CLASSICALOne of Panama’s leading violinists and violists, Luis Casal has been awarded “Remarkable Citizens of Panama 2015" by Panama’s National Commission Pro Civic Values and Morals. The Panama News cites: “Panama does have a worthy classical scene, and right at the top of it we find Luis Enrique Casal.” Mr. Casal is vice president of the Sinfonía Concertante Foundation of Panama, an honorary academic adviser to the Alfredo De Saint Malo Music Festival, viola instructor at the Juilliard School's Music Advancement Program, and violin/viola instructor at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, Lucy Moses School at the Kaufman Music Center, and the Washington Heights Community Conservatory of Fine Arts. Known for his charisma, versatility, and musicality, Mr. Casal is a favorite among audiences and an established artist in both art and folk music stages. He has performed and/or given master classes in Argentina, the Bahamas, England, France, Japan, Italy, Romania, Spain, the United States, and Uruguay.
An experienced orchestra player, Mr. Casal has held the position of Principal Violist ad honorem of the National Symphony of Panama, Principal Violist of the Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra, Concertmaster of the Butler Symphony Orchestra in Butler, Pennsylvania, Concertmaster of the Viola Ensemble of the 2003 Tertis International Viola Workshop and Competition, and guest concertmaster of the Altoona Symphony Orchestra. Some of the prestigious conductors he has worked under include Sergio Commissiona, Charles Dutoit, David Effron, Larry Rachleff,Esa-Pekka Salonen, Juan Pablo Izquierdo, Eduardo Díaz-Muñóz, Roberto Abbado, Elisabeth Heath Charles, and Teresa Cheung. He is co-founder and member of the Camerata Alfredo De Saint Malo, and currently performs as concertmaster of La Camerata Washington Heights, concertmaster of the BCCO (Brooklyn Conservatory Community Orchestra), principal violist of the Brooklyn Chamber Orchestra, and violinist of the piano quartet Ensemblast Project. A concert artist in both the violin and the viola, Mr. Casal has performed solo and chamber music in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall, Merkin Hall at Kaufman Center, Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center, the Hall of the Americas at the Organization of American States, the Bruno Walter Auditorium at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and residency at the Harper School Chamber Music Camp 2011 and the Loon Lake Live 2011 Summer Concert Series. Previous commitments have included recitals with pianists Wonsun Clara Bae, Emile Blondel, Yulia Dusman, Judith Jain, Katya Mihailova, and Michael Rose. Recent commitments have included performances and tours with his brother Isaac Casal's project, ENSEMBLAST. Mr. Casal is also enthusiastic about collaborating with modern composers having premiered pieces by Carlos Bernales, Dinos Constantinides, Alexandra Dubois, Halim El-Dabh, Jorge Figueroa, Mikolja Gorecki, Howard Lew, Ricardo Risco, Bartosz Smoragiewicz, David Soley, Katia Tiutiunnik, and Norberto Ulloa. Aside from his duties as a performer, Mr. Casal invests much time as a pedagogue. His professorships include violin instructor of the National Institute of Music in Panama (1996), viola instructor of the 2003 Oklahoma Arts Institute Summer Festival, violin/viola instructor of the Laredo Community College, Texas (2005 to 2008), conductor and clinician of Region 14 Middle School Orchestra in Texas (November 2006 and 2007), violin instructor of Queensborough Youth Conservatory of Music at the Queensborough Community College (2009-2010), and upper strings coach of the Brooklyn Conservatory Youth Orchestra (2009 to 2011), and violin instructor at the Léman Manhattan Preparatory School (2015-2017). Additionally, through the Danilo Perez Foundation, Mr. Casal has led music seminars for the National Institute of Culture of Panama (January 2008 and 2009) and has been a clinician for the Panama Jazz Festival (2009 and 2010). In general, he maintains a close relationship with the arts in Panama by frequently giving lectures and master classes in several of Panama’s universities and educational music programs. Mr. Casal’s discography includes Luis Casal: Homage to Panama released in January 2007 by the label Earthcds Partners (www.earthcds.com) [semifinalist in the 2007 Independent World Music Series (IMWS)]; Gustavo Salamín y Luis Casal, Música de Cámara Folclórica Panameña (Folk Chamber Music of Panama) re-released in September 2014 by Earthcds Parners (first released in August 2002); and Luis Casal y la Música de Artemio Córdova (Luis Casal and the music of Artemio Córdova) released in 2015 by Multicultura Media’s Rootstock Recording (www.worldmusicstore.com) Luis began his violin studies at the age of 6 under professor Jorge Vergara and in 1992 moved to the United States to study under scholarship at the New World School of the Arts. He holds degrees from the University of Florida (with honors), Carnegie Mellon University, Indiana University, and the University of Oklahoma. His major teachers include Jorge Vergara, Carmen Cedeño, Cathy Robinson, the Miami String Quartet, Carolyn Huebl, Matthew Dane, Daniel Heiftetz, Atar Arad, and Ilya Kaler. |
“Casal alternated between conducting the orchestra, singing with a strong tenor and playing masterful violin. He's a natural.”
THE NORMAN TRANSCRIPT – August 12, 2005
The Deli pours on Ron and Rhythm Orchestra By Doug Hill Full article |
LATIN JAZZ & SALSABorn into a musical family, Mr. Casal began playing violin and popular guitar at an early age and was later drawn to vocal studies. In 1998 he became lead vocalist of the rock band Criterio (1989) and in 1997 was selected as lead vocalist of the salsa band Orquesta Tropical (1997-1998). An interest in Latin jazz led to studies under Eric Kloss at Carnegie Mellon University and Pat Harbison at Indiana University. He served as violinist of Brent McPike’s jazz quartet The Full Stringer (2000-2001), and in 2002 created and established his own Latin jazz quintet, Quinteto Sazón. In 2005 he founded a 12-piece Latin jazz Afro-Cuban ensemble named Orquesta Ron y Ritmo, which was cited by the local newspaper, The Norman Transcript, as “our undisputed best Latin jazz ensemble: Orquesta Ron y Ritmo.”
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“The principal second violinist, Luis Casal, played his solo admirably.”
NEW YORK CONCERT REVIEW – April 19, 2011
Musica de Camara String Ensemble in Review By Anthony Aibel Full article |
PANAMANIAN FOLK MUSICIn 2001 Mr. Casal developed a strong interest in Panamanian folk music, and in 2002 along with guitar and mejoranera (Panamanian folk guitar) player Gustavo Salamín, he recorded the CD Música de Cámara Folclórica Panameña. In July 2004 he served as a member of the jury committee for the 4th Annual Panamanian Folk Violin Competition Colaco Cortez. After extensive research into the influence of the violin on Panamanian folk music, Mr. Casal released his second CD Luis Casal: Homage to Panama in 2007 by the label Earthcds Partners (www.earthcds.com). The purpose of this production was to communicate the musical richness of Panamanian folk music and to reincorporate the use of the violin in Panamanian folk music. Mr. Casal is an avid spokesman of Panamanian folk music and frequently includes Panamanian tunes in his classical concerts.
Mr. Casal has received instruction in Panamanian folk music by experts in the field including violinist José de la Rosa Cedeño Jr., violinist Tito Escudero, Panamanian drum expert Ricaurte Villarreal, violinist and mejoranera player Efraín González, and Los Juglares (Panamanian folk music ensemble from the University of Panama). |
WORLD MUSICMr. Casal has collaborated with Brazilian jazz pianist João Marcos Mascarenhas, Amazonian group ‘Manari,’ Ecuadorian bassist Alex Alvear, charanga band Típica Novel, Ric Cortez’s Latin Jazz Project, Panamanian percussionist and song-writer Alfredo Hidrovo, and Cuban pianist Aruán Ortiz.
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©2021 Luis Enrique Casal R. All rights Reserved.
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