¡MAMBO!!!
The GRAN MAMBO for two flutes and piano will receive its premier on Thursday, August22, when it is played by Elena, Martha and Cheryl in Oaktree. It was commissioned by Elena from the brilliant young Venezuelan composer Efrain Oscher who is also a flute player. The concert will open with another work for two flutes and piano, Samuel Zyman’s FANTASIA MEXICANA which was also commissioned by Elena twenty years ago and is Zyman’s most popular work, celebrating the joy of popular Mexican music!
Samuel Zyman
Fantasia Mexicana for two flutes and piano (Elena, Martha, Cheryl)
Efrain Oscher
A short piece for flute and piano (Martha & Cheryl)
Efrain Oscher
Barroquiana Venezolana No. 2 for flute and piano (Elena & Cheryl)
Efrain Oscher
Gran Mambo (Elena, Martha, Cheryl)
Elena Durán grew up in Oakland, California and has enjoyed an international career, appearing as soloist with more than 50 orchestras all over the world, playing on a number of occasions for the Queen of England, HM King Charles as well as the President of Mexico. She has recorded a hit single with Paul McCartney and has made two albums with jazz great Stephane Grappelli. At various stages of her career, she has taught at University and Conservatory level including at Stanford University, the London College of Music, the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and the Hartt School of Music. She has given masterclasses and courses all over the world and was the director of the Stratford International Flute Festival for twenty years and the Mexican Flute Festival at UNAM for five years in the nineties. She was named Mexico City’s Ambassador of Culture and Tourism, and with her personal outreach program FLAUTA SIN FRONTERAS, she has taken music to those who can’t attend concerts, especially those in prison and those who live along the US/Mexico Border. Elena is a passionate supporter of the Ranch’s Fundación La Puerta bringing her programs to the local community.
Martha Aarons’ professional career began with her appointment as principal flute of the North Carolina Symphony. Subsequently she played with the Cleveland Orchestra for 25 years. After becoming a freelancer, she performed often with the Philadelphia Orchestra. During this time, she appeared as guest principal flute with the Metropolitan Opera, Minnesota Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, and Mostly Mozart Festival. Ms. Aarons served as Artist Faculty with the Aspen Music Festival for 19 years. Her teaching credits include the Cleveland Institute of Music, Duke University, University of North Carolina/Chapel Hill, Oberlin College, Skidmore College, Shanghai Conservatory and Eastman School of Music. She has been soloist with the Cleveland Orchestra, North Carolina Symphony, Ohio Chamber Orchestra, and with the Aspen Festival Chamber and Festival orchestras. Her first solo CD, The History of the Tango, is recorded on the Azica label and additionally features pianist Frances Renzi and Grammy-winning guitarist Jason Vieaux. Her newest release is the CD Last Silence with violinist Lev Polyakin and pianist Frances Renzi. Martha is also an avid runner and has qualified for her fifth consecutive Boston Marathon in April 2025!
Praised by the New York Sun for her “Warm, grand and rich” pianism, Cheryl Lin Fielding has performed on some of the finest stages throughout the world, including the Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, Tanglewood Music Center, Music Academy of the West, Aspen Music Festival, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Juilliard Theater, Mark Morris Dance Group, Musco Center for the Arts, and Soka Performing Arts Center. A sought-after\ collaborator and vocal coach, Fielding has been honored with the Grace B. Jackson Prize in Excellence by the Tanglewood Music Festival, recognized by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, and received the distinguished Gwendolyn Koldofsky Award in Keyboard Collaborative Arts.
Cheryl’s musical studies began at the age of three in Taiwan, first on the piano and later on the violin, and continued through dual master’s degrees at the Juilliard School (Piano Performance and Collaborative Piano), and Doctor of Musical Arts in Keyboard Collaborative Arts at the University of Southern California, with extended emphasis in Vocal Performance.
Fielding has had the honor of working alongside luminaries such as Matthew Aucoin, Christian Badea, Cori Ellison, John DeMain, Luana Devol, Peter Kazaras, Kelly Kuo, James Levine, Timothy Lindberg, Angela Meade, Carol Neblett, Linda Watson, and Dolora Zajick, and has served as music director, vocal coach, pianist, adjudicator for organizations including Dolora Zajick’s Institute for Young Dramatic Voices, Santa Fe Opera, the Philadelphia Virtuosi, Los Angeles Opera, Opera Pacific, Operafestival di Roma, Opera Santa Barbara, Opera San Jose, OperaWorks, Pacific Vocal Series, Pacific Symphony, Opera Chapman, California State University at Northridge, Azusa Pacific University, the Juilliard School, and the USC Thornton Opera. You can hear her playing on all major streaming platforms on the newly released album with soprano, Tory McKenna: Awakening.
Dr. Fielding is passionate about keeping the arts thriving in the communities and has recently help produced several concerts with Parnassus Society at Soka Performing Arts Center. She is currently the Artistic Director of Parnassus Society and Coach at Opera UCLA and Dolora Zajick’s Institute for Young Dramatic Voices.
Janita Anne Nelson is a working Artist, Yoga Teacher, and Woman’s Wellness Retreat Facilitator and Organizer.
