Village Concerts
Chamber Music
2353 Rice Boulevard
October 20, 2011
7:45 p.m.
Duo Merlot:
Luana Gundersen, flute
Thibaut Surugue, piano
Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924): Fantasia
Francis Poulenc (1899-1863): Sonata
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): 2 Studies for piano
Henri Dutilleux (1916-): Sonatina
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953): Sonata, op. 94
About Artist:
Mr. Thibaut Surugue, born in 1986 in France, started taking piano lessns at the age of 5. After studies at tthe Conservatoires of Limoges and Boulogne-Billancourt, he entered the Pôle Supérieur Paris Boulogne-Billancourt which awarded him the Diplôme National Supérieur Professionel de Musicien in 2010. In the same year, he began graduate studies in musicology at the Sorbonne, earning certificates in harmony, counterpoint, fugue, keyboard harmony and figured bass in the Conservatoire of Issy-les-Moulineaux. His teachers have included Cécile Müller, Brigitte Bancaud, Françoise Noyé, Geneviève Ibañez, Markus Tomas, and Hortense Cartier-Bresson. He has worked with artists such as Jörg Demus, Patrick Cohen, Henri Barda, Pascal Devoyon, Sepo Salovius, Ventsislav Yankof, Emile Naoumoff, Jean-Claude Pennetier, and Éric Heidsieck. Winner of the City of Limmoges Prize in 2004, he is also a winner of international competitions: the Île de France International Piano Competition of Maisons-Laffitte (France) in 2006 with the Jury Special Grand Prize (ranked "out of competiition"); International Brest Piano Competitiion (France) in with the first Prize Special Liszt; Teressa Llacuna (France) in 2010 with the third Prize. A member of the Ensemble Acouphène since 2009, he takes part in the creation and the interpretation of many contemporary works; notably, he played the Kamerkonnzert of Ligeti with the Ensemble 2e2m under the direction of Pierre Rouiller. In 2005, he was invited to perform Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto the orchestra of the Conservatoire of Pilsen in Czech Republic. He performs regularly as a soloist, but also in chamber music, in France as well as other countries in prestigious places like the Grand Palais in Paris, the Mendelssohn-Haus in Leipzig, or the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Liège.
Ms.Luana Gundersen was born in 1980 in Brazil and studied the flute at the Conservatory in Lisbon (Portugal) and the traverso at the Mendelssohn Conservatory in Leipzig (Germany), where she received her diploma in 2006 and completed her concert exam in 2008. She was an exchange student at the conservatories in Hamburg and Brussels, and holds a Master's degree from the University of Bergen (Norway). Presently she is studying the flute at the Conservatory in Brussels. She has given concerts in Germany with Telemanisches Collegium Michaelstein, Leipziger Concert, Weimarer Barockensemble; Portugal, with Capela Real; and in Norway, with Bergen-Barokk. In 2006 she founded the ensemble Tinta Barroca, a group which has performed in Europe and the United States. Luana Gundersen is currently living in Norway where she also teaches period and modern flutes.
Project Description:
The Duo Merlot will present a concert of French music for flute and piano in October as part of the Village Concerts Series. This new chamber music concert series is sponsored by the Bach Society Houston and features musicians from the Houston Symphony, Houston Grand Opera, and many other fine local musicians as well as guest ensembles such as the Duo Merlot. The Duo’s program is based on a concept create ed by French virtuoso flautist Jean-Pierre Rampal (1922-2000) and is dedicated to his memory.
Performers and Program:
Duo Merlot is made up of two young musicians. French pianist Thibaut Surugue studied in Limoges and Paris and has won several international competitions. He currently has a one-year guest professorship in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Unique Aspects:
The sponsors of the series see this as a special opportunity to present this repertoire performed by two experienced European musicians with an intimate understanding of its specialized idioms and unique national color. The Bach Society’s Village Concert Series would be the first time the Society, now in its thirtieth season, has had the opportunity to sponsor (albeit indirectly)) an all-French program.
Seating is limited; tickets may be purchased online or at the door.
Supporters of TFAA may receive a special discount of 20% on general admission tickets.
Use discount code: TFAA
For more detailed information, please see the following sites.
The Village Concert Website: www.villageconcerts.org
Thibault Surugue's Biography:
www.villageconcerts.org/artists.html#surugue
Duo Merlot's Program: www.villageconcerts.org/201110201.html
