Lorena Garay, a native of Puerto Rico, loves to
perform music with a strong Spanish guitar flavor, both as a soloist and a
multi-instrumentalist, in various groups including "SURCARI". Coming
from a Latin music background, she is also trained in classical guitar with a
Master of Music degree from The Hartt School of Music and a Bachelor of Music
degree from the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico. She composes, arranges, and
loves the beautiful blend of classical guitar and Latin rhythms.
Education Lorena earned her Master of
Music degree Summa Cum Laude from the Hartt School of Music at
the University of Hartford, where she received the Guitar Department
Award. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree Summa Cum Laude from the
Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico, from which she received the String
Department Gold Medal Award. In addition, she graduated with high honors from
"La Escuela Libre de Música" in Carolina, Puerto Rico.
Studies Lorena has studied classical guitar
under Richard Provost and Leonardo Egúrbida; flamenco guitar with José R. Ramos
and Carlos Revollar; jazz guitar with Rich Goldstein; and Cuban tres with
Nelson González. Lorena began her guitar studies with Rafael París and Héctor
Hance.
Master Classes Lorena has attended master classes
with renowned international guitarists Pepe and Angel Romero, Ricardo Cobos,
Andrew York, Julian Gray, and Ivan Rijos, among others. She has also
attended various prestigious guitar workshops, including the Guitar Foundation
of America International Convention in Montreal, Canada; the National Guitar
Summer Workshop in New Milford, Connecticut; and The Stetson International
Guitar Workshop in DeLand, Florida.
Recordings Lorena Garay's first recording,
"La Guitarra de Puerto Rico" was chosen to be featured as part
of the Greater Hartford Arts Council's 2004 United Arts Gift Giving
Campaign. It has been praised for her original compositions and fresh
arrangements of Latin music for the classical guitar. Lorena Garay's second
recording: "Surcari" is a blend of traditional and contemporary Latin
American, Andean, Afro-Caribbean, Spanish, and world music fused with the
sounds of the classical guitar, Andean panpipes, and Latin percussion. The
Connecticut Classical Guitar Society also features Lorena on two compilation
CDs: "New England Landscapes" and "The Gift of the
Guitar". In addition, she recorded on Daniel Salazar's CDs:
"Mosaico" and self-titled "Daniel Salazar", as part of his
contemporary ensemble. She also recorded on José González's CDs: "Navidad
Boricua" and "Bomba Le Lé", which feature his "Banda
Criolla". She is also featured on "Fundzilla 2004", a
compilation CD produced by WPKN Radio 89.5 FM in Bridgeport, CT.
Compositions & Arrangements Lorena
composed and performed the music for "The Pueblo", a play about the
Américas written by HartBeat Ensemble, and premiered at the Austin Arts Center,
Trinity College in June and July of 2007. She also composed the music for the
new season of the TV show: "Salu2 Nueva Inglaterra" by Telemundo,
Hartford/Springfield. The new season started on Sunday, April 22, 2007 at
6:00pm. Original compositions and arrangements from Lorena’s first recording
have been used by permission on videos like: Homeowners Video by the Hartford Public
Library featuring Hartford Major Eddie Pérez in 2004; also on websites like: www.toddshapera.com/#mi=2&pt=1?=10000&s=0&p=3&a=0&at=0 in 2007,
among others.
Performance Experience Lorena has
traveled all along the U.S. east coast and Puerto Rico performing. Her most
important performances include Princeton University, Philadelphia Museum of
Art, and Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, among others. At the Whitaker
Center for Science and the Arts in Pennsylvania, she was the opening act
for renowned guitar duo Strunz and Farrah. Lorena performs regularly with
well-known groups such as José González's "Criollo Clásico",
"The Daniel Salazar Ensemble", and
"Surcari". She is a former band member of groups such
as "Viva Quetzal", "Sol Sin Fronteras",
and "Son del Este". She has also performed alongside folk singer
Roy Brown, Puerto Rican rock figure Tito Auger, Tao Rodriguez-Seeger, concert
guitarist Federico Cordero, and flamenco guitarist Val Ramos.
Performance Appearances include:
Western Carolina University-Recital Hall, Cullowhee, North Carolina; The
Bushnell, Hartford, Connecticut; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston,
Massachusetts; Hartwick College, Oneonta, New York; Keene State College, Keene,
New Hampshire; Nauticus National Maritime Center, Norfolk, Virginia; Isothermal
Community College, Spindale, North Carolina; University of Rhode Island,
Kingston, Rhode Island; Middle Earth Music Hall, Bradford, Vermont; University
of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts; WV Cultural Center Theater at
State Capitol Complex, Charleston, West Virginia; Feria del
Barrio Festival, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Festival
Artscape, Baltimore, Maryland; Conservatory of Music of Puerto
Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico; Iron Horse Music Hall, Northampton, Massachusetts;
Colgate University, Hamilton, New York; Roger
Williams University, Bristol, Rhode Island; St. Bonaventure University, St.
Bonaventure, New York; Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Connecticut; Calvin
Theater, Northampton, Massachusetts; Casa Aboy, San Juan, Puerto
Rico; Park Performing Arts Center, Union City, New Jersey; Central
Connecticut State University, New Britain, Connecticut; University of
Connecticut, West Hartford, Connecticut; Gateway Community College, New Haven,
Connecticut; Chandler Music Hall, Randolph, Vermont; Whitaker Center for
Science and the Arts, Harrisburg, PA; Princeton University, Princeton, New
Jersey; Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA; Instituto de Cultura
Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico; Hillstead
Museum, Farmington, Connecticut; Harrisburg Area Community College, Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania; Housatonic Community College, Bridgeport, Connecticut; Holyoke
Community College, Holyoke, Massachusetts; Trinity College, Hartford,
Connecticut; University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico; and St. Joseph
College, Hartford, Connecticut; among others.
Awards include: Guitar Department Award, The
Hartt School of Music; String Department Gold Medal Award, Conservatory of Music
of Puerto Rico; Medal for Excellence, Connecticut National Guard; Plaque
Recognition, The CT Association of Affirmative Action Scholarship Fund; United
Arts Operational Grant, Greater Hartford Arts Council; Tuition Scholarship and
Teaching Fellowship, Hartt School of Music; Robert I. Ferdman Scholarship,
"Pro Arte Musical", San Juan, PR; Musical Arts Corporation
Scholarship, San Juan, PR; Biography Published in the 18th & 19th Annual
Editions of the National Dean's List.
Music Affiliations include: The
American Association of Composers and Publishers (ASCAP), the Suzuki
Association of the Americas, the Music Honor Society "Pi Kappa
Lambda", and the Connecticut Classical Guitar Society, where she served as
a board member for two years.
Teaching Experience Lorena Garay is a former
faculty member of: The Hartt School Community Division of the University
of Hartford, CT; The American International College, School of Continuing
Education, Springfield, MA; The Community Music School of Springfield, Springfield,
MA; The CCGS Guitar Ensemble, Connecticut Classical Guitar Society, Hartford,
CT; and Guakia, a Puerto Rican Cultural Center, Hartford, CT. For two years in
a row, she was a guest artist at Danzante, A Latino Cultural Center, Arts &
Music Summer Camp in Harrisburg, PA. Lorena stopped teaching three years ago to
devote all her time to her performing career. |
