ELENA GRECO - The Music Salon

E l e n a G r e c o

The Music Salon

Next meeting: Sunday, December 14, 3:00 p.m.

Space remaining: 20 minutes

Salon Personnel Bios

Past Salon Programs

Next program: TBA

Federico Longas, "Ronda"
Amilcare Ponchielli, "Stella del marinar" (from La Gioconda)

Elena Greco, mezzo-soprano; Eric Sedgwick, piano

Arias TBA

Hayden DeWitt, mezzo-soprano; Eric Sedgwick, piano

Arias TBA

Evelyn Thatcher, soprano; Eric Sedgwick, piano

Isaac Albéniz, Cantos de España, Op. 232
No. 3, "Bajo la Palmera"
No. 5, "Seguidillas"
Isaac Albéniz, "Triana" from Iberia, Volume 1
Billy Strayhorn, "Waltz"

Alexander Wu, piano

TBA

Guillermo Cardenas, percussion

TBA

Anthony Purdy, guitar

Traditional, "The Water Is Wide"
Traditional, "Hanukía" (Sephardic Hanukkah song)
Traditional, "Los peces en el río" (South American Christmas song)

Elena Greco, mezzo-soprano; Anthony Purdy, guitar; Guillermo Cardenas, percussion

A salon is a gathering in a private home where creative artists of various sorts come together to perform and share their art in the presence of kindred spirits. The salon was a common occurrence in 17th and 18th century Europe, attended by the likes of Chopin, Sand, Liszt and Viardot; it has continued to be a venue for creative souls to present their work in the presence of those who can fully appreciate it and offer support, encouragement and inspiration.

I believe that creative expression and energy drive human evolution. Creativity in all its forms must be honored and nurtured—and, as anyone in the arts knows, this is often not the case. We need a place to hone our craft, stimulate our creative juices, feel the camaraderie of other creative souls and, quite simply, to enjoy making music with abandon. That is the purpose of this salon.

Musicians and other artists need a place to perform for others who understand their trials, challenges, quirks, blessings and exhilaration as creative artists. This salon is a place for us to have a committed, understanding audience and to receive their contribution in the form of listening, constructive suggestion, encouragement (lots of encouragement!), inspiration and networking. We can try out new things in performance and improvise without fear.

The primary focus of this monthly salon is classical music of all periods, but folk music, jazz and Latin acoustic music of any genre (e.g., bolero, flamenco) are always welcome, as well. In addition, poets are welcome and encouraged to read their work; you never know when a poem will inspire a composer to write a song!

In particular, this salon is for those who are committed to a type of performing that speaks to people and reaches them, rather than to meeting the expectations of standard classical or commercial performance, both in repertoire and performance practice, and also to generating creative work from a deep place in the soul, rather than from that of conforming to expected standards. This does not mean that standard classical repertoire is not welcome—quite the contrary—but that we approach it and hear it from a different place.

Each salon consists of approximately one and a half hours of music and poetry, followed by refreshments and time for conversation. The space has a digital keyboard, a flute, a flute stand and three music stands. I have a digital recorder with which I record my own performances, and I would be happy to record yours, if you wish, and send you the mp3/wma file by email afterwards. The Salon meets on the Upper West Side of Manhattan; see the map for location: map/directions.

Attendance at The Music Salon is by invitation only. If you are interested in attending or performing, please don't hesitate to let me know by emailing me.

Please note: This is a FRAGRANCE-FREE event so that attendees who have allergies and asthma can be comfortable.

The image is "St. Cecilia and the Angel" by Carlo Saraceni (Italian Baroque).