(BRANCHBURG, NJ) -- The MOZAIKA Concert Series at Raritan Valley Community College, presented by the College’s Arts & Design department, will offer two benefit concerts in March. The Tarmu/Takamen Duet, featuring Eldad Tarmu on vibraphone and Nobuki Takamen on guitar, will perform Thursday, March 17 at 7:00pm.
The series will continue Friday, March 25 at 7:00pm, with a celebration of women composers in honor of Women’s History Month. The performance will feature violinist Uli Speth and pianist Tomoko Kanamaru.
Both concerts will be held in the Nash Theatre at the College’s Branchburg campus and also will be streamed lived on their Facebook page.
The MOZAIKA Concert Series is designed to promote multicultural dialogue through the performance of music from the classical canon through the 21st Century. Ticket proceeds go to the RVCC Applied Music Fund to help the College’s music majors pay for private lessons on their primary instruments.
The Tarmu/Takamen Duet will perform a repertoire of arranged jazz standards combined with original compositions by both artists. Regulars of the Jersey City jazz scene, the musicians offer a delicately interactive jazz duet style, which is the culmination of years exploring the idiom together, in particular during their summer 2021 residency at Stone House at Stirling Ridge, Warren.
Eldad Tarmu, a vibraphonist, composer, and educator, is originally from Los Angeles, CA, where he launched his musical career studying drums and percussion. After graduating from Tel Aviv University in Israel, he began touring with various jazz ensembles, primarily in Europe and Asia. He has released numerous jazz CDs to critical acclaim and collaborated on many others. In recent years, he has focused on original contemporary classical music for chamber ensembles and vibraphone, composing for string quartets and woodwind quintets, as well as creating works for piano. He is endorsed by Zildjian.
Originally from Hiroshima, Japan, guitarist/composer Nobuki Takamen has been hailed as “the best jazz guitarist Japan has ever produced’’ by All About Jazz after relocated to New York in 2004. Takamen has toured internationally and has performed at Iridium Jazz Club, Blue Note NY, Blues Alley, and the Montreal International Jazz Festival. He also has released eight albums as a bandleader. His playing and music have been featured in publications such as DownBeat, Guitar World, and Vintage Guitar Magazine. Takamen was the top winner of the Instrumental category in the 2019 USA Songwriting Competition.
The March 25 concert will feature Uli Speth and Tomoko Kanamaru, both members of The College of New Jersey music faculty, who will present a program featuring works by female composers of various generations and nationalities. The recital starts with Three Romances by Clara Schumann (1819-1896, Germany). The concert also features works by two U.S. composers, Amy Beach (1867-1944) and Lauren Bernofsky (b. 1967). Although they were born a century apart, both composers have dedicated their works to Maud Powell (1867-1920), who is considered to be the first female American violinist of international acclaim. The program also includes pieces by Amanda Maier (1853-1894, Sweden), Florence Price (1887-1953, USA), and Lili Boulanger (1893-1918, France).
German violinist Uli Speth has served as concertmaster of the Binghamton Philharmonic since 2005 and of Orchestra 914 since 2016. He has performed extensively with the New York City Opera Orchestra, American Symphony Orchestra, and The Florida Orchestra. As a chamber musician/soloist, Speth has been heard throughout the U.S. and on various radio stations, including WOXR (Vermont), KMFA (Texas), ORF (Austria), and RAI (Italy). Since 2006, Speth has served on the faculty of Eastern Music Festival, where he has been teaching and performing with great musicians from all over the U.S.
Since her U.S. debut with the Savannah Symphony, Tomoko Kanamaru has been the featured soloist for National Repertory Orchestra, Toledo Symphony, Annapolis Symphony, and Symphony of Southeast Texas. Most recently, she performed Beethoven Chorale Fantasy with Symphony in C and Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia. She was a guest artist for the New York Philharmonic Ensembles Series, Red Rocks Music Festival (Arizona), Music in the Mountains (Colorado), and New York Chamber Music Festival. She has recorded for Nippon Columbia, MSR Classics, and Urlicht AudioVisual labels.
Face masks are required in all RVCC facilities and social distancing will be followed. A post-performance discussion with the artists will follow both concerts, which will be available for viewing online after the initial performance dates. General admission tickets cost $15 each; admission is free of charge for students and seniors. For advance ticket reservations, contact the RVCC Theatre Box Office at 908-725-3420. For information, call the Arts & Design department at 908-218-8876.
The MOZAIKA Concert Series is made possible by funds from the Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission, a partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) is located at 118 Lamington Road in Branchburg, New Jersey.
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