Latin-American folk music has been part of my life since I was a child. I began my music education playing Cuatro (a Venezuelan string instrument) then Guitar and Tiple (a Colombian string instrument) and singing Latin-American folk songs. Growing up, my home was always filled with Latin-American music. My parents were enthusiastic fans of performers like Los Chalchaleros, Los Visconti, Carlos Gardel, Julio Sosa, Agustin Magaldi and many other Argentinian performers, as well as Mexican stars like Pedro Vargas, Jorge Negrete, Javier Solis and countless others from all over Latin-America. Thus, I was acquainted with Zamba, Chacarera, Milonga, Tango to name the most popular airs from Argentina; Bolero and Ranchera from Mexico, and all the rich diversity of Latin-American folkloric music. This CD is the result of my Doctoral research at Stony Brook University Department of Music. I began my research studying how the Argentine composer Carlos Guastavino successfully blended elements from the Argentine folk music into art songs in the second half of the 20th century. His songs navigate from plain folkloric music style to a more European sound, creating a thin boundary between what is called “Folkloric” and “Classical” styles. What I found in the course of my research was a wealth of music from Latin-America. One of the most interesting findings was the spontaneous wave of nationalistic movements in South and Central America that started in the first half of the 20th century. I also observed how the rich rhythms and characteristic harmonies of the Latin-American folk song, usually performed with guitar and percussion instruments in varied ensemble formats, and typically performed in public gatherings and family celebrations, were transferred into art songs intended to be performed in the concert hall using the piano – voice ensemble format. In order to choose the songs for this program I based my selection criteria on two characteristics, the theme of love and the country of origin. Each song in this recital program displays a way of expressing love. From paternal / maternal love in Rocio, to unsuccessful love in Despedida. From a sacred prayer in Huiracocha to the seductive Cita. Also, each song in this recital program represents a unique characteristic sound from Argentina, Peru, Mexico, Cuba and Colombia. After a lot of deliberation, choosing from a group of about two hundred songs, I selected these nineteen Latin-American art songs including a song cycle by the Spanish Composer Joaquin Turina, Homenaje a Lope de Vega Op. 90, because it seemed relevant to show how much the Spanish art song from the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century influenced music writing in Latin-America. Carlos Guastavino trumped the list of composers in my selection, for the size and recognition of his oeuvre. He became one of the most important composers of the Argentine nationalistic movement, and has been compared with Schubert for his accomplishments in creating an Argentine art song repertoire that resonates today through the whole world. He is one of the most prolific and respected art song composers in Latin- America with more than five hundred compositions, solidifying the Argentine nationalistic music movement by using folkloric music elements and poems that embodied the idiosyncrasies of Argentine culture in his art songs, as it occurred in almost every corner of South and Central America. This nationalistic movement started in the first half of the 20th century and was ignited by the desire of composers to find their unique “nationalistic” sound, perhaps following Schubert’s example. I picked three contrasting pieces from Guastavino’s oeuvre: Rocio, a lullaby poem by Gabriela Mistral; Cita, a love song poem by Lorenzo Varela; and Pampamapa, a passionate song where Guastavino recalls the Huella dance. Alberto Ginastera is another icon of Latin-American music. Ginastera conceivably became more famous worldwide sooner than Guastavino because he wrote for many different music ensembles, from orchestra and choral to chamber groups, achieving international recognition while Guastavino focused on his piano-vocal art songs. I selected two contrasting songs from Ginastera’s oeuvre: Cancion del beso robado, a provocative playful song; and Cancion al arbol del olvido set to a poem by Fernan Silva Valdez, a serenade song. Maria Grever, the famous Mexican bolero composer, studied in France with Claude Debussy and became a star for her hit songs Jurame, Te quiero dijiste, Cuando vuelva a tu lado among others. She composed more than eight hundred bolero songs and a number of art songs that haven’t been as disseminated as her bolero songs. I selected three of her art songs, two serenade songs that are related to bolero style: Despedida and No espero nada de ti, and Atardecer en España, a waltz that retains the same Spanish flavor as the famous Granada by Agustin Lara. Gustavo Yepez is an orchestra conductor, pianist, composer, and academic from my native country, Colombia. He is considered one of the most important musicians and academics in the country. I chose from his oeuvre a Bambuco, one of the Colombian Andes region's more representative airs, set to a poem by Carlos Castro Saavedra, La niña a de la guitarra. Clotilde Arias was a Peruvian composer who moved to New York and became an American citizen. She was commissioned by the U.S. Department of State to write the official Spanish version of the U.S. national anthem in 1945. I selected from her oeuvre her famous song Huiracocha, a prayer to the Incan deity, in which Arias recreates rhythm elements characteristic of the Huayno genre in the piano part. Eduardo Sanchez de Fuentes was a prolific Cuban composer and an academic. Beyond his art songs, he composed zarzuela, opera and operetta. I picked from his oeuvre three short songs, Secreto, Deseo, and Guajira, where the composer respects the integrity of the poem and precisely syncs the poem and music into one, with no repetition of words or phrases, to accommodate the needs of the music structure. I also included Rosalinda, a love song in a form of a da capo aria, that was recorded by the famous Italian tenor Tito Schipa who also premiered in Cuba Sanchez’s opera el Caminante in 1921. Julian Aguirre was an important Argentine composer and academic who originated the nationalistic folkloric movement in his country. I picked from his extensive oeuvre Caminito Op.48., set to a poem by Leopoldo Lugones, where Aguirre emulates the guitar accompaniment sound with arpeggios in the piano part. And finally, I included Carlos Lopez Buchardo, another important composer and academic from the Argentine nationalistic movement. His compositions covered different genre like opera, oratorio, musical comedy and a small number of songs. I selected from his oeuvre Cancion de ausencia, set to a poem by Gustavo Caraballo. Here, Buchardo ingeniously sets up a tension between the binary rhythm in the piano accompaniment and the triplet figuration in the melodic line that comprehends the nature of many Argentinian and Latin-American airs. DAVID GUZMAN Rising star, Colombian tenor David Guzman, is known for his exquisite tone and impeccable musicianship. He has been praised for his “impressive tenor, singing with force and ease throughout his range, with ringing tone at full voice, thoughtful in quieter moments.” (Houston Chronicle). The tenor begins the 2017 - 2018 season as Orpheus in Orpheus in the Underworld in a return engagement with Western Plains Opera and then performs as Alfredo in La Traviata with Sarasota Opera. During the 2016-2017 season the tenor joined Western Plains Opera as the Duke in Rigoletto, Knoxville Opera as Leicester in Maria Stuarda, and Lyric Opera of Chicago to cover the role of Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor. As Ramiro in La Cenerentola with Opera Tampa, he was singled out for his “bright and power tenor that hits a bull’s-eye on distant targets…Guzman remains one to watch. It would not be surprising at all if he ascents to significant heights.” (Tampa Bay Times). During the previous season he performed as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor with Heartbeat Opera, and covered the role of Aureliano in Rossini’s Aureliano in Palmira at the Caramoor Center for Music and Arts. Recent highlights include the Duke in Rigoletto with Opera Tampa, Rafael of Foglia/Martinez's To Cross the Face of the Moon with Arizona Opera, as well as performances with Lyric Opera of San Diego, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera and at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris. Mr. Guzman made his Carnegie Hall debut as a soloist in Gonzalez’s Misa Azteca with Mid-America Productions followed by performances of Mozart's Coronation Mass at Alice Tully Hall and Mozart’s Vespers at Avery Fisher Hall with DCINY in New York City. Additional performances of note include The Duke in Rigoletto with North Shore Opera Festival in New York, Rodolfo in La Bohème with Opera in the Heights in Houston, Don Jose in Carmen with Long Island Opera, Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore with Divaria Productions, Alfredo in La Traviata with Bronx Opera and Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi with Salt Marsh Opera and Edgardo in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor with Stony Brook Opera. David holds a Doctoral of Music Arts degree from SUNY at Stony Brook, a Masters degree in Music voice performance from Texas Christian University, and a Bachelor in Music Education from Universidad Pedagogica Nacional de Colombia. NATALIA KATYUKOVA One of the highly-regarded collaborators of her generation, Russian pianist Natalia Katyukova is currently working as an Assistant conductor at the Metropolitan Opera and a coach at Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. Ms. Katyukova has performed with singers such as Bryn Terfel, Anna Netrebko, Irina Arkhipova, Ildar Abdrazakov, Paul Appleby, at festivals and summer programs including the Ravinia Festival and Tanglewood Music Festival and has appeared in recital throughout the U.S.A., Russia, Germany, Italy, Finland, Japan and other countries. She has been featured as a solo pianist with renowned orchestras such as the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra and the “Haydn Orchestra”. Additionally, she previously served on the faculties of Texas Wesleyan University, the University of Fine Arts (Moscow, Russia), the Conservatory “Monteverdi” (Bolzano, Italy). She is a winner of the MTNA National Piano Competition (USA), the International Piano Competition (Spain), the “Ettore Pozzoli” International Piano Competition (Italy). Ms. Katyukova's performances have been broadcast on WFMT Chicago, All-Russian Radio, Radio Bavaria and Radio “South-West”, Germany. A graduate of the Moscow State Conservatory, The Juilliard School and Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, her teachers included Margo Garrett, Jonathan Feldman, Brian Zeger, Ken Noda and Lev Naumov.