Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo to Perform at Mannes School of Music This Weekend

The celebratEd Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo will appear at the Mannes School of Music on Sunday, February 19 at 4PM in the Ernst C. Steifel Concert Hall, Arnhold Hall, Fourth Floor, 55 West 13th Street, New York 10011. Admission is free and open to the public.

In celebration of Mannes' centennial year, Michael Newman and Laura Oltman will perform works by composers associated with Mannes which include Aaron Copland, Clarice Assad, as well as current composition faculty members Paul Moravec, Lowell liebermann, David Loeb and Robert Cuckson.

In keeping with the duo's tradition of inviting Mannes students to perform with them on their Mannes concerts, mezzo-soprano Tal Heller will join them for a set of Aaron Copland songs. The concert will take place at the Ernest C. Steifel Concert Hall, Arnhold Hall, at 55 West 13th Street. Admission is free and open to the public.

Hailed as a "revelation to hear" by The Washington Post, the Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo's phenomenal musicianship places them solidly at the top of their field. Their innovative programming, matchless technique and ensemble precision, combined with their commitment to expanding the repertoire for guitar duo, make them a chamber ensemble of world renown.

Newman and Oltman's concert tours have taken them to world cultural capitals and premiere venues across five continents, the Caribbean, and South Pacific. In addition to their international engagements, they have performed at Carnegie Hall, aboard the Queen Elizabeth II, Caramoor and the Grand Canyon music Festival. The Duo has demonstrated extraordinary stylistic breadth in their collaborations with such diverse artists as composer/conductor Marvin Hamlisch and the Pittsburgh Symphony, mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade, fiddler Eileen Ivers, pianist Clarice Assad, violinist Tim Fain, and the ETHEL, Calder, and Turtle Island string quartets.

Highlights of recent performances include the world premiere of "Concierto Buenos Aires" composed for the Duo by Nuevo Tango Master Daniel Binelli with l'Orchestre de l'Opéra de Reims in France. Following on the success of the Concierto's French debut, the Duo "charmed the Ferguson audience with phenomenal musicianship" (Gazette Journal) when they performed it with the Virginia Symphony. Last season their international tour included a performance and lecture at the VI Academic Guitar Symposium in Brazil, and several Italian festivals including the Estate Musicale Frentana/Lanciano International Guitar Seminar and the Volterra Guitar Project. Last spring they were in residence at Salisbury University which included performances, a series of master classes and lectures on entrepreneurship.

Through their groundbreaking new music-commissioning program, Newman & Oltman have built a unique repertoire of works for two guitars by composers such as Augusta Read Thomas, Lowell liebermann, Dušan Bogdanovic, Arthur Kampela and Roberto Sierra in addition to Paul Moravec. Next season will see the world premier of a new work written for them by Leo Brouwer. Fanfare Magazine hailed the duo's latest CD, Music from Raritan River as "top notch" and "a winner all around." The recording features a collection of world premieres commissioned by the duo over the past decade. Their artistry has also been captured on nearly a dozen other acclaimed recordings and has been recognized by grants and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, Chamber Music America and ASCAP.

Michael Newman and Laura Oltman are the founders and artistic directors of the New York Guitar Seminar at Mannes and are celebrating their 30th year as ensemble-in-residence at Mannes College of Music this season. They are also founders and artistic directors of the Raritan River Music Festival which will mark its 28th season this year.

For more information and hi-res images of the Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo, visit www.guitarduo.com.