Acclaimed Newman And Oltman Guitar Duo Perform At The Raritan River Music Festival May 29

The acclaimed Newman and Oltman Guitar Duo will perform at the award-winning Raritan River Music Festival on Saturday, May 29th at 4:00 P.M. The program, Two to Tango, celebrates the heritage of Hispanic and Latin American tango traditions from Argentina and Uruguay.

The duo who have worked closely with Nuevo Tango masters Astor Piazzolla, who would have been 100 this year, and Daniel Binelli, who celebrates his 75th birthday this month, will present their works along with Tango favorites for two guitars by Isaac Albéniz, Carlos García Tolsa, Alfonso Broqua, and Gerardo H. Matos Rodríguez.

The performance will take place in a unique, outdoor, 100% covered venue, the internationally-renowned Blue Army Shrine, located in the rolling hills of West-Central New Jersey at 647 Mountain View Rd E, Asbury, NJ 08802. The new no intermission format will start live in-person at 4:00 PM and can also be viewed in real-time live-stream. In-person tickets are $20 and Live-Stream Family Viewing tickets are $20 (YouTube Live link to be provided). Tickets will be sold to a limited capacity to ensure safe, socially-distanced seating. All audience members will wear protective face masks. No ticket transactions will be accomplished at the venue, minimizing close interactions. Tickets are available at www.RaritanRiverMusic.org. For more information call 908-213-1100 or info@RaritanRiverMusic.org Please note: All tickets must be purchased in advance to ensure safe, socially-distanced seating, but tickets can be exchanged any time before the concert for a link to the live-stream of the concert. Social distancing is assured, guidelines posted by the federal CDC and the State of New Jersey Department of Health will be followed. The modern, fully covered, outdoor facility will protect all audience members, regardless of the weather and complementary pre-packaged to-go yummies will be available for all audience members following the concert.

Hailed as a "revelation to hear" by The Washington Post, the Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo is recognized for their matchless technique, ensemble precision, and innovative programming, combined with their commitment to expanding the repertoire for guitar duo. Widely recognized as an influential ensemble both in the US and abroad, they perform a broad range of repertoire that spans baroque and classical works to Spanish and Latin American rhythms that showcases their diversity.

Their 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, 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, Daedalus, Calder, and Turtle Island string quartets.

Highlights of recent and upcoming 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 concerto's French debut, the Duo "charmed the Ferguson audience with phenomenal musicianship" (Gazette Journal) when they performed it with the Virginia Symphony. Michael and Laura also teach and perform each summer at the Lanciano International Guitar Seminar in Abruzzo, Italy where they are co-artistic directors.

The Duo's discography of over 10 titles, including their most recent, The Book of Imaginary Beings (Music Masters Classics 1001) includes the world premiere recording of The Book of Imaginary Beings commissioned by Raritan River Music, dedicated to Newman & Oltman and composed in celebration of the 80th anniversary year of Brouwer. The duo's recording of this magical work was recognized by BBC Magazine as "a quartet of mythical beasts depicted by Brouwer with wit and imagination and played here with aplomb." Acoustic Guitar Magazine praised the Duo saying, "Newman & Oltman haven't lost a beat after four decades together, this vinyl audiophile LP, CD and download recording is yet another high-water mark for the outstanding New York-based duo."

In addition to their phenomenal musicianship, they are dedicated to inspiring the next generation of guitar players through their many educational endeavors and are Directors of the New York Guitar Seminar at Mannes. They are founders and Artistic Directors of Raritan River Music, which has commissioned works for them from Lowell Liebermann, Pulitzer prize winner Paul Moravec and Augusta Read Thomas among others.

To learn more about The Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo and access media images, please visit www.guitarduo.com.

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