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Newman Oltman – Holiday Concert
December 13, 2019
Friday, December 13, 2019
11:00am & 7:00pm
Laura Oltman and Michael Newman, guitars
Hailed as a “revelation to hear” by The Washington Post, the Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo
is recognized for their matchless technique, ensemble precision, and innovative programming, combined with their commitment to expanding the repertoire for guitar duo.
Widely recognized as an influential ensemble both in the US and abroad, they perform a broad range of repertoire that spans baroque and classical works to Spanish and Latin American rhythms. In addition to their phenomenal musicianship, they are dedicated to inspiring the next generation of guitar players through their many educational endeavors.
Concert tours have taken Michael Newman and Laura Oltman to world cultural capitals and premiere venues across five continents, the Caribbean, and South Pacific. In addition to their international engagements, they have performed at Carnegie Hall, aboard the Queen Elizabeth II, Caramoor and the Grand Canyon Music Festival. The Duo has demonstrated extraordinary stylistic breadth in their collaborations with such diverse artists as composer/conductor Marvin Hamlisch and the Pittsburgh Symphony, mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade, fiddler Eileen Ivers, pianist/composer Clarice Assad, violinist Tim Fain, and the ETHEL, Daedalus, Calder, and Turtle Island string quartets.
The 2019/20 season features the Newman & Oltman Duo performing the premiere of The Book of Imaginary Beings, a new duet written and dedicated to them by renowned Cuban composer Leo Brouwer in May, 2019. The duo hosted Brouwer last spring during a rare US appearance at Mannes School of Music. Highlights of recent and upcoming performances include the world premiere of Concierto Buenos Aires composed for the Duo by Nuevo Tango Master Daniel Binelli with l’Orchestre de l’Opéra de Reims in France. Following on the success of the concerto’s French debut, the Duo “charmed the Ferguson audience with phenomenal musicianship” (Gazette Journal) when they performed it with the Virginia Symphony. This summer Michael and Laura returned to teach and perform at the Lanciano International Guitar Seminar in Abruzzo, Italy where they are co-artistic directors. They also performed as guest artists and master class presenters at the Camino Artes Guitar Workshop in Palencia, Spain and at the Festival de Violäo in Porto Alegre, Brazil.