The Scott O’Day Tango Trio presents contemporary tango in a unique formation. With the guitar as a central voice, this power trio features all originally arranged music for guitar, piano, and double bass. Influenced by the sounds and colors from jazz but with the rhythmic intensity of rock, the trio forges a new and exciting path for today’s tango. A cross-cultural exchange that began with the legendary Astor Piazzolla, this performance proposes a distinctly unique voice on a vibrant musical tradition, joined by guest vocalist Verónica Freidkes from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Featured Musicians:
Scott O’Day, guitar, direction, arrangements
Elyse Weakley, piano
Ken Miller, double bass
Verónica Freidkes, voice
Thursday, June 20 at 7pm
CMC Concert Hall
FREE (RSVP here)
About the Shenson Faculty Concert Series
The Shenson Faculty Concert Series returns this summer with free concerts spotlighting CMC’s talented faculty members. Each year, the Shenson Foundation sponsors free community concerts for musical projects to support CMC faculty as performing artists and ensure their work on stage is shared and celebrated in our community.
This year’s accomplished presenters will highlight a wide variety of musical styles, techniques, and creative inspirations—from jazz to classical to folk traditions, original compositions, and music as a tool for social justice and historical and cultural reflection.
Meet this summer’s talented faculty performers:
- June 20 – Scott O’Day, guitar
- July 25 – Clif Payne, voice
- August 8 – Ava Gehlen-Williams, violin
- August 15 – Deszon X. Claiborne, percussion
About the Performers:
Scott O’Day received a Bachelor’s of Music in guitar performance from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master’s of Music in guitar performance from San Francisco State University. He attended La Escuela de Musica Popular de Avellaneda in Buenos Aires. Scott has travelled the world to learn flamenco, tango and other folk music. He grew up in North Carolina playing blues and folk. Scott directs and performs regularly with his various tango ensemble projects. He has toured the United States with tango dance bands and is active throughout the country as a musician in the tango dance community. More information can be found at www.scottoday.com.
Currently residing in San Francisco, Elyse Weakley, M.M. has taken part in a wide array of musical projects and has served in many roles including: music director, pianist, educator and composer. Throughout her career she has performed many contemporary works and has frequently collaborated directly with composers and songwriters in recording and presenting their music as a soloist and collaborator including The Hurd Ensemble and Redwood Tango Ensemble.
RTE recently released their latest album, Prizefighter on Ears&Eyes Records and will tour North America in the fall of 2018. The Hurd Ensemble was featured last season at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and their album Navigation without Numbers is available on Innova Recordings. Other appearances include a concert of Solo Piano and Electronics at the Center for New Music. Read a review of the concert published by the San Francisco Classical Voice here: Switchboard Music Festival. In March of 2014 Elyse was the featured soloist with the Lucas Valley Chamber Orchestra presenting Mozart’s Piano Concerto in F Major, K. 413. Elyse has also developed and released an iPad app to share her unique approach to teaching piano, improvisation and composition called Strike a Chord, the creative approach to mastering music theory!
Bassist Kenneth Miller, a San Francisco native, is a graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. His bass teachers have included Charles Siani, Jean-Marc Rollez, and Franco Petracchi. In the classical music world, he is currently performing with the San Francisco Symphony, and has played and recorded with the San Francisco Opera, San Jose Symphony, and Philharmonia Baroque orchestras, as well as the Kronos and Turtle Island String Quartets. In the realm of jazz, Ken has played with many leading musicians including saxophonists Branford Marsalis, Pharoh Sanders, Gary Foster, guitarists Bruce Forman, Mimi Fox, and pianists Marion McPartland, George Cables, Al Plank, Mark Levine, and George Gaffney. Ken’s most recent interest is in the music of Brazil.
Born in Argentina and recently moved to the Bay Area, Verónica Freidkes is presenting her singing career, performing Tango and other latin rhythms. Her style is influenced by contemporary music like jazz, bossa nova, and also by her ashkenazi roots. Verónica invites the audience to the journey of every song, while sharing the joy of live music.