Eduardo de Rosamaría's Remarkable Sept. 20th
Concert, Classical & Flamenco: A Fusion of
Elegance & Passion, Was High Octane!

Eduardo de Rosamaría's Sept. 20th concert, Classical & Flamenco: A Fusion of Elegance & Passion, is not my usual cup of tea; but once I tasted it, I proceeded to drink deep.

Eduardo de Rosamaría, collaborating with Sonia Usatch-Kuhn, Michael Pelz-Sherman, Willie Hinton, a handful of dancers, a few singers, and two different sets of musicians, delivered a remarkable concert/show/performance on Saturday, Sept. 20th, at the Cary Arts Center. Actually, it was more like three separate-but-linked shows, preceded by an informal introduction (that was very fun and relaxed), with a kind of down-home feeling.

The Introduction:

Two guitarists, clad in black, took the stage (in front of the closed curtains), sat at the edge with their feet dangling down and wowed us with 10 minutes of top-notch work. Alternating between lead and rhythm guitar parts, Eduardo de Rosamaría and Ryan Johnson cranked out some race-horse-fast tunes -- some of which were enchanting, some haunting, and some exhilarating, but all impressive.

"Act One" -- The Bond:

This is Sonia Usatch-Kuhn's creation -- the piece that attracted several members of her fan club. She had been inspired, and her inspiration resulted in a set of lyrics and a melody. Composer Michael Pelz-Sherman took her melody and composed a fully fleshed-out orchestral piece, and Willie Hinton produced choreography for two ballet dancers -- April Sakell and Brayden Wade. Music was supplied by Michael Pelz-Sherman on keyboard; Cheryl Schlitter on cello; a trio of violinists: Christin Danchi, Jaimi Grether, and Katherine Stalberg; and vocalist Rhonda Robichaux.

The result is a story, told through song and dance, of two young lovers -- a story of joy and expectations but not without disappointment and loss. Robichaux's melodic voice is a perfect match for the ballet dancers' fluid movements.

"Act Two" -- Antonio Vivaldi's Concerto in D Major:

Continuing to collaborate with the string quartet and keyboardist, guitarist Rosamaría produced three movements of Vivaldi's piece.

"Act Three" -- Classical and Flamenco Music:

This segment was definitely high octane! The musicians included Cat Albanese (percussion), Michael Pelz-Sherman (keyboard), Ryan Johnson (guitar and bass), Eduardo de Rosamaría (guitar), and vocalist Mara Alderaguia. Again, Johnson and Rosamaría alternate between lead and rhythm guitar, as both skillfully produced the signature Spanish tunes. Alderaguia's angelic voice seemed to call out to us, luring us into the dreamy, floating music.

Flamenco dancers Velmy Trinidad and Catherine DeVerter execute their fluid moves with style, at times punctuating their movements with percussive steps.

The Eduardo de Rosamaría Flamenco Ensemble performs traditional flamenco palos and Nuevo Flamenco pieces. Front Row are (from left): guitarist
Ryan Johnson, flamenco dancer Velmy Trinidad, vocalist Mara Aldereguia, flamenco dancer Catherine DeVerter, Palillera Naomi Wilson, and guitarist
Eduardo de Rosamaria. Back Row are (from left) percussionist Cat Albanese. (photo by Sandi Kellman)

Nice Touches:

• The informal nature of the introductory guitar work.
• Rosamaría handled a curtain SNAFU with good-natured humor.
• There is one solo guitar sequence during which Rosamaría comes off the stage (down among the audience), thereby creating a sense of intimacy. And there is a lighting gimmick during this segment that was quite interesting.

From the Department of Picky-Picky:

As beautiful and engaging as it was, The Bond's experience could be enhanced by making the song's lyrics available in the program and/or by providing a thumbnail sketch of the action. Similarly, the audience would enjoy the musical and dance numbers more if the name of each piece could be prominently displayed on a screen beside the stage.

The Bottom Line:

All three segments are captivating and well-executed. Eduardo de Rosamaría's upbeat personality inserts a feeling of being at a private concert -- one put on by a group of friends. Fans of this kind of show will be properly impressed. Neophytes, such as myself, will find themselves looking for more such experiences. Keep an eye out for future performances of Eduardo de Rosamaría's Classical & Flamenco: A Fusion of Elegance & Passion and/or other work by any of the artists involved in this show.

Ballet dancers April Sakell and Brayden Wade of Graceful Expressions Dance Education in Cary perform in The Bond, a collaborative work of music,
poetry, and dance, written by Sonia Usatch-Kuhn and Michael Pelz-Sherman and performed by guitarist Ed Stephenson, vocalist Rhonda Robichaux,
violinists Christin Danchi and Jaimi Grether, violist Katherine Stalberg, cellist Cheryl Schlitter, and keyboardist Michael Pelz-Sherman.
Willie Hinton choreographed The Bond. (photo by Barbara Rhodes)

CLASSICAL & FLAMENCO: A FUSION OF ELEGANCE & PASSION (In Person on Sept. 20th) (Eduardo de Rosamaría at the Cary Arts Center in Cary). DIGITAL PROGRAM: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wxI4wkVLZ4nYsbUDcfiIzqlyC8BvCCkk/view. PRESENTER: https://edwardstephenson.com/, https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1uZ3r_x5baUqrl_kgG9cEmkvbv-CsjGL4, https://www.facebook.com/edstephensonguitar, https://www.instagram.com/ed_stephenson/, https://soundcloud.com/ed-stephenson-2, https://x.com/ed_stephenson, and https://www.youtube.com/@pacocanes. VENUE: https://www.townofcary.org/recreation-enjoyment/facilities/cary-arts-center, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cary-Arts-Center/235735853122351, and https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/15097356/cary-arts-center/. [RUN HAS CONCLUDED.]

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