Roman Soto: Art Exhibit/Concert

In late June I had an art exhibit /concert to help me raise funds for my trip to study music abroad (cello) for a month in Germany (Interharmony Festival). The evening consisted of a concert by me and some friend musicians and an art exhibit of my work for sale. It was a huge success and I am so grateful for all those who went out of their way to help organize this event and make it possible (my mother, Nikki Partin, sister Arianna, the Virtuosi of Houston Studios with the generous support of The Boyces, Karen Needham & Michele Gunn). I am also grateful for the support of fellow musicians:

The concert featured original works of art that I created and were specifically inspired to accompany the musical selections that we played. Prior to each musical piece, I presented a work of art sharing some history behind the music and what led to the art inspiration created.

Music program:

Interestingly, Borodin was not only a composer but more importantly, and first, a renowned scientist and chemist. In this piece, I was inspired to create an explosion of pop particles/atoms coming from the lower section with the color scheme reflective of most of the quartet- very serene and calming, which is true of all 4 movements of Borodin.

Bach Prelude, Suite No. 3 - (this was a last minute addition due to a music change. No art available for this piece) Enjoy!

Shostakovich Quartet 1 C Major Mvt

Shostakovich Quartet No. 1 C Major (Mvt. 4)

This movement was one of Shostakovitch's later pieces, and when he wrote it, he was thinking of spring time and his childhood, amongst all the darkness of the Communism in Russia at the time. I was inspired to do some very edgy flowers to symbolize springtime and his childhood memories, while still having a modern, sharp lined look to give it an edgy darkness, with a contrasting red/black color scheme.

When I researched this piece I found that it was a commissioned work by a high profile guy and amateur cellist who wanted to play with this virtuosic bassist named Dragonetti, who at the time was considered the best bassist. People then didn't think bass/cello was something that would go well together, not being a very common duo, but it worked. In the piece I created, each side has a slightly different color scheme, yet still being on the dark mellow side - one side being brighter, the cello and the darker side, the bass, but both coming together in the center to form one cohesive piece.

This concerto is considered to be a renowned piece by many composers, including Shostakovich himself, who felt like many it was the greatest cello concerto ever written. Gold is a color associated with greatness, so the gold color scheme in the piece I created contains many of the colors found throughout the concerto, which are warm at places, but then can get pretty crazy and dark with swirls. In the third movement, the splatter and gold fabric seen reflects the fast 16th notes with a the shimmer of the harmonics in the third movement.

I can't thank enough all those who shared this evening with me and my family. It was a very special evening of good music and art, friends and family. Thank you to all those who supported me and helped me reach my goal for attending Interharmony!