“The treasures of Sykes’ voice and Parkening’s guitar were at once mystifying and marvelous.” The Sacramento Bee

Sponsored by the Daily Camera

Date and Time:
Thursday, September 18, 2003 at 7:30 p.m.

Single Ticket Prices:
$10, 15, 22, 32, 40 (discounts available for seniors, youth, and groups)

Season Ticket Packages:
This concert is part of the Artist Series and Classic Artist Series season ticket packages.

Location:
Macky Auditorium

Running Time:
1.5 to 2 hours

Preconcert:
Performance by College of Music guitar students, 6:45 p.m., Macky Terrace

Event Overview:
World renowned guitarist Christopher Parkening and baritone Jubilant Sykes return to open the Artist Series with an exciting program of music from American, Latin American, and Spanish traditions. These two remarkable artists flawlessly pair their talents to present an evening of music by beloved composers including Aaron Copland, Joaquin Rodrigo, and Astor Piazolla.

Program Includes Music By:
Gaspar Sanz
Leo Brouwer
Astor Piazolla
Joaquin Rodrigo
Federico Moreno Torroba
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco
Isaac Albeniz
Carlos Gustavino
Francisco de la Torre
Aaron Copland
Thomas Geoghegan
Stanley Myers
Carlo Domeniconi
and Traditional Spirituals

Artist Bios:

Christopher Parkening is celebrated as one of the world’s preeminent virtuosos of the classical guitar. For more than a quarter century, his concerts and recordings have received the highest worldwide acclaim. The Washington Post cited “his stature as the leading guitar virtuoso of our day, combining profound musical insight with complete technical mastery of his instrument.” Parkening is recognized as the heir to the legacy of the great Spanish guitarist Andrés Segovia, who proclaimed that “Christopher Parkening is a great artist—he is one of the most brilliant guitarists in the world.”

Parkening’s rare combination of dramatic virtuosity and eloquent musicianship has captivated audiences around the world from New York to Tokyo. He has played at the White House, appeared with Placido Domingo on Live From Lincoln Center, participated in the Carnegie Hall 100th Anniversary celebration and performed twice on the internationally televised Grammy® Awards. Parkening has appeared on many nationally broadcast television programs including The Tonight Show, CBS Sunday Morning, The Today Show, and 20/20. Parkening was also featured soloist with composer/conductor John Williams on the Sony Classical soundtrack of Stepmom, a Columbia Pictures film. (This album has been on the top of Billboard’s crossover charts since its release.) Voted “Best Classical Guitarist” in a nationwide readers’ poll of Guitar Player Magazine for many years running, he was placed in their Gallery of Greats along with Andrés Segovia, John Williams and Julian Bream.

Parkening has been a frequent guest soloist with the finest orchestras in the United States, including the Philadelphia, Cleveland and Minnesota orchestras, the Chicago, Pittsburgh and National symphony orchestras, the Detroit, Houston and St. Louis symphonies, the St. Paul and Los Angeles chamber orchestras, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. His extensive recital schedule takes him throughout the country, with regular appearances in New York, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Houston, and Los Angeles. Following a recent performance The Los Angeles Times noted, “Parkening is considered America’s reigning classical guitarist, carrying the torch of his mentor, the late Andrés Segovia.”

Parkening has amassed an extensive discography on Angel/EMI Classics. He is the recipient of two Grammy® nominations in the category of Best Classical Recording for Parkening and the Guitar and The Pleasures of Their Company, a collaboration with soprano Kathleen Battle. In honor of Parkening’s 25th year as a recording artist with Angel/EMI, a 2-CD collection of favorites, The Great Recordings, was issued in celebration of his prolific artistry. To mark his 30th anniversary, Mr. Parkening is planning a series of new released on the Angel/EMI Classics label. In the fall of 1998 a multi-media CD was released as a tribute to Andrés Segovia entitled Christopher Parkening Celebrates Segovia.

Parkening’s commitment to music extends beyond his demanding performance schedule. Recently, he was named as a distinguished faculty member of Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. Also, he teaches a summer master class at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana. Parkening was given the acclaimed American Academy of Achievement Award for his excellence in his field of music both nationally and internationally. Recently, Parkening was presented with the 2000 Orville H. Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award for Best Classical Guitarist.

The American singer Jubilant Sykes adds a new dimension to his artistry with his latest recording for Sony Classical Wait For Me, featuring classic contemporary pop songs by Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Brian Wilson and others, a collaboration with acclaimed pop producer Craig Street. A classically trained baritone whose career has already taken him to the Metropolitan Opera, the great music festivals of Europe and concert halls across the U.S., Sykes has created a diverse and personal approach to singing in his distinctive career.

Jubilant, the singer’s first recording under an exclusive contract with Sony Classical brought him together with jazz trumpeter/composer Terence Blanchard in innovative arrangements of spirituals and hymns. The recording was released in the spring of 1998.

Much in demand as a classical soloist with orchestras, Jubilant Sykes has performed under the direction of such noted conductors as Lorin Maazel, Raymond Leppard, David Zinman, Andrew Litton and Christoph Eschenbach. He has given critically acclaimed performances of Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Brahms’ A German Requiem and Mozart’s Requiem, as well as performances of orchestral song cycles of Mahler, including Kindertotenlieder and Rückert Lieder. He was also the featured soloist in the world premiere of American composer Libby Larson’s Coming Forth Into Day, set to a text by Jehan El Sadat, the widow of Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat.

Following his 1995 debut at a Boston Pops concert at Tanglewood under John Williams, Sykes was immediately reengaged to accompany the Boston Pops and conductor Keith Lockhart on their 1995 and 1997 holiday tours. He appeared on the Pops’ Christmas special, broadcast on PBS, and with the Boston Symphony Orchestra on the 1996 “Salute to Symphony” telecast. Sykes was also featured as soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl.

Jubilant Sykes won first place in the regional Metropolitan Opera auditions in Los Angeles and went on to make his Met debut as Jake in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess during the company’s 1990-91 season. In addition to his work at the Met, Sykes has appeared with the Deutsche Opera Berlin and the Houston Grand Opera, as well as other U.S. opera companies.

Links:
www.parkening.com
www.jubilantsykes.com

Audio:
Listen to or purchase music from Christopher Parkening and Jubilant Sykes at Barnes&Noble.com. A portion of your purchase will be donated to CU Concerts.
Albeniz: Alhambra, suite for piano: No1; Bernstein: Guitar Concerto (Christopher Parkening)
Wait for Me (Jubilant Sykes)