PORTOBAY CLASSIC TALENTS

On 24 and 25 January, the Vila Porto Mare resort and The Cliff Bay hotel will host the PortoBay Classic Talents, a special concert featuring Luís Cruz on the cello and Veronika Taraban on the violin. The event aims to strengthen the connection with the culture of the Island of Madeira and to honour the musicians who contribute to the local cultural heritage.

The performers present a programme that traces the evolution of classical music and the dialogue between cello and violin, from the Baroque period through to the 20th century.

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PROGRAMME

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Invention No. 1 in C major, BWV 772
Invention No. 8 in F major, BWV 779
English Suite No. 3 in G minor, BWV 808: Gavottes I & II
French Suite No. 2 in C minor, BWV 813: Minuets I & II
Invention No. 4 in D minor, BWV 775

George Frideric Handel (1685–1759) / Johan Halvorsen (1864–1935)
Passacaglia (from the Keyboard Suite in G minor, HWV 432)

Reinhold Glière (1875–1956) Huit Morceaux (eight pieces), op. 39
I. Prelude
II. Gavotte
III. Berceuse
IV. Canzonetta
VIII. Étude

Astor Piazzolla (1921–1992) Histoire du Tango
I. Bordel 1900
II. Café 1930
III. Nightclub 1960

LUÍS CRUZ
VIOLONCELLO

Luís Cruz, born in Guimarães, Portugal, began his cello studies at the age of five at the José Atalaya Academy of Music. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance from the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa and a Master’s degree in Performance from the Royal College of Music in London, where he studied with Alexander Chaushian as a Leverhulme Trust scholar and RCM Scholar.
A winner of several first prizes in national and international competitions, he has collaborated with various Portuguese and Spanish orchestras and has appeared as a soloist with ensembles such as the Gulbenkian Orchestra and the Portuguese Chamber Orchestra. He maintains an active career as a soloist and chamber musician.

VERONIKA TARABAN
VIOLIN

Veronika Taraban, a violinist born in Ukraine and trained in Portugal, began her studies at the Conservatório Escola das Artes da Madeira and continued her training at the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa. An award winner in numerous national and international competitions, she has distinguished herself as a soloist with several orchestras under the direction of renowned conductors.
She performs regularly as a soloist and chamber musician in national and international venues. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Music Education at the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa and a Master’s degree in Performance at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen, studying with Alissa Margulis.