MacKay United Launches New Concert Series with 'A Musical Journey'

MacKay United Church will launch its 2013-2014 Chamber Music Series on Sunday, September 22 at 7:30 pm with concert pianist Martin Söderberg, who promises to captivate his audience with A Musical Journey through Spain.

This is not your ordinary, formal, recital. Martin Söderberg likes to engage his audience in a musical journey. He invites his listeners to explore with him the wonders of each piece. He brings the great composers to life as “real” people with “real lives,” and introduces a historical and geographic perspective to the program. He guides his audience beyond the notes to a more complete, meaningful, and satisfying listening experience. A Musical Journey, which will include works by great Spanish composers such as Soler, Albeniz, Halffter, Granados, Mompou, de Falla, and Infante, will keep listeners on the edge of their seats throughout the trip.

This is one of Mr. Söderberg’s first concerts in Canada. Of Swedish-Spanish descent (born in Sweden and raised in Spain) and currently living in New York, he has been performing since the age of twelve, when he made his recital debut in Las Palmas, Spain. He was a winner at the 1988 Artists International Auditions in New York after which he made his New York Recital Debut in Carnegie’s Weill Hall. He has concertized extensively in Europe, Central America, South America, the USA (including the Lincoln Centre’s Alice Tully Hall, as well as Carnegie’s Weill Hall) and recently in China. He has also performed as guest soloist with various orchestras including the Slovak Philharmonic, the Venezuelan Symphony, the Orchestra of Andalucia, Orchestra of Gran Canaria, Spain, and the Manhattan School Philharmonia.

He holds Bachelor, Master and Doctorate degrees from the Manhattan School of Music, and has recorded 3 CDs, Piano Music from Spain, Piano Music of Rafael Landestoy, and the 24 Chopin Etudes as part of his ongoing recording project World Piano Collection. In 2013 he will make his debut in the Philippines and in Canada, in addition to performances in Europe, the USA and Latin America.

Critics have described Söderberg as a first class performer, a magnificent interpreter, a strong technician, who seems to enjoy tapping the energy that lies within the music. As a child growing up in the Canary Islands and Madrid, Söderberg was introduced to the sounds of the Spanish music which has made up much of his repertoire ever since. His expertise in this area also has established him as an authority on Spanish composers and their works. As a performer, Mr. Söderberg’s primary goal is to connect with the audience —to entertain, educate, inspire and bring them to a fresh understanding and love of classical music.

Venue

MacKay United Church, 39 Dufferin Road, Ottawa, ON K1M 2H3

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Phone

613-749-8727

More information

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