the years most members of the orchestra became students of the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest as well as young artists and music teachers. The orchestra has borne the name of the world famous Hungarian composer and conductor, Ernő Dohnányi since 1989, thus committed itself to the promotion of his works. Supported and maintained by the Municipality of Budapest, the orchestra was qualified to be a professional symphony orchestra in 1993.