<div dir="ltr"><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px">With the generous support of the Netherland America Foundation, Dutch harpist Gwyneth Wentink comes to the US to join Indian violinist Kala Ramnath and Berkeley saxophonist George Brooks to celebrate the release of their CD Elements.</div>
<div style="text-align:center"><p style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px;text-align:center"></p><p style="text-align:center"></p><div style="text-align:left"><span style="font-family:Times;font-size:13.600000381469727px;font-weight:bold"><br>
</span></div><b style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px"><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Times">Elements </span></b><p></p><p align="center" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px">
<b><span style="font-family:Times">Gwyneth Wentink</span></b><b><span style="font-family:Times"> - harp</span></b><span style="font-family:Times"></span></p><p align="center" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px">
<b><span style="font-family:Times">George Brooks - saxophone</span></b><span style="font-family:Times"></span></p><p align="center" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px"><b><span style="font-family:Times">Kala Ramnath - violin and vocals</span></b><span style="font-family:Times"></span></p>
<p align="center" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px"><span style="font-family:Times"><br></span></p><p align="center" style="font-size:12.800000190734863px;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Times">Sunday, June 16th 6pm</span></b><span style="font-family:Times"> </span></p>
<p align="center" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px"><b><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Times">The Meadows Club</span></b></p><p align="center" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif">
<b><span style="font-family:Times">2950 W. Golf Rd.</span></b></p><p align="center" style><font face="Times"><b>Rolling Meadows, Il</b></font></p><p align="center"><b style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:Times">Ticket link: </span></b><font face="Times"><b><a href="http://themeadowsclub.com/web/events-2/2013-06-16/">http://themeadowsclub.com/web/events-2/2013-06-16/</a></b></font></p>
<p align="center" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px"><b><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Times"><br></span></b></p><p align="center" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px">
<b><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Times">Wednesday, June 19th 1:30pm</span></b></p><p align="center" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px"><b><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Times">The Colburn School</span></b></p>
<p align="center" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-family:Times">(American Harp Society Summer Institute)</span></b></p><p align="center" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-family:Times">200 S. Grand Ave</span></b></p>
<p align="center" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-family:Times">Los Angeles, CA 90012</span></b></p><p align="center" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px"><br></p>
<p align="center" style>
<font face="Times" size="4" color="#ff0000"><b>¡BAY AREA !</b></font></p><p align="center" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px"><b><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Times">Thursday, June 20th 8pm</span></b><span style="font-family:Times"> </span></p>
<p align="center" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px"><b><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Times">The Freight and Salvage</span></b><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Times"></span></p>
<p align="center" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px"><b><span style="font-family:Times">2020 Addison Street </span></b><span style="font-family:Times"></span></p><p align="center" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px">
<b><span style="font-family:Times">Berkeley, CA 94704</span></b><span style="font-family:Times"></span></p><p align="center" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px"><b><span style="background-color:rgb(243,243,243);font-family:Times"><a href="tel:%28510%29%20644-2020" value="+15106442020" target="_blank">(510) 644-2020</a></span></b></p>
<p align="center" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px"><b><span style="background-color:rgb(243,243,243);font-family:Times">Event Link: </span></b><b><span style="font-family:Times"><a href="http://www.freightandsalvage.org/elements" target="_blank">http://www.freightandsalvage.org/elements</a></span></b><span style="font-family:Times"></span></p>
<p align="center" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px"><b><span style="font-family:Times">Ticket Link: <a href="http://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/267177" target="_blank">http://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/267177</a></span></b></p>
<p style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px"></p><p style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px"><b><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Times"><br></span></b></p><p style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px">
<b><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Times">Friday, June 21st 5pm</span></b></p><p style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-family:Times">Garden of Memory</span></b><b><span style="font-family:Times"><br>
</span></b></p><p style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-family:Times">4499 Piedmont Ave, </span></b><b><span style="font-family:Times">Oakland, CA</span></b></p><p><b style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:Times">Event Link: </span></b><font face="Times"><b><a href="http://www.gardenofmemory.com/">http://www.gardenofmemory.com/</a></b></font></p>
<p style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><b style="font-family:arial"><font face="Times">Ticket Link: <a href="http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/389716">http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/389716</a></font></b><br>
</p><p style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px"><br></p><p style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px"><br></p><p style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px">
<b><span> </span>Elements</b> represents a new
standard in global chamber music, combining the unique talents of American
saxophonist and composer George Brooks, north Indian violinist and vocalist
Kala Ramnath and Dutch harp virtuoso Gwyneth Wentink. This distinctive trio
performs George and Kala's original compositions and contemporary settings of
traditional Indian ragas, unifying the aesthetics of the European classical,
Indian classical and American jazz traditions.</p><p style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px"> </p><p style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px"><span> </span>Descended
from an illustrious musical lineage of seven generations, <b>Kala Ramnath</b> is considered the
leading Hindustani violinist of our time. An outstanding classical soloist,
Kala has performed in major concert halls throughout the world including
Carnegie Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Sydney Opera House, Theater de la Ville,
Tropen Theater and the Palais des Beaux Arts. In addition to her traditional
work, Kala has made significant contributions as a world music innovator,
collaborating with Zakir Hussain, Ray Manzarek (Doors) and performing as a soloist
with African ensembles, flamenco groups, and numerous symphony orchestras
including the London Symphony and London Philharmonic. She is the founder of
the group Raga Afrika, which is the first collaboration of Indian music and
Afro-jazz. Kala’s recordings have garnered multiple Songlines’ “Top of the
World” awards (2004, 2006, 2008) and she was recognized by Songlines Magazine,
along with Ravi Shankar, Zakir Hussain and Ali Akbar Khan, as one of the top
fifty “world music” musicians. Kala’s artistic achievements have been
recognized with numerous awards from the Indian government including the
President’s Award and the <i>Rashtriya
Kumar Gandharva Sanman</i>. She is a disciple of vocal guru Pt. Jasraj and in
addition to her violin work she is a gifted and soul stirring vocalist. </p><p style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px"> Still
shy of her 30<sup>th</sup> birthday, harpist <b>Gwyneth Wentink,</b> is already acknowledged as one of the world’s
foremost classical harpists. Gwyneth’s prodigious talents were recognized early
on by her Dutch and Hungarian musician parents. She began her harp studies at
the age of five, performed for Dutch Queen Beatrix at the tender age of ten and
won the coveted Israel International Harp Contest at seventeen, one of many
awards including the International Nippon Harp Competition, the Gulbenkian
Prize, the VCSD Classical Musicprize ‘New Generation’<span><span style="font-size:10.5pt"> </span></span><span style>and first prize at the Young Concert Artists auditions in
New York (the first harpist in their history).</span></p><p style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px">Gwyneth has performed as a soloist with the Boston
Philharmonic, the Orchestra Sinfonica Gran Mariscal in Caracas, Venezuela, the
Israel Philharmonic, the San Diego Chamber Orchestra, The Philharmonich Orkestra
of Bergen, Norway, and many more. She is the winner of the illustrious Dutch
music prize and is in great demand as a chamber artist and solo performer.
Since 2005 Gwyneth has been performing with flutist Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia
and George Brooks in concert halls world wide including the Lille Opera House
(France), The Queen Elizabeth Hall (London), the Nehru Center (Mumbai) and the
Music Academy (Chennai).</p><p style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px"><b>George
Brooks</b> is a prolific and diverse saxophonist and composer, acclaimed
for successfully bridging the worlds of jazz and Indian classical music. He is
the founder of several important Indian fusion groups including <i>Summit </i>with Zakir Hussain, Fareed
Haque and Kai Eckhardt, <i>Bombay Jazz</i> with
Larry Coryell and Ronu Majumdar and the <i>Raga Bop Trio</i> with Steve Smith and south Indian guitarist
Prasanna. Of particular importance are his collaborations with American
composer Terry Riley, a fellow student of Indian vocalist Pandit Pran Nath, who
has inspired George’s approach to composition and improvisation. Brooks has
performed throughout Europe, Asia and North America with India’s most respected
concert artists including Hariprasad Chaurasia, U Srinivas, Trilok Gurtu,
Shujaat Khan and Shankar Mahadevan, as well as jazz, blues and pop luminaries
John McLaughlin, Jaki Byard, Etta James, Talvin Singh, Ray Manzarek (Doors),
the Temptations, and many others. </p><p style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px;text-align:justify"> </p><p style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px">
</p><p style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px">In addition to his acclaimed recordings of original
compositions George has composed and arranged for Zakir Hussain, Yo-Yo Ma, the
Liverpool Philharmonic, the Mark Morris Dance Company and Merchant Ivory
Productions. In 2007 he received the American Composers Forum Continental
Harmony Prize commissioning him to write the music for the opera <i>“Mirrors of Mumbai – a Tale of Modern India”</i>.
In 2008 he received ACF’s Northern California Commissioning grant for “<i>Double Moiré”</i> an evening length
work featuring original beat poet Michael McClure and jazz trio. In 2010 the
SFMOMA commissioned <i>“Alphorn for
Hans” </i>as an “artist response” to the museum’s new rooftop sculpture
garden. I 2012 his composition “<i>The
Alchemy of Happiness”</i> was premiered by Gwyneth Wentink at the Gaudeamus
Muziekweek in Utrecht.</p><p style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px"><br></p><p style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px"><span style="color:rgb(0,153,51);font-size:13.63636302947998px;line-height:14.545454025268555px;text-align:left;white-space:nowrap"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P04ymCdXxe8" target="_blank">www.youtube.com/watch?v=P04ymCdXxe8</a></span><br>
</p></div></div>
</div><br><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br>George Brooks<br><a href="http://www.georgebrooks.com">www.georgebrooks.com</a>
</div>