FREE CONCERT - FAMILY FRIENDLY - OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
SWEET PLANTAIN Bridges Gap Between Generations & Genres of Latin American Music
SWEET PLANTAIN’s diverse repertoire heavily features the works of notable Latin American composers like Astor Piazzolla, Mongo Santamaría, Aldemaro Romero, and Paquito D'Rivera, alongside the original compositions and arrangements of the quartet’s own members.
What’s more, the group inventively incorporates improvisation, percussive, and extended techniques that artfully fuse the western classical traditions in which they were trained with the jazz, rock, hip-hop, and Latin rhythms on which they were raised.
Separately hailing from Venezuela, Argentina, Russia, and the Bronx, together these musicians give voice to a sound that is both rooted in tradition and entirely new. Sweet Plantain is the kind of multicultural, chamber music group that can only be found in New York.
Since 2007, Sweet Plantain's extensive touring has included shows throughout the United States, Europe, Russia, and the Caribbean, ranging from performances in Moscow’s historic Tchaikovsky Concert Hall to New York City’s famed Birdland jazz club, a 15-cities tour of Sweden and an Alaskan summer music festival.
Gifted educators, the group has also led master classes, educational concerts, and held teaching residencies at Berklee College of Music (Boston), the 92nd Street Y (Manhattan), Celia Cruz High School of Music (the Bronx), and the Sun Valley Center for the Arts (Idaho), among numerous other schools and cultural centers throughout the U.S.
When not collaborating on this project, the quartet members can be found performing on Broadway, with various classical orchestras and other chamber music ensembles, and touring with megastars the likes of Marc Anthony, Harry Connick Jr, and Bruce Springsteen.
EDDIE VENEGAS
violin & trombone
EDDIE VENEGAS was born in Caracas, Venezuela where he began playing violin as a child. He moved to New York City to study with Daniel Phillips of the Orion String Quartet at The Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, where he obtained his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Performance of Classical Violin. He is a self-taught trombonist, as well as a composer and arranger.
Eddie is a member of the orchestra in Broadway’s Ain’t Too Proud - The Life and Times of The Temptations and previously played in Broadway’s Miss Saigon (2017), Carousel (2018), and My Fair Lady (2018).
Eddie toured for many years with the Grammy Award-winning, salsa singer Marc Anthony as his violin soloist and doubling on trombone. Eddie also plays with the legendary Orquesta Broadway and Grupo Folklorico Experimental Nuevayorquino and is a founding member of Los Hacheros, whose NPR Tiny Desk concert has more than 3 million views on YouTube. His extensive background in Latin music has also included performances with Pedrito Martinez at Central Park's Summer Stage, with reggaeton star Don Omar at Madison Square Garden, with Annette Aguilar and StringBeans, and national tours with Sonia de Los Santos, performing family music for young audiences.
Eddie’s jazz career has included playing with The Hudson Jazz Ensemble, The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, Jon Faddis, Joe Zawinul, and Victor Jones.
His classical career has included performances alongside world famous opera star Susan Graham and with The Harrisburg Symphony, The Queens Philharmonic, The Sphinx Symphony, Saint Martins of Tours Symphony Orchestra, and The Carpentier String Quartet.
JOE DENINZON
violin & mandolin
JOE DENINZON’s playing transcends genres. He has worked with Sheryl Crow, Bruce Springsteen, Phoebe Snow, Everclear, Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple, Smokey Robinson, Aretha Franklin, Robert Bonfiglio, and Les Paul, among many others. He has also performed as a solo electric violinist with the New York City Ballet for Richard Einhorn’s “Red Angels.” and has performed, co-written, and musically directed the off Broadway show, “Spider Dance” with percussionist Alessandra Belloni.
Joe is the lead singer and violinist for the band Stratospheerius, named “Best Jam Band” by the Musician’s Atlas Independent Music Awards. His Acoustic Jazz Trio features guitarist Steve Benson and bassist Bob Bowen. He can be heard on over a hundred CD’s and jingles as a violinist and string arranger.
A 12-time BMI Jazz Composer’s grant recipient and a winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, his original music has been featured on CMT, MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, National Geographic, the Travel Channel, the History Channel, and most recently, the Will Ferrell/Adam McKay-produced film “Virginity Hit.”
As an educator, Joe has taught rock violin at Mark Oconnor’s String Camp and Mark Wood’s Rock Orchestra Camp, and made repeated appearances performing at the Grand Canyon Music Festival, where he co-founded the Grand Canyon School of Rock. He has recently published a book on electric violin techniques for Mel Bay Publications, entitled “Plugging In.” Joe holds Bachelor’s degrees in Violin Performance and Jazz Violin from Indiana University and a Master’s in Jazz/Commercial violin from Manhattan School of Music.
ORLANDO WELLS
viola
ORLANDO WELLS attended the State University of New York at Purchase as a double major on violin and viola where his primary teachers were Yuval Waldman, and Emmanuel Vardi. He continued his studies at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers in New Jersey in the studio of Michael Tree.
Among the many ensembles he’s played with are the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, St. Luke’s Chamber Orchestra, Knickerbocker Chamber Orchestra, Bronx Opera (concertmaster), Orchestra of the Bronx (concertmaster), Antara Chamber Orchestra (principal viola), the Ritz Chamber Players in Jacksonville, Florida and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular orchestra. He has appeared as soloist with Manhattan Virtuosi, Harlem Symphony, and Antara Chamber Orchestra.
Orlando has performed and recorded with great artists such as Mariah Carey, John Legend, Rihanna, Harry Connick Jr., Dionne Warwick, Elvis Costello, among others. He also performs with many of the greatest shows on Broadway.
A frequent performer in musicals on New York City’s Broadway, Orlando is the current Concert Master for Ain’t Too Proud - The Life and Times of The Temptations.
LEO GRINHAUZ
cello
LEO GRINHAUZ was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1965 to young musician parents. After his father Luis attained a chair in The Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the family settled in Canada in 1970. Leo began playing the cello under the tutelage of the legendary Walter Joachim, then the principal cellist of the M.S.O. Leo would later go on to work in the cello section and perform several times as guest soloist with The Montreal Symphony Orchestra. His last solo engagement included Arthur Honnegger‘s Cello Concerto with Charles Dutoit conducting.
Grinhauz’s principal teachers have included Gary Hoffman, Janos Starker, and Bernard Greenhouse. Leo earned his Bachelor’s degree and the prestigious Performer’s Certificate from Indiana University, and received his Master’s from Rutgers.
Over the past thirty years, Leo Grinhauz has performed throughout the Americas as a soloist, recitalist and ensemble member, including with the International Festivals at Marlboro, Ottawa, and Lanaudiere. Heard frequently over the airwaves of the CBC, Leo Grinhauz’s discography includes several recorded for that company. One of them is 1999′s Musique Des Ameriques, a disc of music for cello and piano, and includes Leo’s mother Berta Rosenohl. The family performs together as members of Musica Camerata Montreal.
Highlights include his solo debut at Town Hall, concerts with the late Ruth Laredo, and membership in the Bronx Arts Ensemble, with whom Leo is featured on numerous recordings including Roberto Sierra’s chamber opera “El Mensajero de Plata.” Other ensemble membership has included Music Amici with whom Leo recorded the critically acclaimed disc “Reel Life. The Private Music of Film Composers.”
Membership in Tania Leon’s Son Sonora Ensemble led to the recording of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer George Walker‘s first string quartet, which has been included in a recently released retrospective of Mr. Walker’s music.
Leo’s most recent collaborations include membership in the group Musica Mundana, led by Turkish pianist Aysegul Durakoglu, and in the show Lo Mejor Del Tango at the Thalia Spanish Theatre with Bandoneon master Raul Jaurena.
Masks required. Dress in layers. Doors will be open for ventillation.