Free concert featuring mandolin & classical guitar duo Carlo Aonzo & René Izuierdo and the CMSA 2015 En Masse Orchestra, sponsored by Classical Mandolin Society of America and hosted by Austin Mandolin Orchestra.

Carlo Aonzo, a native of Savona, Italy, followed the family tradition of studying mandolin, first with his father, then with Ugo Orlandi at Padova’s Conservatory of Music. He founded and conducts the Italian Mandolin Academy Orchestra, regularly performs all over the world, and presents a workshop in Manhattan each summer. René Izquierdo is a professor of classical guitar at the University of Wisconsin. As a concert artist, he has performed throughout the world, receiving wide critical acclaim for his performances. He is recognized as one of America’s classical guitar virtuosos, having won awards and competitions and shared the stage with many prestigious musicians.

The CMSA En Masse Orchestra is made up of more than 150 convention attendees playing mandolin-family instruments. The musicians and their conductor will play a variety of challenging musical selections, including the world premiere of Memories from the Future, A Suite for Mandolin Orchestra by Joel R. Hobbs, the convention’s Composer-in-Residence and director of Austin Mandolin Orchestra. The orchestra is conducted by Dr. Jim Bates, a professor of music at Otterbein University in Ohio, is the assistant conductor and principal bassist in the Westerville Symphony, and is on the conducting staff of the Interlochen Center for the Arts. Dr. Matthew Hinsley, concert emcee, is the executive director of Austin Classical Guitar, one of the largest classical guitar organizations worldwide. 

This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.