An evening of contemporary tango music from Buenos Aires and Toronto featuring the world premiere of Luis Ramirez's Immigration Suite. The creation of this suite was generously funded by the Ontario Arts Council. Program: FIRST HALF Solidaridad Tango -Variación (2005) - Julián Peralta, Arranged by Aparna Halpé (2021) 2:21 -Bandola Zurdo (Performed 1973) - Leopoldo Federico and Raúl Garello, Arranged by Pablo Jaurena (2021) 7:39 -Maria Rita (2017) - Ramiro Boero 14:51 -Bailar Contigo (2012) - Pablo Estigarribia 19:56 -Agosto (2014) - Julián Peralta 24:24 -Charrúa (2006) - Julián Peralta 29:08 -Eclipse (2021) - Katharina Deissler 32:44 -Pompeya (2016) - Julián Peralta, Arranged by Pétalo Selser (2021) 41:18 Solidaridad Tango is: Aparna Halpé (Violin) Lucia Barcari (Violin) Adriana Arcila Tascón (Viola) Sybil Shanahan (Cello) Heyni Solera (Bandoneon) Sumi Lee (Piano) Shannon Wojewoda (Double Bass) SECOND HALF Luis Ramirez Quintet Immigration Suite (2022) – Luis Ramirez - Éxodo (2020) 1:07:40 - Choque (2020) 1:11:43 - Zozobra (2019) 1:15:28 - Astenia (2020) 1:18:58 - Malicia (2020) 1:21:40 - Espera (2021) 1:25:25 - Infierno (2021) 1:30:18 - Asilo (2020) 1:35:06 - Sola (2022) 1:40:17 - Insidia (2020) 1:46:17 Luis Ramirez Quintet is: Lucia Barcari (Violin) Heyni Solera (Bandoneon) Soohyun Nam (Cello) Shannon Wojewoda (Double Bass) Luis Ramirez (Piano) SOLIDARIDAD TANGO Solidaridad Tango was founded during the pandemic to create fair work, professional development, and performance opportunities for women tango musicians. Solidaridad is the first and only all-woman, diversity-affirming tango orchestra in North America. Working closely with respected tango pedagogues such as Ramiro Boero, Guillermo Rubino, Ignacio Varchausky, and many more, Solidaridad plays tango that is rooted in traditional performance practice, while vibrantly alive in our contemporary moment. In 2022, Solidaridad Tango will release two albums Sos Lo Más, which is funded by the Canada Council for the Arts, and Distancia, which is funded by the Ontario Arts Council. Solidaridad will also perform as an ensemble at the Reed Tango for Musicians Festival in Oregon (June 2022) and headline the La Nuestra tango festival in New York City in August 2022. LUIS RAMIREZ QUINTET The Immigration Suite is a collection of ten tangos that examine different facets of life as an immigrant. The overarching narrative follows a somewhat analogous journey to that of seasonal changes and personal growth. Éxodo is the overture, the adventurous departure towards the new land, where we are introduced to every member of the band. Choque reflects the culture clash not only between different traditions but also between old and new. Zozobra is a word for “anguish” or “sorrow”, and it portrays the initial afflictions of leaving your home behind. Astenia means “weakness”, and it illustrates the challenges that come from health issues and loss. Malicia is built with playful rhythms, and it depicts the initial anxieties and apprehension that arise from meeting new people and not knowing their intentions. Espera is about the survival demand for patience and endurance that one ought to have when dealing with the uncertainties of the immigration process. Infierno is the peak of frustration and rage throughout this journey and denotes the hellish nature of helplessness and coping with the circumstances. Asilo is about being able to find refuge even in the most harrowing and bleakest circumstances. Sola is the embrace of loneliness - hitting rock bottom and dealing with depression and despair. Finally, Insidia is the last stage of this journey, but also the beginning of a new chapter. It is about how small everyday actions can have compounding effects in both positive and negative ways. Ultimately, this suite is about resilience and letting go of the past, and tango offers a unique medium to showcase the sense of finding solace in the face of despair. #Tango #Concert #ContemporaryMusic For more information visit: solidaridadtango.ca and www.cutza.xyz

Azure, for viola and piano - Luis Ramirez 1. Wheatfield Greg Hay, viola Donna Laube, piano Program notes: 1. Wheatfield A serene and melancholic landscape of flowing wheat and dancing clouds filled with energy, that get prematurely subdued. --- Azure is the color of the sky in one of its deepest forms of blue. In this work, the sky’s leitmotif is present throughout the movements in the shape of high-pitched harmonies and arpeggios on the piano and serves as the backdrop for the constantly morphing landscapes. This piece follows the traditional seasonal structure of a school year in Manitoba that similarly moves continuously on a cycle: painfully short autumn, terribly bitter winter, followed by a second winter, and a suddenly fiery summer. Azure is like a fast-paced road trip over the Manitoban prairies, driving swiftly through its seasons, colors, and scenery. --- Augustfest 2019 Lorne Watson Recital Hall, Brandon MB August 11, 2019

Azure, for viola and piano - Luis Ramirez 2. Whiteout Greg Hay, viola Donna Laube, piano Program notes: 2. Whiteout An impetuous blizzard drowns the landscape with massive flurries of snow, turning it into a gelid nightmare of commotion and uncertainty. --- Azure is the color of the sky in one of its deepest forms of blue. In this work, the sky’s leitmotif is present throughout the movements in the shape of high-pitched harmonies and arpeggios on the piano and serves as the backdrop for the constantly morphing landscapes. This piece follows the traditional seasonal structure of a school year in Manitoba that similarly moves continuously on a cycle: painfully short autumn, terribly bitter winter, followed by a second winter, and a suddenly fiery summer. Azure is like a fast-paced road trip over the Manitoban prairies, driving swiftly through its seasons, colors, and scenery. --- Augustfest 2019 Lorne Watson Recital Hall, Brandon MB August 11, 2019

Azure, for viola and piano - Luis Ramirez 3. Borealis Greg Hay, viola Donna Laube, piano Program notes: 3. Borealis The landscape is left in a bleak and sorrowful state, and as the snow continues to fall, iridescent snowflakes coalesce with the scintillating beauty of northern lights in the sky. --- Azure is the color of the sky in one of its deepest forms of blue. In this work, the sky’s leitmotif is present throughout the movements in the shape of high-pitched harmonies and arpeggios on the piano and serves as the backdrop for the constantly morphing landscapes. This piece follows the traditional seasonal structure of a school year in Manitoba that similarly moves continuously on a cycle: painfully short autumn, terribly bitter winter, followed by a second winter, and a suddenly fiery summer. Azure is like a fast-paced road trip over the Manitoban prairies, driving swiftly through its seasons, colors, and scenery. --- Augustfest 2019 Lorne Watson Recital Hall, Brandon MB August 11, 2019

Azure, for viola and piano - Luis Ramirez 4. Sunglow Greg Hay, viola Donna Laube, piano Program notes: 4. Sunglow A slowly rising sun turns the landscape into a shifting gradient of light and warmth, constantly increasing in energy, brightness, and life. *This movement uses a version of the traditional Métis fiddle tune Red River Jig, recorded by Winnipeg fiddler Reg Bouvette. --- Azure is the color of the sky in one of its deepest forms of blue. In this work, the sky’s leitmotif is present throughout the movements in the shape of high-pitched harmonies and arpeggios on the piano and serves as the backdrop for the constantly morphing landscapes. This piece follows the traditional seasonal structure of a school year in Manitoba that similarly moves continuously on a cycle: painfully short autumn, terribly bitter winter, followed by a second winter, and a suddenly fiery summer. Azure is like a fast-paced road trip over the Manitoban prairies, driving swiftly through its seasons, colors, and scenery. --- Augustfest 2019 Lorne Watson Recital Hall, Brandon MB August 11, 2019

Singularity - Luis Ramirez premiered by Daniel Ramjattan, guitar CMC livestream The Technological Singularity is the hypothesis that the development of Artificial Superintelligence will abruptly trigger recursive self-improvement, and this unfathomable technological growth will result in devastating changes to human civilization. This piece is about the moment that humans are made obsolete by machines. The performer represents Human Intelligence and the audio represents Artificial Intelligence. Both parts play exactly the same musical content in a canon, but even though the human starts ahead in the race, the AI gradually gets closer in pitch and distance to the human. There comes a point where HI and AI are battling so close to each other that a new being is created: the trans-human. This intellectual amplification allows the human and the machine to be one, but only before the AI enters a "runaway reaction" of self-improvement cycles, causing an intelligence explosion and resulting in a powerful superintelligence that surpasses all human intelligence.

7.- Amigos, for violin, cello, and piano Josías Sanchez, violin Alanna Hunter, cello Luis Ramirez, piano Reflections of the Internet, Composition Recital Luis Ramirez Lorne Watson Recital Hall, Brandon Mb, Canada April 21st, 2017, 7pm www.cutza.xyz

The Internet Jaimie Rose, soprano Luis Ramirez, piano Lyrics by Poppy, https://youtu.be/wwnODNJ_6Eg "Do you have a Facebook? The Internet is my favorite place for activities. Sometimes I forget my password. I like to purchase things on Amazon.com. I log in to Facebook using my password. What is your favorite website? I have to use a password to log on to the Internet. Do you ever use the Internet to look at pictures? After all of us are dead our content will last forever on the World Wide Web! That's why I love the Internet. Sometimes I log on to the Internet to look at pictures. Do you have a Facebook? Facebook is a website on the Internet. I log in to my Facebook with a password. I love the Internet." - Poppy Composed, filmed, and edited by Luis Ramirez https://www.cutza.xyz