Maestro and Son
College of Arts and Sciences Dean Aldemaro Romero will conduct his father's work at the next Arts and Issues event
Karina Swank
Issue date: 1/28/10 Section: A&E
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Not only will Romero be directing the newest installment of the Arts & Issues series, but he was also the inspiration for one of the pieces, "Five Paleontological Mysteries."
"I discovered some fossils in Spain," Romero said. "I sent [my father] electronically a description of all those fossils, and to my pleasant surprise, he wrote a five movement academic piece about those fossils."
According to Director of Arts & Issues Grant Andree, Romero's father is an internationally known arranger-composer and orchestra leader, who worked with a lot of big names. Some of those names include Dean Martin, big band bandleader Stan Kenton and popular Latin percussionist Tito Puente, Romero said.
"My father was a Venezuelan musician and composer who began doing some popular music," Romero said. "In the later stages of his career he dedicated himself to composing classical or academic music."
"Mysteries" is one of those academic pieces, inspired by Romero's own academic exploits. Romero's life had originally begun with a focus in music like his father's, but he said one historical event put him on a new path.
"When I was four years old [my father] actually gave me his baton to direct a concert. I guess I was one of those prodigies doing it that young," Romero said. "But when I was six years old I decided to be a scientist because at that time there was the launch of Sputnik, the satellite…."
Musicians of Choice
Romero has not lost his skill for directing music, as it remained a large part of his life.
"I still have an affinity for music," Romero said. "I have played in a number of bands for jazz or rock, and I know my father's music very well."
He knows his father's music so well in fact that Romero said he believed there was only one person who could perform at the skill level necessary to play the music properly: Peter Soave with the accompaniment of the Carpe Diem String Quartet.
"When my father wrote the 'Five Paleontological Mysteries' he had in mind Peter Soave because he is a world renowned accordion music player. Very few people can perform it," Romero said.
Romero had previously hoped to perform his father's music at another point earlier in time, but was unable to find musicians with the ability to play the music.
"I contacted people in Memphis, which is a very musical city, but I couldn't find anyone to perform that particular piece. My father suggested I contact Peter Soave."
Peter Soave, an accordion and bandoneón player, has been working with the Carpe Diem String Quartet for about two years now, according to Charles Wetherbee, the first violinist of the quartet.
Diego Fainguersch, cellist for the quartet, said playing with Soave was an experience he enjoyed because of their similar backgrounds.
"It's great working with him. He's from Argentina, and it's kind of like going back home for a moment."
Korine Fujiwara, who plays the viola for the quartet, had similar sentiments as Romero when it came to Soave's skill level.
"He knows the music very well, and he's spent time with Romero," Fujiwara said. "He's a legitimate ambassador for the style.
A "Nontraditional" String Quartet
Wetherbee said Romero's style has a distinctive kind of sound.
"He has kind of a fusion of jazz elements and a little mix of other popular musical styles," Wetherbee said. "He has a real understanding of string instruments and how those instruments can be blended and fused."
A distinctive kind of sound could also be used to describe the string quartet because, according to Wetherbee, they have a sound that cannot be categorized.
"We are the premier Indie string quartet," Wetherbee said. "The reason we have that monitor hung on us is because we pretty much defy any category. We play nontraditional music for a string quartet."
Some of the music he said they enjoy playing falls into the genres of folk, rock and jazz, but basically they play music that they love.
Their style seems to be working for them as the quartet has been chosen for the 2010 Grammy Awards entry list in four categories. Though only the preliminary round, Andree said it was a prestigious selection.
"They are a terrific string quartet, and they are getting a lot of publicity," Andree said.
In addition to the music, Andree said there will be video accompaniment with a few of the pieces. One video will highlight the fossils discovered by Dean Romero, such as the fossils of a new group of animals never before discovered. Attendants of the concert will be able to see the fossil's bell-shaped morphology after the concert as a display case will be set up outside, according to Romero.
Having a video play in the background is not new for the ensemble, according to John Ewing, the second violinist for the quartet.
"I think we really like to mix up what we do," Ewing said. "I think when we bring in different artistic collaborations it really augments what a quartet can do and it expands what a quartet normally does."
Playing for a college crowd is not unusual for the quartet either, as they are currently in residence at Ohio Wesleyan University, but have played at colleges across the country and even in countries like Japan, according to Fujiwara.
Ewing said he enjoys performing for college students because of the atmosphere.
"They always have lots of interesting questions and interesting experiences that they have had themselves," Ewing said. "It's fun to relive those years. I think all four of us enjoy being a part of that atmosphere again, youth and excitement."
"The Music of Aldemaro Romero" will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the Dunham Hall Theater. Tickets for the Carpe Diem String Quartet and Peter Soave are $27; SIUE students, $13; SIUE employees and retirees, as well as $25 for senior citizens. For more information, click here, or by calling (618) 650-5774. There are 50 free tickets for SIUE students.
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