Ariadna

Berklee College of Music presents Berklee Flamenco, a five-piece student group directed by five-time Latin Grammy Award winner and Berklee artist-in-residence Javier Limón, performing a concert as part of the Kennedy Center's Conservatory Project, in Washington, DC, Saturday, February 26. The group will perform a vibrant program that includes original works by flamenco guitar virtuoso Paco de Lucía, by Limón, and by the group's pianist, Ariadna Castellanos Rivas.

Berklee Flamenco reflects the spirit of the college's future campus in Valencia, Spain. Berklee Valencia will feature a curriculum paying particular focus to the diverse musical traditions of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East that converge in and around Valencia, attracting musicians from around the world to study contemporary music at a high level in the Mediterranean.

Audiences can catch Berklee Flamenco's free performance on February 26 at 6:00 p.m. in the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater, located at 2700 F Street NW, Washington, D.C. Because admission is free, early arrival is encouraged. The performance will be webcast live at Kennedy-Center.org, where past Berklee performances are also archived.

This is the eighth season of the Conservatory Project, the Kennedy Center's initiative to showcase students from America's finest music colleges and conservatories. Since the Conservatory Project's inception in 2004, Berklee students have presented jazz, country, salsa, bluegrass, folk/rock, an improvising string orchestra, and now flamenco.

A graduate of the Madrid Royal Conservatory where he studied piano and guitar, Javier Limón is an active composer and teacher. Limón's began composing for flamenco artists but has since expanded his reach to compose music for Latin jazz musicians and Cuban artists. His many composition and production credits include major albums by renowned artists such as Paco de Lucía, Bebo Valdes, El Cigala, Enrique Morente, and the acclaimed Spanish singer, Buika.

Berklee Flamenco includes:

• Pianist Ariadna Castellanos Rivas, Madrid, Spain

Pianist Ariadna Castellanos Rivas was born in Madrid in 1983, and began her music studies at age six. When she was 17 she won a full scholarship to study classical piano at the Guildhall School of Music in London, where she graduated after four years. Throughout her music education she has been close to flamenco music, so after graduation she returned to Spain to work with famous flamenco figures such Jorge Pardo, Jesus del Rosario, Agustin Carbonell "El Bola, " and toured the world with flamenco dance companies like Los Vivancos 7.

After four years of work on exploring new paths for piano in flamenco, she was signed by the production company Casa Limón for her first album, due this year. In 2009, after an impromptu audition in Madrid with Berklee faculty, she won the all expenses paid Presidential Scholarship to Berklee, where she is concentrating on her skills specific to improvisation and jazz. In May of 2010, at the college's commencement exercises, Ariadna was chosen to lead the tribute performance for flamenco legend Paco de Lucía, who was in attendance. She is a dual major at Berklee, in both Professional Music and Performance.

• Qanunist and vocalist Ali Amr, Ramallah, West Bank

Ali Amr is a Palestinian musician born in 1991 in Morocco; he moved to Ramallah, in the West Bank at the age of six. The following year he began to play the qanun. Playing qanun and singing, Ali is a three-time, first prize winner for best Arabic Music performer in the Marcel Khalife Music Competition and has performed frequently at various cultural sites in cities in and around the Middle East. He studied at the Edward Said Conservatory in Ramallah, and has toured widely with Maqamat, the conservatory's performing ensemble, and Yalalan, an independent, privately formed music ensemble.

Ali has performed with Maqamat in Sweden, Norway, Dubai, Germany, Holland, and the United States. In 2006, he completed a three-month tour of the United States with ensembles from his school, performing at the United Nations in New York, at San Antonio's Alamodome, and in 13 other states. In 2007, he performed for the President of the Palestinian Authority, and the Princess of Jordan. Ali is a Professional Music major at Berklee, studying on a scholarship he won in audition in Tel Aviv.

• Flutist Enrique "Kalani" Trinidad, San Juan, Puerto Rico

Flutist Enrique "Kalani" Trinidad was born in Dallas, Texas in 1987 and moved to Puerto Rico at the age of four. He began on his musical path by listening to his father, pianist Richard Trinidad, to the recordings of Chick Corea, and through studies of the compositions of Antonio Carlos Jobim.

Kalani has won the Yamaha Young Performing Artist Award, the National Flute Association Jazz Master Class Award, and special artistic recognition from the government of Puerto Rico. He has had the good fortune to work with jazz musicians like Mario Rivera, Justo Almario, John Benitez, Nestor Torres, Dave Valentin, Humberto Ramirez, Cachao, Paquito D'Rivera, Alex Acuña, Eddie Palmieri and Julito Alvarado, among others. In 2007, after an audition at Berklee's annual program in San Juan, Kalani was awarded the all expenses paid, Presidential Scholarship to Berklee, where he is a dual major in Music Business/ Management and Professional Music.

• Double and electric bassist Tamir Shmerling, Tel Aviv, Israel

Tamir Shmerling is a double and electric bass player from Israel. He served as the bassist in the Israeli Defense Forces Orchestra from 2005-2008. After his service, he performed with the Tel Aviv and Holon Big Bands, directed by Amikam Kimelman and Guri Agmon, respectively. Studies followed, on scholarship, at the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, a Berklee International Network partner school, with Guri Agmon, Ilan Mochiach, Mamelo Gaitanopoulos, Yoray Oron, Yuval Cohen, Rami Levin, Avi Lebovich and Daniel Zamir. He also studied privately with Eli Magen during this period.

After a 2008 audition with faculty on their annual visit to Israel, Tamir was awarded a scholarship to attend Berklee. He has studied there with Terri Lyne Carrington, Greg Osby, Jamey Haddad, Alain Mallet, John Lockwood, Oscar Stagnaro, Whit Browne, Dave Samuels, Ed Tomassi, Dave Santoro, Dennis Montgomery III, and many other great teachers. During his time at the college, Tamir has also had the honor to perform with artists such as Kevin Eubanks and Ignacio Berroa

• Percussionist Sergio Martinez, Madrid, Spain

Percussionist Sergio Martinez was born in Madrid in 1977. He began his Afro-Latin percussion studies at age 15 with Mestre Rubem Dantas of the Paco de Lucía Sextet, Luis Dulzaides, and Rogerio Da Souza. Soon he added courses in Hindu percussion with Ramesh Shotham, and embraced Latin jazz, playing in the Taller de Musicos Big Band in Madrid. He later developed an interest in flamenco, and began to accompany top flamenco and jazz artists, in such venues as Teatro Real de Madrid, the Liceo in Barcelona, the Sydney Opera House, and the Paris Opera, to name a few.

In a diverse career, Sergio has worked with artists and ensembles as varied as: in classical music, the National Orchestra of Spain; in jazz, Jeff Ballard, Dave Liebman, and Antonio Sanchez; and in flamenco, Enrique Morente, Diego el Cigala, and Jorge Pardo, to name a very few. Sergio decided to audition for, and won a scholarship at Berklee's annual visit to the Panama Jazz Festival. In January 2011, he began studies in the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, the college's international jazz academy, whose artistic director is the celebrated Panamanian jazz pianist and composer Danilo Pérez
- Jazz News

Berklee Flamenco, a five-piece student group directed by five-time Latin Grammy Award–winner and Berklee artist-in-residence Javier Limón, will perform a concert as part of the Kennedy Center's Conservatory Project, in Washington, D.C., Saturday, February 26. The group will perform a vibrant program that includes original works by flamenco guitar virtuoso Paco de Lucía, Limón, and the group's pianist, Ariadna Castellanos Rivas.

Berklee Flamenco reflects the spirit of the college's future campus in Valencia, Spain. Berklee Valencia will feature a curriculum paying particular focus to the diverse musical traditions of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East that converge in and around Valencia, attracting musicians from around the world to study contemporary music at a high level in the Mediterranean.

Audiences can catch Berklee Flamenco's free performance on February 26 at 6:00 p.m. in the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater, located at 2700 F Street NW, Washington, D.C. Because admission is free, early arrival is encouraged. The performance will be webcast live at Kennedy-Center.org, where past Berklee performances are also archived.

This is the eighth season of the Conservatory Project, the Kennedy Center's initiative to showcase students from America's finest music colleges and conservatories. Since the Conservatory Project's inception in 2004, Berklee students have presented jazz, country, salsa, bluegrass, folk/rock, an improvising string orchestra, and now flamenco.

A graduate of the Madrid Royal Conservatory, where he studied piano and guitar, Javier Limón is an active composer and teacher. Limón began composing for flamenco artists but has since expanded his reach to compose music for Latin jazz musicians and Cuban artists. His many composition and production credits include major albums by renowned artists such as Paco de Lucía, Bebo Valdés, El Cigala, Enrique Morente, and the acclaimed Spanish singer Buika.

Berklee Flamenco includes:

Pianist Ariadna Castellanos Rivas was born in Madrid, Spain in 1983, and began her music studies at age six. When she was 17 she won a full scholarship to study classical piano at the Guildhall School of Music in London, where she graduated after four years. Throughout her education she has been close to flamenco music, so after graduation she returned to Spain to work with famous flamenco figures such as Jorge Pardo, Jesus Del Rosario, and Agustin Carbonell ("El Bola") and toured the world with flamenco dance companies like Los Vivancos 7.

After four years of work exploring new paths for piano in flamenco, she was signed by the production company Casa Limón for her first album, due this year. In 2009, after an impromptu audition in Madrid with Berklee faculty, she won a full Presidential Scholarship to Berklee, where she is concentrating on skills specific to improvisation and jazz. In May of 2010, at the college's commencement exercises, she was chosen to lead the tribute performance for flamenco legend Paco de Lucía, who was in attendance. She is a dual major at Berklee, in both professional music and rerformance.

Qanunist and vocalist Ali Amr was born in 1991 in Morocco; he moved to Ramallah, in the West Bank, at the age of six. The following year he began to play the qanun. He is a three-time first-prize winner for best Arabic Music Performer in the Marcel Khalifé Music Competition and has performed frequently at various cultural sites in cities in and around the Middle East. He studied at the Edward Said Conservatory in Ramallah and has toured widely with Maqamat, the conservatory's performing ensemble, and Yalalan, an independent, privately formed music ensemble.

Amr has performed with Maqamat in Sweden, Norway, Dubai, Germany, Holland, and the United States. In 2006, he completed a three-month tour of the United States with ensembles from his school, performing at the United Nations in New York, at San Antonio's Alamodome, and in 13 other states. In 2007 he performed for the president of the Palestinian Authority and the princess of Jordan. He is a professional music major at Berklee, studying on a scholarship he won in audition in Tel Aviv.

Flutist Enrique "Kalani" Trinidad was born in Dallas, Texas in 1987 and moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico at the age of four. He began his musical path by listening to his father, pianist Richard Trinidad; the recordings of Chick Corea; and the compositions of Antonio Carlos Jobim.

Trinidad has won the Yamaha Young Performing Artist Award, the National Flute Association Jazz Master Class Award, and special artistic recognition from the government of Puerto Rico. He has had the good fortune to work with jazz musicians like Mario Rivera, Justo Almario, John Benitez, Nestor Torres, Dave Valentin, Humberto Ramirez, Cachao, Paquito D'Rivera, Alex Acuña, Eddie Palmieri, and Julito Alvarado, among others. In 2007, after an audition at Berklee's annual program in San Juan, he was awarded the full Presidential Scholarship to Berklee, where he is a dual major in music business/management and professional music.

Tamir Shmerling is a double and electric bass player from Tel Aviv, Israel. He served as the bassist in the Israeli Defense Forces Orchestra from 2005 to 2008. After his service, he performed with the Tel Aviv and Holon Big Bands, directed by Amikam Kimelman and Guri Agmon, respectively. Studies followed, on scholarship, at the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, a Berklee International Network partner school, with Guri Agmon, Ilan Mochiach, Mamelo Gaitanopoulos, Yorai Oron, Yuval Cohen, Rami Levin, Avi Lebovich, and Daniel Zamir. He also studied privately with Eli Magen during this period.

After a 2008 audition with faculty on their annual visit to Israel, Shmerling was awarded a scholarship to attend Berklee. He has studied there with Terri Lyne Carrington, Greg Osby, Jamey Haddad, Alain Mallet, John Lockwood, Oscar Stagnaro, Whit Browne, Dave Samuels, Ed Tomassi, Dave Santoro, Dennis Montgomery III, and many other great teachers. During his time at the college, he has also had the honor to perform with artists such as Kevin Eubanks and Ignacio Berroa.

Percussionist Sergio Martinez was born in Madrid, Spain in 1977. He began his Afro-Latin percussion studies at age 15 with Rubem Dantas of the Paco de Lucía Sextet, Luis Dulzaides, and Rogério de Souza. Soon he added courses in Hindu percussion with Ramesh Shotham and embraced Latin jazz, playing in the Taller de Músicos Big Band in Madrid. He later developed an interest in flamenco and began to accompany top flamenco and jazz artists in such venues as Teatro Real de Madrid, the Liceu in Barcelona, the Sydney Opera House, and the Paris Opera, to name a few.

In a diverse career, Martinez has worked with artists and ensembles as varied as the National Orchestra of Spain, in classical; Jeff Ballard, Dave Liebman, and Antonio Sanchez, in jazz; and Enrique Morente, Diego el Cigala, and Jorge Pardo, in flamenco. He decided to audition for, and won, a scholarship at Berklee's annual visit to the Panama Jazz Festival. In January 2011 he began studies in the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, the college's international jazz academy, whose artistic director is the celebrated Panamanian jazz pianist and composer Danilo Pérez. - Berklee College of Music

During Berklee's May 2010 commencement concert, Spanish-born pianist Ariadna Castellanos-Rivas performed a tribute to flamenco guitar legend Paco de Lucía. The concert was a high-water mark in her still-fledgling career. "I was so nervous and happy when we played for him," she says. "After the concert, he told us he really liked what we did with his music." The flamenco master was treated to a new take on three of his pieces that were performed by a 12-piece ensemble, including piano, qanun, woodwinds, French horn, and percussion, but no guitar.

It's still somewhat rare to hear a pianist playing flamenco music, but for Castellanos-Rivas playing it is completely natural. Growing up in Madrid, Spain, she often joined in with neighbors who played flamenco music. But flamenco is just one of the flavors in her continually developing style. Castellanos-Rivas began playing classical piano as a child and, after high school, attended the Guildhall School of Music in London where she earned a degree in classical piano performance.

"After Guildhall, I felt the repertoire for the classical pianist is amazing, but you just interpret the notes," she says. "There was a part of me that wanted to create my own music." After returning to Madrid, she started playing with flamenco ensembles, which deepened her understanding of the flamenco tradition and improvisation.

"Flamenco musicians know a lot of beats and songs and where they are going, but they don't think about chord scales or what notes they are playing." After playing with a jazz ensemble at Guildhall, Castellanos-Rivas began to discover her limitations as an improviser.

"I liked the feeling of improvising," she says. "But I had never learned jazz or understood chord symbols. I didn't know enough about how music worked, so I decided to come to Berklee."

In 2009, Castellanos-Rivas arrived at Berklee on a full presidential scholarship because of her extraordinary pianistic abilities. She has since further explored jazz and music from other cultures. "The way jazz is taught here gives the key to everything," she says. "You learn to play in alternate meters and over all kinds of harmonies. These are the tools for creating your own voice."

Her courses and her interactions with other students have added new dimension to her stylistic palette. "I've gotten to play so many different types of music here," she says. "I am playing with Indian musicians and people from Egypt. I learn a lot in class, but I'm also learning a lot from the other students. They had their own history before they came here."

Castellanos-Rivas intends to tap her own history as a classical pianist. "Composers like Debussy, Liszt, Rachmaninov, and Ravel found colors and textures in the piano that no one had used before," she says. "There are so many sounds you can produce with the piano. Some jazz pianists are not aware of these things. They learn to play the right notes and to swing, but they use the same textures throughout. I want to bring the colors I learned from classical music into jazz."

Her immediate plans include making an album with famed Spanish producer Javier Lim?n in Spain next summer. After that, more studies at Berklee. "There will always be something else to learn. I talk with musicians who are in their sixties and are still discovering things. As a musician, you never rest." - Berklee College of Music

Ha triunfado en ámbitos académicos internacionales, se ha codeado con primeras ?guras de nuestra música y pronto estrenará discografía. Descubre a esta albaceteña, que se crió artísticamente en Madrid. Z CÉSAR LUQUERO

Para desconectar del piano escuchas... Cante o silencio... Un disco pop: Cualquiera de Joaquín Sabina, sobre todo los anteriores. Eres fan de: Paco de Lucía, Enrique Morente, García Márquez, Almodóvar, Javier Limón. El primer disco que compraste: Cuarta Sinfonía, de Mahler. Del piano te fascina: Que es como una orquesta, ¡puedes hacer casi todo! No soportas: La arrogancia, la crueldad y la ignorancia.
Recibía clases de ballet, pero alguien se dio cuenta de que su camino estaba lejos de las mallas y el tutú. “Una profesora le dijo a mi madre que tenía muy buen oído”, recuerda. “Con seis añitos, tuve mi primer piano”. Consagrada a dicho instrumento desde entonces, esta albacete- ña de 28 años prepara su primer álbum, que produci- rá el reputado Javier Limón y verá la luz en septiem- bre. “Tendrá temas míos, alguna versión y colabora- ciones del mundo flamenco actual y de otros lugares, como Palestina o Israel”.
Esta noche, y la de mañana, actúa (Casa Patas. Cañizares, 10), junto a un cuadro flamen- co muy completo (a las 21.00 y 24.00). En febrero, colabo- rará en el disco en directo de Buika, en el Village Vanguard neoyorquino. Puedes seguirla en su canal de YouTube, en
el que encontramos piezas interpretadas en directo.
Lleva toda la vida esforzándose para mejorar frente al teclado, pero también se hace cargo de las ayudas: “Sin las becas no podría haber estudiado tantas cosas ni me hubiera convertido en el músico que soy aho- ra. Estaré siempre agradecida”. Aspira a “ser un gran músico y compartirlo con la mayor cantidad de gente posible”, y considera que “se tiene que hacer mucho más para establecer el arte como un elemento impor- tante de la sociedad, en la educación y en la práctica”. Becada por la prestigiosa Berklee College of Music de Boston –donde reside actualmente–, ha pasado por otras aulas ilustres de Holanda y el Reino Unido, pero dio sus primeros pasos, vitales y artísticos, en nuestra ciudad. A finales de febrero, tocará en el Kennedy Hall, de Washington. Será la primera vez que una agrupación flamenca represente a Berklee en un evento así.
Fascinada por el flamenco –“ahí lo más importante es la expresión, por encima de la técnica o el conocimien- to”–, actuó en la ceremonia de investidura honoris cau- sa de Paco de Lucía, su gran ídolo, y ha acompañado a maestros como Jorge Pardo o Niño Josele. Para conse- guirlo, ha tenido que afrontar situaciones complicadas, pero ninguna tanto como “hacer entender a la gente que quieres que no tienes mucho tiempo para ellos”. - El Pais