Jennifer Roig-Francolí and Adam Kent
Two CCM educators will share the stage in a unique way at Carnegie Hall on October 24, when violinist Jennifer Roig-Francolí will perform the world premiere of a new piece composed by her husband, CCM Professor of Music Theory and Composition Miguel Roig-Francolí. Mrs. Roig-Francolí, a violinist and CCM Preparatory Department faculty member, will perform “Songs of the Infinite” with pianist Adam Kent at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York on October 24 at 7 p.m.
Dr. Roig-Francolí, an award-winning composer, notable music theorist and pedagogue, was commissioned by the Foundation for Iberian Music in New York to write the piece earlier this year for debut at Carnegie Hall. According to Dr. Roig-Francolí, “Songs of the Infinite” was composed with the idea of evoking “infinitude through rhythm, melody and harmony – three musical elements which lend themselves to continuous unfolding and spinning out.”
Dr. Roig-Francolí, whose music has been performed internationally, dedicated the piece to his wife. “The piece, which is really a sonata for violin and piano structured in five movements, was composed with Jennifer’s violin playing in mind, and incorporates a variety of her requests in the form of particular sounds, expressive character and even some specific notes on her violin,” said Dr. Roig-Francolí.
“Songs of the Infinite” had a pre-premiere at the summer 2010 Burgos International Music Festival in Spain and can be heard (in part) below. Along with “Songs of the Infinite,” the October 24 Carnegie Hall event will feature another piece composed by Dr. Roig-Francolí called “Suite Apócrifa” for piano.
Vodpod videos no longer available.About Jennifer Roig-Francolí
CCM Preparatory Department faculty member Jennifer Roig-Francolí performs internationally on both the modern and baroque violins, and is currently the violinist for Adastra, A Period Instrument Duo. She has appeared as a featured soloist with orchestras such as the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Berlin Symphony, the New York String Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, Apollo’s Fire and the Cleveland Baroque Orchestra. Roig-Francolí has been the assistant and acting concertmaster of the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra and was a founding member of the Chicago Baroque Ensemble. A graduate of Indiana University, Roig-Francolí has given master classes and lectures/demonstrations on historical performance practice at the Eastman School of Music, Northern Illinois University, and Otterbein College, in addition to CCM. She is also a certified Alexander Technique teacher.
About Miguel Roig-Francolí
Miguel Roig-Francolí, recipient of the 2009 George Rieveschl Jr. Award for Creative and/or Scholarly Works, is an accomplished and award-winning composer. His compositions have been widely performed in Spain, England, Germany, Mexico and the United States, and he has been honored with First Prize in the National Composition Competition of the Spanish Jeunesses Musicales (1981) and Second Prize at the UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers (Paris, 1982).
Born in Ibiza, Spain, Roig-Francolí received an M.M. in Composition (1985) and a Ph.D. in Music Theory (1990) from Indiana University. In addition, he has published numerous scholarly articles in major refereed journals in the U.S., England, Spain and Italy, and he is the author of two music-theory college textbooks published by McGraw-Hill, Harmony in Context and Understanding Post-Tonal Music. Prior to joining CCM in 2000, Roig-Francolí taught at Ithaca College, Northern Illinois University, Indiana University and the Eastman School of Music.
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