Danzas 6
by Felipe Senna
Our June concert will feature flutist Jane Lenoir in the premiere of "Danzas 6,” a concerto for flute by São Paulo, Brazil composer Felipe Senna.
Senna is well known in Brazil, the US and abroad as a composer, pianist, and conductor. His music combines traditional classicism with elements of Brazilian popular music, including choro, samba, baião and more. He has composed concertos for pandeiro, tuba, and percussion, among other instruments, and this is his first concerto for flute. The orchestra will include a rhythm section of Brazilian percussion instruments and guitar.
Echo member Jane Lenoir, flutist, has built a reputation both locally and internationally as a virtuosic player of Brazilian music and other diverse styles. She is founder of Berkeley Choro Ensemble and Berkeley Festival of Choro. Echo Chamber Orchestra performed the premiere of the Brazilian Choro Suite (Peixoto & Wainapel, arr. by Senna) in 2017. It later played at the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley in 2022, featuring the Choro Suite as well as works by Léa Freire, a composer, flutist and pianist from São Paulo.
LINKS
Suite Paisagens da Amazônia
by Alessandro Penezzi
Born on February 19, 1974, in Piracicaba (São Paulo), Alessandro Penezzi began playing the violin at age seven and switched to classical guitar at nine. Around the age of ten—claiming to be twelve to meet the minimum age requirement—he was invited by conductor Sergio Belluco to join the *Conjunto Som Brasileiro* as a soloist. Over time, he memorized more than 400 *choros*. His professional career spans over 30 years of performing. A graduate in Popular Music from Unicamp, he has performed in the USA, Russia, Japan, Gabon, Angola, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Kosovo, Macedonia, Belgium, the Netherlands, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Morocco, and Portugal. He completed a US tour alongside American guitarist Mike Marshall. In 2017, he recorded *Quebranto* in collaboration with Yamandú Costa, winning the *Prêmio da Música Brasileira* (Brazilian Music Award) in 2019 in the Best Instrumental Album and Best Soloist categories—the greatest recognition of his career. Having released over 15 albums, he is a contender for the BTG Pactual Award with the album *Sonhos* in the Best Instrumental Release category.
"A Brazilian guitar virtuoso recognized across four continents."
ECHO STAFF AND STEERING COMMITTEE
Matthew Stern, Director of Operations
Daniel Canosa, Music Director
Carol Adee, Personnel Manager
Kyle Beard, Treasurer and Grants
Jane Lenoir, Development
Beth Milne and Kevin Gordon, Librarians
Matt Rupert, Social Media
Marcelo Saettone, Graphic Design
Ruth Wilson, Publicity
Our most sincere thanks to the First Presbyterian Church of San Anselmo and Rev. Scott Clark for their support.