January 18, 20, Friday 5pm, Sunday 4pm
St. Paul's Church, Cardo 6
$150, $300, $400

Violin and Piano, Promusica - concerts

Pro Musica presents its annual Canadian Celebratory Concert to honour their many great Canadian musicians who visit San Miguel and as a thank you for our many Canadian audience members and supporters. The all Canadian line up is led by international violin master, Laurence Kayaleh. Ongakunotomo Magazine of Tokyo described her as conveying “a vast and noble essence, much like a tree stretching and spreading its roots deep into the Earth. She carries herself with the presence and dignity of the great Masters.” Kayaleh will debut in San Miguel for Pro Musica audiences on Friday, January 18 at 5:00 PM and Sunday January 20, at 4:00 PM at St. Paul’s Church on Calle Cardo.

Kayaleh will be accompanied by pianist Claire Ouellet, well known for her brilliant technique, and Professor of Piano at the Montreal Conservatory. Kayaleh's innate musicality and compelling technique comes from a long tradition of violin playing that has taken her around the world, performing in Moscow, Tokyo, Paris, Prague, Caracas, Dublin, Mexico City and Montreal, to name a few. She won First Prize with distinction at the Swiss Competition for Young Soloists, and was awarded the Grand Prize by unanimous decision of the Jury at the Stresa International Competition, Italy. Additionally, she has performed at the Gaveau Hall in Paris, has been a guest of the Lucerne Festival, and played as soloist under well-known conductors and world famous orchestras. As if all of her accolades aren’t enough, she has a notable stage presence, commanding, intimate and unforgettable.

On Friday, listeners will revel in Smetana's Aus der Heimat (From my Homeland), Szymanowski's violin Sonata, a Strauss' Sonata, and more. Smetana’s From my Homeland was composed during the 1800s when Europe was breaking into nations, much resembling the borders of today. This piece represents Smetana’s love for Bohemia. From an early age a precocious Strauss was a gifted performer on both violin and piano, gifts which are readily apparent in his Sonata, no doubt magnified as it was at this time that he met the love of his life, whom he married and spent the rest of his life. This Sonata is a tribute to her.

On Saturday, audiences will delight in the sweet sounds of Sonatas by Schumann, Brahms and Grieg, among other works. Several Romantic German composers were friends, including Liszt, Mendelssohn and the Schumanns, making a music club of sorts. How nice to collaborate in such a supportive community! Schumman's Sonata in A minor was premièred by his wife, Clara, a remarkable pianist in her own right. Grieg's Sonata No. 3 was his most frequently played and favorite sonata, and the writing was a long drawn out affair reflecting his Norwegian nationalistic sentiments, in a subtle and cosmopolitan work. Brahms' Sonata No. 3 has four, instead of three movements, unlike the other sonatas in this program, and it has always been of the greatest of the sonatas for violin and piano, receiving raptous welcomes whenever it is played.

Tickets for the concert at St. Paul’s are $150, $300 and $400 pesos donation each, and are on sale at the Bookshop in the Biblioteca Pública; Solutions, Recreo 11 and through our website with no booking fee, and at the concert 45 minutes before performance time.

Details of all Pro Musica’s concerts and Patron Membership are on our website, www.promusicasma.org, or contact us at

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