Inspiring Audiences and Artists for Fifty-Six Years.
Buy Tickets Online > or call (831) 659-3115
Presented by Youth Music Monterey
Thursday November 1st at 7:00 p.m.
Hidden Valley Theatre
104 W Carmel Valley Road
Featuring Master Musicians of Azerbaijan
Abuzar Manafzade, Nijat Mazimov, and Natig Shirinov
General Admission - $20.00
Students & Road Scholar participants - Free
Tickets available online at www.youthmusicmonterey.org, at the door, or by calling (831) 375-1992
The sounds of the ancient Naghara and Balaban, played by Azerbaijan's preeminent musicians, will take you to another land and time. Nijat Masimov (Balaban), Natig Shrinov (Naghara) and Abuzar Manafzade (Piano) will present an extraordinary musical tour of Central Asia. This performance precedes the premiere of Manafzade's Concerto for Balaban and Naghara at Youth Music Monterey County's concert on Sunday November 4th at Carmel's Sunset Center. Visit www.youthmusicmonterey.org for more information about these concerts.
About the artists:
Composer and pianist Abuzar Manafzade was born in 1990 in the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku. He started his music education at the age of 7 in the Absheron Music School for Children in Baku. At the age of 9 he attended the Azerbaijan Young Pianists Competition and won First Prize. He has won multiple competitions throughout Central Asia and Europe, including First Prize in the Pera Istanbul International Piano Competition Piano Duo Category with his sister Turan Manafzade. He won First Prize in the Piano Solo Category and First Prize in the Piano Duo Category in Germany's International Baden-Wu¨rtemberg Musical Fireworks Competition in June 2013. He gave a concert with Turan Manafzade in Bucharest, Romania at the Johann Strauss Festival and won First Prize in the Piano Solo Category, and Second Prize in the Piano Duo Category. In 2003 he entered Istanbul Mimar Sinan State Conservatory in Turkey. During 2014-2016 he studied Orchestral Conducting with Maestro Antonio Pirolli in Istanbul and with Maestro Boris Perrenoud at the Vienna Music Academy. In 2016 was selected to play in the Young Concert Artists International Auditions Semi-Finals in New York. In October 2017, he began studying Orchestral Conducting with Prof. Simeon Pironkoff and Prof. Johannes Wildner in University of Music and Performing Arts of Vienna. He studies Piano in Linz with Prof. Oleg Marshev. Manafzade has composed the very first Concerto for Balaban, Naghara and Orchestra. This concerto's premiere will be featured in many concert halls throughout the world in 2017-18.
Nijat Masimov was born in 1997 in Baku, Azerbaijan where he first studied the Balaban in grade school. He then attended the Bulbul Music School during his secondary years before entering the Azerbaijan National Conservatory in 2014. In 2018, he finished his studies with the Faculty of Folk Musical Instruments. He has won multiple awards, including First Prize in the competition of National Musical Instruments and Singing, dedicated to the 115-year anniversary of Bulbul in 2013. Masimov received the Grand Prize in the II Republican Competition of Young Singers (dedicated to the 90-year anniversary of Heydar Aliyev, National Leader in 2013). He was awarded first prize in the American Protégé International Woodwinds and Brass Competition 2014 (Carnegie Hall) and first prize in the Concorso Internazionale Musicale Citta Di Pesaro 2016
Natig Shirinov is a native of Baku, Azerbaijan. From 1999 to 2007, he performed as part of Alim Qasimov's folk group. Natig's contributions to the art have not been limited to performance on stage. In 2001 he founded the "Natig Rhythm Group", an ensemble of five musicians playing drums and old Azeri instruments such as zurna, balaban, and tutek. While leading this ensemble, he also assumed the role of pedagogue and composer. His objective in founding the group was to gain the Naghara recognition as an important Azerbaijani instrument, explore and create new rhythms and bring new appreciation for the Naghara throughout the world. He was invited to participate in 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009 in the International Drum Festival by its producer, the outstanding percussionist Tofig Jabarov. He was selected by Sevda Alakbarzade, the Honored Artist and singer of Azerbaijan, to record "Gul Achdi" in 2007 and "Sevdali Dunya" in 2009, which were released by "Network Medien" Company. In September 2007, Shirinov was awarded the title of Honored Artist of Azerbaijan by Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan. On 22 May 2012, his rhythm group performed in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku.