 Michael Mendoza |
 Jahzeel Montez |
 Anthony LaLena |
 Mario Rubano |
A spring concert tour will take members of the SUNY Fredonia Guitar Quartet to France and Germany to perform during March.
An unexpected invitation from Friedhelm Turinsky, a prominent guitarist and teacher from Nuremberg, Germany, for a concert by the Fredonia quartet was the genesis for the tour, and was soon followed by requests to perform in eastern France.
Concerts will be given at the Burgkeller, Burgthann (March 9), Musée du Jouet in Colmar (March 10) and the Ludres École de Musique (March 13).
The quartet, under the direction of Distinguished Professor James Piorkowski, will have the honor of performing a new composition written specifically for them by Roland Dyens, a preeminent French composer/guitarist/arranger. Dyens was so impressed with the quartet’s interpretation of his work when he heard them perform on campus last September that he wrote a new composition, “Filmaginares,” and dedicated it to the quartet.
Compositions by Johannes Brahms, Leo Brouwer and Piorkowski and traditional American folk songs will be performed by the quartet the spring tour.
Members of the Fredonia Guitar Quartet are: Michael Mendoza, senior, Music Performance and Music Composition, from Buffalo; Mario Rubano, senior, Music Therapy and Music Peformance, Farrell, Pa.; Jahzeel Montes, senior, Music Education, New York City; and Anthony LaLena, junior, Music Performance, East Northport, N.Y.
As one of the School of Music’s select touring ensembles, the quartet has performed in Spain, Venezuela, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia and traveled extensively throughout the United States, appearing at universities and guitar festivals.
