CHARISSE BALDORIA, presenter

PROGRAMME

LEOPOLD GODOWSKY
Walzermasken (Book IV)
XXI. Orientale

Miniatures (Volume 5 – Miscellaneous II)
VIII. Arabian Chant (Orientale)

Java suite
I. Gamelan
V. Boro Budur in Moonlight
VI. The Bromo Volcano and the Sand Sea at Daybreak
VIII. The Gardens of Buitenzorg
IX. In the Streets of Old Batavia

GARETH FARR
Sepuluh Jari

RAMÓN PAGAYON SANTOS
Klntang

CHARISSE BALDORIA
Songs without Words
I. Boat Song
IV. Hummingbird

Three Rhapsodies
I. One-Note Rhapsody
II. Three-Note Rhapsody
III. Two-Note Rhapsody

Sea Lion Sonatina
I. Acrobatic allegro
II. Lazy largo
III. Playful presto

ABOUT THIS EVENT

Filipino-American composer-pianist Dr. Charisse Baldoria will present a lecture-recital on works inspired by islands in Southeast Asia and the Galápagos, including her own compositions. With forays into island geopolitics and history, she will discuss and perform pieces from Java Suite written by pianist-composer Leopold Godowsky after he visited the island of Java in 1923 during a concert tour of Asia which included Singapore and the Philippines. Inspired by Javanese music, landscapes, architecture, and people, the suiteshowcases the composer’s Romantic style and technique while drawing from Javanese gamelan (gong-chime) and Modern music. Also on the program are New Zealand composer Gareth Farr’s Sepuluh Jari inspired by Balinese gamelan, and Filipino composer Ramon P. Santos’s Klntang inspired by the Philippine gong-chime ensemble. Dr. Baldoria’s own compositions feature gamelan, jazz, classical, Latin, and indigenous music influences, including a piece inspired by her trip to the Galápagos Islands.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Filipino-American pianist, composer, writer, and educator Charisse Baldoria draws upon her Southeast Asian and Hispanic heritage and various art forms in her work. Prizewinner of international piano competitions, she has performed as soloist on five continents and collaborated with dancers, visual artists, performance artists, and Hindustani classical performers.

Her newest album Godowsky in Asia presents virtuoso pianist-composer Leopold Godowsky’s monumentalJava Suite, twelve pieces inspired by his travels to the island of Java in 1923. Her album Gamelan on Pianofeatures music inspired by Southeast Asia, including world a premiere recording of Philippine National Artist Ramon Pagayon Santos’s Gong-An suite. Evocación showcases flamenco and tango inspirations.

Recent composition projects include two song cycles and several pieces for solo piano. Her eclectic style draws upon elements of improvisation, Impressionism, modern music, jazz, Latin music, and Philippine culture. She was a professional composer-arranger in the Philippines for many years. While at the University of Michigan, she studied composition with Erik Santos and Susan Botti, and electronic music composition with Evan Chambers.

She studied piano with Logan Skelton at the University of Michigan where she did her master’s as a Fulbright scholar and her doctorate under full university scholarship. She is Associate Professor of piano at Commonwealth University in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania where she also teaches at the Honors College.

A published essayist, Charisse was a 2023 DISQUIET Literary Prize finalist in nonfiction. She enjoyedhang-gliding in Rio, skydiving in Pennsylvania, paragliding in the Swiss Alps, and scuba-diving in the Tubbataha reefs.

TICKETING INFORMATION

Free Admission

Out of respect for other concertgoers, no children under 6 years of age will be allowed admission.

* All event information is correct at time of print.

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