CANÇÕES: The Songs of Brazil
featuring the music of Brazilian icon Antônio Carlos Jobim
Briana Chavez, ‘18
Neil Aggarwal, ‘18
Sam Fomon, ‘16
Sandra Bayona, ‘17
Stephen Yearwood, ‘18
Tommy Moriarty, ‘15
William Rutter, ‘16
under the directorship of Liz Tobias
accompanied by Fernando Huergo and Bertram Lehmann
ENSEMBLE:
“Modinha” by Antônio Carlos Jobim, arr. Damon Meader
“Só Danço Samba” by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes, arr. Tsunenori “Lee” Abe
“So Many Stars” by Sergio Mendes and Alan & Marilyn Bergman, arr. Tsunenori “Lee” Abe
“Triste” by Antônio Carlos Jobim, arr. Tsunenori “Lee” Abe
Sam Fomon & Will Rutter:
“Águas de Março (The Waters of March)” by Antônio Carlos Jobim
Briana Chavez:
“Chega de Saudade (No More Blues)” by Antônio Carlos Jobim, lyrics by Vinícius de Moraes
“Memória e Fado (Love is Now)” by Egberto Gismonti
Neil Aggarwal:
“Desafinado (Out of Tune)” by Antônio Carlos Jobim, lyrics by Newton Mendonça
“Olha Maria (Look Maria)” by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Chico Buarque
Sam Fomon:
“Chorinho Pra Ele (Little Song for Him)” by Hermeto Pascoal
“Loro (Their)” by Egberto Gismonti
Sandra Bayona:
“Garota de Ipanema (The Girl from Ipanema)” by Antônio Carlos Jobim, lyrics by Vinícius de Moraes
“O Pato (The Duck)” by Jayme Silva and Neusa Teixeira
Stephen Yearwood:
“Corcovado (Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars)” by Antônio Carlos Jobim
“Insensatez (How Insensitive)” by Antônio Carlos Jobim, lyrics by Vinícius de Moraes
William Rutter:
“Dindi” by Antônio Carlos Jobim, lyrics by Aloysio de Oliviera
“Ladeira da Preguiça (The Slope of Laziness)” by Gilberto Gil
Liz Tobias, director of the Vocal Jazz Ensemble
Liz Tobias is a seasoned vocalist and pianist who has been recognized as a "breath of fresh air on the world jazz stage." A unique mix of soul and sharp technique, Liz draws audiences in with her Australian charm and creative interpretations of works old and new. Residing in Boston, Liz travels regularly around the north-east corner of the U.S., gigging in New York, New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts.
Liz was recently appointed to the faculty of the University of New Hampshire as their Jazz Choir Director and Jazz voice specialist. She also teaches on faculty at the Boston Arts Academy and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, coaching voice lessons and teaching jazz choirs. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Musical Arts in Jazz Voice at the New England Conservatory under the guidance of leading jazz performers and educators such as Dominique Eade, Ken Schaphorst, Ralph Alessi, Jason Moran, Frank Carlberg, Cecil McBee, John McNeil, Miguel Zenon, Kate Mcgarry, Jerry Bergonzi and voice-technician Jeannette LoVetri. Liz also holds a master's degree from New England Conservatory, where she was chosen to work with Grammy award-winning singer Luciana Souza in a special concert featuring Souza's music.
Liz hails from Adelaide, Australia and holds a Bachelor of Music with Honors in Jazz Performance from the Elder Conservatorium of Music.
Fernando Huergo
Fernando Huergo was born in Córdoba, Argentina, but has resided in Boston, Massachusetts for nearly twenty years. During his career, he has been featured on over one hundred albums, including nine as a leader.
As a developer of the Argentinian chacarera into the jazz tradition, Huergo has recorded three highly original albums on which he acts as composer, bandleader and bassist: Jazz Argentino, Live at Regattabar and Provinciano. His band has featured saxophonists Chris Cheek and Andrew Rathbun, flutist Yulia Musayelyan, pianist Mika Pohjola and drummers Jeff Ballard and Franco Pinna.
Huergo's other collaborators include Brazilians: pop-star Gilberto Gil, Grammy nominated vocalist Luciana Souza, and vocal legend Elis Regina's long-time pianist and arranger Cesar Camargo Mariano. He has worked with Argentinian chacarera great Raul Carnota; Chayanne and Sandra Mihanovich; guitarists Kurt Rosenwinkel and Ben Monder; saxophonists Mark Turner, David Sanchez and Miguel Zenon; and drummers Paulo Braga, Portinho, Antonio Sanchez, Dave Weckl, Dafnis Prieto and Jorge Rossi. Additionally, he has performed with Guillermo Klein, Marta Gómez, Danilo Perez, Hendrick Meurkens, Dave Liebman, Dave Samuels, Joe Beck, Tom Harrell, Billy Pierce, George Garzone, Paquito D'Rivera, Kenny Werner, Mike Mainieri, John Riley, Mike Clark, Don Braden, Mike Stern, Don Byron, Horacio Hernandez, Romero Lubambo and Claudio Roditi.
Fernando is an Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music and a popular clinician.
Bertram Lehmann, Drummer, percussionist, ethnomusicologist, writer.
He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA for the first time during the 1989 spring and fall semesters and again from summer 1991 to the fall of 1996, earning first a diploma and later a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance. During the fall of 1990 he also studied briefly at the Rotterdam Conservatory in the Netherlands (with Peter Ypma and Hans van Oosterhout), and participated in a Cuban music workshop at the Ignacio Cervantes music school in Havana, Cuba.
While still completing his degree at Berklee College of Music in the mid-1990's, Bertram started to become an integral part of the New England music scene, catching the attention of such established local artists like vocalist Rebecca Paris, pianist Bert Seager, and vibist Victor Mendoza. In later years, Bertram performed with groups led by such internationally renowned artists like Brazilian vocalist Luciana Souza, Dave Samuels, Paquito D'Rivera, vocalist Mili Bermejo, and many others, while also appearing alongside other Jazz and Latin music greats like Kenny Werner, Danilo Perez, George Garzone, Claudio Roditi, Romero Lubambo, and Charles Neville.
Over the years, he has been a member of numerous Jazz-, Latin-, and World-music ensembles based out of Boston. As part of his numerous appearances throughout the U.S. and in further countries such as Russia, Ecuador, Mexico, and Canada, Bertram has performed at a wide variety of distinguished venues and events. Aside from his activities as a performer, Bertram Lehmann also maintained an interest in music journalism as well, contributing essays, music reviews, and interviews as a staff writer for the Brazilian music magazine BOSSA during the late 1990's, and occasionally having penned liner notes to releases by the Double Time and Brownstone labels.
As an educator, he has been active in the Boston area as a private instructor in institutions that include Berklee College of Music, Tufts University, Philips Academy Andover and others, as well as having conducted many workshops and clinics. He currently resides in Arlington, MA and in New York City.
Funded in part by a Director’s Grant from the Council for the Arts at MIT
