ATANAS OURKOUZOUNOV & MIE OGURA

Saturday, February 25, 2012, 8 pm
San Francisco Debut
Green Room $34
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Through their compositions, arrangements, and improvisation, Mié and Atanas redefine the classical concept of the flute and guitar duet. Both graduates from the CNSM of Paris, it was, however, their mutual interest in traditional Bulgarian music which united them.

Their first record of the compositions from Atanas with the "Ourkouzounov Ensemble" is titled "Contes des Balkans" (Label Klé,Italy,2003). The following records illustrate their own path toward a more personal repertoire, progressively distancing themselves from the classical style with the aesthetic delicacy and genuine virtuosity which embodies them.

"Any musical style can do it for us: classical, jazz, as well as folkloric themes".

This yielded their first entirely duet-based record "Legends" in 2006, which the artistic director Shin-ichi Fukuda praised for the "marvelous ensemble ability". They followed up with their own label "H&S Music" the records "Movement" in 2009, and their first live record "False Classic" in 2011.

They are regulary invited by prestigious festivals in France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Canada, Denmark, Italy, Germany, Bulgaria, Belgium, Austria, the United States, Liechtenstein,Slovakia, and Japan. As composer, he has been awarded with several prizes (« Michele Pittaluga – Città di Alessandria » - Italy, 1997 - ; « Paolo Barsacchi » - Italy, 1997 - ; « Il fronimo – Suvini Zerboni » - Italy, 1998 - ; « Ciudad de Montevideo » - Uruguay, 1998 - ; « Carrefour mondial des guitares » - Martinique, 1998-).

Atanas Ourkouzounov

Atanas Ourkouzounov was born in Burgas (Bulgaria) and lived in Sofia where he tok up the guitar with Dimitar Doychinov. He continued his studies in France having as teachers Arnaud Dumond, Alexandre Lagoya and Olivier Chassain. At the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris (where he graduated in 1997 with an unanimous Premier Prix in guitar) he has studied chamber music, analysis, ethnomusicology and generative improvisation

His pieces are published by Doberman-Yppan (Canada), Henry Lemoine (France), Suvini Zerboni (Italy), Daminus (Germany), Margaux (Germany), Mel Bay (U.S.A.), D’Oz (Canada), Tuscany (U.S.A.).

Several internationally recognized performers have played his works. Among them Shin-Ichi Fukuda, Scott Tennant, Alberto Vingiano, Eduardo Isaac, Pablo Marquez, Antigoni Goni , Trio de Cologne, Gruber-Maklar , Thibault Cauvin, Dimitri Illarionov , Fabio Zanon, Thomas Muller- Pering, Stanley Yates, Patrick Kearney, etc.

As guitar player he performs solo concerts, with the flutist Mie Ogura and with the Ourkouzounov Ensemble (featuring Alberto Vingiano, guitar, Virginie Constant, cello and Mie Ogura, flute).

He has been invited to perform and teach at several music festivals such Chitarre dal mondo, Switzerland ; « Nuits atypiques de Langon » France; « Guitar Festival of Aarhus », Danmark; « Festival Internazionale di Fermo », Italy; « Festival Luigi Legnani », Italy; « Festival d’Antony », France; « Zevener Gitarrenwoche », Germany; « Gendai Guitar », Japan; ”Shonai Guitar Festival”,Japan; ”Guitare Lachine”,Canada…

In 2003, Atanas released the first CD by the Ourkouzounov Ensemble (« Contes des Balkans ») with the Italian label KLE featuring his own music.

In 2006 Atanas released his second CD with the flutiste Mie Ogura (music by .Jarrett,C. Debussy,B.Bartok,G.Gershwin and his own pieces), published with Gendai Guitar-Japan.

He teaches at the Conservatoire “Maurice Ravel”in Paris.

www.falseclassic.com

Mie Ogura

Born in Japan 1973, Mie Ogura started to play the flute at age 7.
In 1989, she finished her studies at the Takamatsu Music Highschool in Japan and obtained the first price in the National students’ Flute Competition in Osaka.

In 1994, Mie Ogura moved to France,and in 1999 graduated with DiplÙme SupÈrieur from Conservatoire National SupÈrieur de Musique de Paris under Pierre-Yves Artaud and Sophie Cherrier.. then obtained an improvisation diploma under the tutelage of Alain Savouret.
She also studied baroque flute with Pierre SÈchet and jazz improvisation with Glenn Ferris, Pascal Gaubert and Jean-Charles Richard, as well as indian music with Patrick Moutal.
In 2001 she obtained a scholarship from the Academia Musicale de Siena(Italy) under AurËle Nicolet(flute) and Alain Meunier(chamber music), also worked with the composer Franco Donatoni who highly appreciates her playing.

Since 1995 Mie Ogura has appeared regulary as a soloist and chamber musician with different ensembles and orchestras,among others,Ensemble L’ItinÈraire,Ensemble Entretemps,Orchestre de Chambre de Paris,under the direction of directors such as Peter Eotvos,Mark Foster,Zolt Nagy and others.

Mie Ogura has recorded with the ensemble Triton2 (Label MFA,France) , Ensemble Ourkouzounov (Label KLE,Italy) and duo with Atanas Ourkouzounov (Gendai Guitar-Japan 2006), also edited the jazz flute beginners book ´†Flute Jazz Coffeebreak†ª, published in 2005 at Edition Trim(Japan).

Flute professor at the Conservatoire “Jacques Ibert” inParis.

www.falseclassic.com