The Guevara & Zhelezova Piano Duo

The Guevara & Zhelezova Piano Duo

G U E V A R A & Z H E L E Z O V A Piano Duo Hailed for their dynamic interpretations, powerful stage presence, and elegance, the Guevara & Zhelezova Piano Duo has been praised as impeccable, simply wonderful! (El Sol de Orizaba, Mexico), great display of talent (Diario De Morelos, Mexico) exotic, stunning and sensual (Atencion San Miguel, Mexico.) Named remarkable entertainers, the unique duo combines the cultural heritages and temperaments of Latin America and Eastern Europe and is committed to bringing a vast repertoire ranging from Baroque to newlycommissioned works to audiences of all ages all over the world. Mexican pianist Citlalli Guevara and Bulgarian pianist Slavina Zhelezova, both winners of prestigious international competitions and awards, began their musical collaboration in 2008 as two young pianists in the highly competitive Bell arte Foundation Program based in Brussels. Working closely under the tutelage of Philippe Entremont and Nelson delle Vigne Fabbri, the two immediately bonded based on their shared vision for the unique artistic potential of the music for piano duo. The duo debuted to a standing ovation at the Palm Beach International Piano Festival in February 2009. Since then, the duo has performed across three continents as recitalists and soloists with orchestra. Recent performance highlights include recitals at the 20th En Blanco y Negro International Piano Festival (Mexico City, Mexico), the Duo Cycle Series of UNAM (Mexico City, Mexico), Pro-Musica Concert Series (San Miguel de Allende), the Classical Series at the Cornelia Street Café (New York City) and the Harvard Club of New York Concert Series. Other festival appearances have included Taiwan National Orchestra Summer Festival, Palm Beach International Piano Festival (Palm Beach, USA), Schumann-Chopin International Piano Festival (Cuernavaca, Mexico) and Xalapa International Summer Festival (Xalapa, Mexico). Notable orchestral appearances include the highly-acclaimed Mexican premiere of Schnittke s four-hand concerto with the Guanajuato Symphony Orchestra, appearances with Zacatecas Symphony Orchestra (Zacatecas, Mexico), Xalapa Chamber Orchestra (Xalapa, Mexico), Puebla Symphony Orchestra (Puebla, Mexico), Sonora Philharmonic Orchestra (Hermosillo, Mexico) and Michoacan Symphony Orchestra (Morelia, Mexico).

The duo has toured Mexico extensively with many sold-out performances, including Teatro del Estado in Xalapa, Teatro Clavijero in Veracruz and Teatro Ocampo in Cuernavaca. In Uruapan, Mexico, the duo presented the first ever performance on two pianos to an audience of 3,000, which was televised. The duo is active in introducing audiences to duo-piano repertoire and has given the Mexican premiere of Ravel s Bolero and Pablo Ziegler s arrangements of Piazzolla s tangos for two pianos. They also performed the highlyacclaimed Taiwanese premiere of Ziegler s tango arrangements at the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra Hall in Taichung. The duo is due to release its long-anticipated debut album, Midnight Conversations on Centaur Records in the fall of 2017. In addition to their duo pursuit, both enjoy successful international career as soloists and chamber musicians. Citlalli earned her Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Veracruz and Master of Music Degree at the Manhattan School of Music; Slavina holds Bachelor of Music degree from the Mannes College of Music, Master of Music Degree from the Manhattan School of Music and is currently working on her Doctor of Musical Arts Degree at the Manhattan School of Music.

AUDIO CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO LISTEN La valse (excerpt) VIDEOS A. Márquez Danzón No. 2 (excerpt) - Concerto for two pianos (excerpt) A. Piazzolla- Libertango Four-hand arrangement by C. Guevara & S. Zhelezova A. Schnittke Concerto for Piano Four Hands and Chamber Orchestra - Sonata

P R E S S Citlalli and Slavina captivate at the Teatro Principal...Citlalli, Slavina and the Guanajuato Symphony Orchestra get a standing ovation at the Teatro Principal... Manuel Carrillo, Periódico AM- March 17, 2014 Four Hands-One Piano...And, I should mention, two pairs of very elegant heels! The Guevara and Zhelezova Piano Duo are not just the most talented piano duo in Latin America, but the best looking as well and wait until you see the sensual way they play the piano and twist and turn around it like elegant dancers performing a musical ballet on the black and white keys... Michael Pearl- November 30, 2012 Stunning piano duo to make their debut in San Miguel...These two young women come on stage in ravishing slinky evening gowns, complementing their long dark hair and fashion model looks... They sometimes get up and dance while still hitting the keyboard... They are remarkable entertainers known for their dynamic interpretations, energetic stage performances and original programs... Beverly Russell, November 22, 2012 Citlalli Guevara and Slavina Zhelezova astonish audiences with their performance at the Schumann-Chopin Piano Festival....The synchrony and perfect harmony of four hands on one piano impressed the audience at Teatro Ocampo the pianists swayed with perfect synchrony and rhythm, with their eyes focused on the score they were playing. Later, each took to her own instrument individually to demonstrate a great display of talent... Ingrid Díaz, Diario de Morelos- June 12, 2010 Two women, two pianos, four hands and a connoisseur audience were the elements that assured a most successful musical evening last Friday when pianists Citlalli Guevara and Slavina Zhelezova performed their Del Vals al Tango II recital at the Teatro Clavijero....This fascinating recital, giving the audience an unforgettable experience, offered an explosion of different feelings, provoked by the tenderness and gentleness of the rhythmical waltzes and, on the other hand, by the fast and melancholic sways of the tangos... Both pianists performed with an evident command of technique and virtuosity beyond question; performed with vigor ending their performance with a virtuoso interpretation of Ravel s La Valse... Jorge González, Imagen de Veracruz- June 14, 2010 With tremendous success, Bulgarian and Mexican concert pianists Slavina Zhelezova and Citlalli Guevara, dazzled the Uruapan audience giving a recital for 1200 people at the DIF Cultural Center...Such a concert was an enormous treat for the people of Uruapan and the impact on the audience was unmatched; an event of such importance is historical for the city The event concluded with a euphoric standing ovation and the perfect harmony of Maurice Ravel s La Valse. This was a unique event of top-notch level without any question!... Quadratín- Agencia mexicana de información y análisis June 12, 2010 Nothing less than excellent...this recital brought back musical events of highest standard in the most successful way... Impeccable, simply wonderful!... Eblyn Josafat Molina, El sol de Orizaba- June 8, 2010

REPERTOIRE ORCHESTRAL TWO PIANOS W. A. Mozart Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra in E-flat major, K. 365 Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra in F major, K. 242 Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra in D minor ONE PIANO FOUR HANDS C. Czerny Concerto for Piano Four Hands and Orchestra in C major, Op. 153 A. Schnittke Concerto for Piano Four Hands and Chamber Orchestra C. Saint-Saëns Le carnaval des animaux B. Martinů Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra B. Bartok Concerto for Two Pianos, Percussion and Orchestra

FOUR-HAND SAMPLE PROGRAMS Midnight Conversations Ma mère l oye Sonata for Piano Four Hands A. Piazzolla Muerte del ángel, Milonga del ángel and Libertango (arr. by Zhelezova/Guevara) - intermission - F. Schubert Marche militaire No.1, D. 778 A. Dvořák Slavonic Dance, Op. 72 No. 2 I. Stravinsky Danse Russe from Pétrouchka S. Rachmaninov Six morceaux, Op. 11 Souvenirs from Vienna F. Schubert Trois marches militaires, D. 778 W. A. Mozart Sonata in D major, K. 381 S. Barber Souvenirs, Op. 28 - intermission - F. Schubert Fantasy in F Minor, D. 940 J. Brahms Hungarian Dances Nos. 1, 2, 4 and 5

TWO-PIANO SAMPLE PROGRAMS PROJECT DANCE Café Terrace Of Foreign Lands and People A. Piazzolla Adios Nonino Le Grand Tango Sonata for Piano Four Hands F. Schubert Marche militaire No.1, D. 778 J. Brahms Hungarian Dances Nos. 1, 2, 4 & 5 Sonata for Piano Four Hands A. Piazzolla Fuga y Misterio Adios Nonino Libertango S. Rachmaninov Six morceaux, Op. 11 - intermission - A. Márquez Danzón No. 2 Bolero A. Márquez Danzón No. 2 - intermission P. Vladigerov Hora-Staccato Foxtrott F. Chopin Rondo in C major, Op. 16 La valse Concerto for Two Pianos (solo version) La valse - intermission - P. Vladigerov Hora-Staccato Foxtrott A. Piazzolla Le Grand Tango La valse