Search - Gabriel Cabezas and Juan-Miguel Hernandez :: Moyugba Orisha

Gabriel Cabezas and Juan-Miguel Hernandez are conquering a new horizon with the release of their new CD, Moyugba Orisha. Every year the Sphinx Competition, held in Detroit, offers young Black and Latino classical string players a chance to compete under the guidance of an internationally renowned panel of judges and to perform with established professional musicians in an encouraging setting. Cabezas, a cellist from the Chicago area, is the First Prize Laureate of the Junior Division of the 2006 Sphinx National Competition. Hernandez, the Gold Achievement winner of the Senior Division, is a native of Montreal, Canada, now studying the viola in Los Angeles. The artists both participated in the Sphinx Gala Concert in October of 2006 on the stage of New York's renowned Carnegie Hall. Hernandez is also a part of the Harlem Quartet. Moyugba Orisha, released by CMU's White Pine Music, is a musical rendition of the way that culture can be expressed through music. Many of the pieces such as "La Revuelta Circular," have Latin roots. The composer, Claudia Calderón, describes this piece as "the resonance of sounds from ethnic harps," combining cultures from Madagascar and the central regions of Venezuela. Several of the recordings are world premieres, including the title work and Japanese-American composer Paul Chihara's "Sonata for Viola and Piano." The recording sessions took place in CMU's Staples Family Concert Hall. Accompanying Cabezas and Hernandez on the release are CMU faculty members Alexandra Mascolo-David and Rúbia Santos. Both pianists contribute culturally to the album, Mascolo-David hailing from Portugual and Santos from Brazil.