Sombra de Urbano – An evening of chamber music by American composer Michael Colina will be presented by a superb array of international artists on Wednesday, November 21 – 8PM at Christ & St. Stephen's Church, 120 West 69th Street in Manhattan.

Anastasia Khitruk, Grammy-nominated virtuoso violinist (http://www.anastasiakhitruk.com/), will open the evening with Colina's Notturno for Violin and Piano. Anastasia will also perform an unaccompanied work: "Der Golum." Anastasia's performance of the piece can be seen online here .

Also featured is a collaboration between world-renowned, Grammy-winning jazz pianist and composer Bob James (http://www.bobjames.com/) and the superb, Grammy-nominated Quartet San Francisco (http://www.quartetsanfrancisco.com/). They will premiere "Sombra de Urbano" (Shadow of Urbano), a musical narrative in three movements, using Latin dance rhythms and folkloric melodies; telling the story of Michael's Cuban father, his journey to America with his uncle Urbano, mentor and travel companion.

Also on the program is the world-renowned Binelli-Ferman Duo (Daniel Binelli on bandoneon and Polly Ferman on piano – http://www.binelli-ferman.com/), who will lead Colina's re-interpretation of Canteloube's Chants D'Auvergne. This standard of the soprano repertoire will be sung in French by soprano Carole Rowley.

Michael has several upcoming premieres of classical works in the next few months, including a January 25, 2008 performance of his Flute Concerto, "Isles of Shoals" by the Yale Philharmonia and his "Idoru Trio," to be performed by the Salles Piano Trio in Brazil in April 2008.

We are currently working on what promises to be a great CD of Michael Colina's chamber music.

This will include pianist Pierce Emata's recording of the Sestina Mutations, the New York-based Sybarite String Quintet's performance of Disturbing the Silence, the Britto Trio's performance of the Idoru Trio and the fine Russian violinist Anastasia Khitruk's performance of Notturno for Piano and Violin.

Look for the disc in early 2008. More information in future issues of Sound Room.

If you don't yet know the music of Michael Colina, here's your opportunity to meet a fine composer. Just a quick sampling of the music at his website will tell you that this is the real thing – a composer who communicates.

Michael was born of Cuban-American heritage, studied composition at the North Carolina School of the Arts with Vittorio Giannini, Louis Mennini and Robert Ward. He continued studies at the Chigiana in Sienna, Italy with Thomas Pasatieri and Roman Vlad. He was the first recipient of the Vittorio Giannini Memorial Scholarship award.

Now a New York-based composer and jazz producer, he has written music for television, film, theatre, dance and the concert stage for more than 20 years, and has produced CDs for jazz greats like Bob James, David Sanborn, Michael Brecker, Marcus Miller, Bill Evans, Michael Franks and Marilyn Scott.

A multiple Grammy® winner, Colina has worked alongside recording legends like George Benson, Earl Klugh, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt and Bonnie Raitt, and his music has been performed throughout the United States, Europe and Japan. After 25 years of helping others create their music, Michael is focusing today on the music that he has always dreamed of creating for himself. As his website says, "His most recent works reflect a new direction, one that pulls threads from jazz, classical, and his Cuban-American heritage – a music that transcends categories and takes the listener to an invisible world of subtle discovery." We think you'll agree.

Examples of this new direction include The Isles of Shoals, a solo for flute and orchestra (which is scheduled to be recorded in 2007); the Idoru Piano Trio for piano, violin and cello; The People, an orchestral work for Richard Kuch commissioned by the Boston Ballet; and a modern dance score, A Time of Crickets, commissioned by Pauline Koner and supported by The National Endowment for the Arts.

To hear samples of his music, visit http://www.michaelcolina.com/sound.htm.

For more information about the music of Michael Colina, visit him online at http://www.michaelcolina.com/. For more information about the composer, contact Jeffrey James Arts Consulting at 516-586-3433 or jamesarts@worldnet.att.net.