Northwest BachFest December Concerts

December 14 - 15, 2024

Northwest BachFest announces two Special Events on Saturday, December 14 at 3pm in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, at the historic Northern Pacific Depot, 201 N. Third Street. On Sunday, December 15, 2024, the program repeats at 3pm at Barrister Winery, 1213 W. Railroad Avenue in Spokane. Community engagement activities will take place throughout the week preceding.

BachFest Artistic Director Zuill Bailey has invited rising star cellist, John Henry Crawford, with Victor Santiago Asuncion, longtime collaborator with legendary cellist, the late Lynn Harrell.

Both concerts feature the same program: Corazón, Music of Latin America.

Brazil

Heitor Villa-Lobos
O canto de cisne negro Ondulando
Melodia

Marlos Nobre
Poema III
Argentina

Argentina

Alberto Ginastera
Danzas Argentinas

Carlos Guastavino
Pampamapa

Astor Piazzolla
Le Grand Tango

Mexico

Manuel Ponce
Por ti mi Corazón
Estrellita

 

USA/Italy

Giancarlo Menotti
Suite for Two Cellos and Piano 

John Henry Crawford. It is Zuill Bailey’s honor to designate cellist John Henry as a Rising Star. Born in the Louisiana city of Shreveport, John Henry is lauded for his “polished charisma” and “singing sound” (Philadelphia Inquirer) and in 2019 was First Prize Winner of the IX International Carlos Prieto Cello Competition and named Young Artist of the Year by the Classical Recording Foundation. At age 15, Crawford was accepted into the legendary Curtis Institute of Music to study with Peter Wiley and Carter Brey and went on to complete an Artist Diploma at the Manhattan School of Music with Philippe Muller, a Master of Music at The Juilliard School with Joel Krosnick, and pursue further study in Chicago with Hans Jørgen Jensen. He now performs internationally as a featured guest artist. John Henry performs on a rare 200-year-old European cello smuggled out of Austria by his grandfather, Dr. Robert Popper, who evaded Kristallnacht in 1938. He also performs with a fine French bow by the revolutionary bowmaker Tourte “L’Ainé” from 1790. Before attending Curtis, Crawford studied with concert cellist Andres Diaz of Southern Methodist University. In addition to music, he enjoys reading about astrophysics, running, performing magic tricks and photography.

Victor Santiago Asuncion, hailed by The Washington Post for his “poised and imaginative playing,” Filipino American pianist Victor has appeared in concert halls in Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, Spain, Turkey and the United States, as a recitalist and concerto soloist. He played his orchestral debut at age 18 with the Manila Chamber Orchestra, and his New York recital debut in Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall in 1999. A chamber music enthusiast, he has performed with artists such as cellists Lynn Harrell, Zuill Bailey and other notable musicians. Festival appearances include Amelia Island, Highland-Cashiers, Music in the Vineyards, and Santa Fe Chamber Music Festivals. Thes concerts mark his second appearance at Northwest BachFest. Victor. is the Founder, and Artistic and Board Director of FilAm Music Foundation, a non-profit foundation that is dedicated to promoting Filipino classical musicians through scholarship, and performance. He received his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in 2007 from the University of Maryland at College Park under the tutelage of Rita Sloan. Victor Santiago Asuncion is a Steinway artist.