Selkirk Pro Musica is thrilled to kick off its 2024-25 concert season with the Itamar Erez Quartet on Monday, Sept. 23.
Itamar Erez is a world musician and composer whose music holds a depth and sensitivity that touches listeners deeply. It blends the delicateness of Middle Eastern music, the freedom found in jazz and the passion of flamenco, creating a unique sound all his own. He will be joined by John Nicholson (sax), Jeff Gammon (bass) and Kevin Romain (drums).
Recipient of the 2014 ACUM Prize for Special Achievement in Jazz and the prestigious 2014 Landau Prize, Erez is an internationally renowned composer and guitarist who has shared the stage with such musicians as Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Tomatito, Avishai Cohen, JeanLouis Matinier and Zohar Fresco.
Erez has released six albums to date, including Desert Song (2006) and Hommage (2010) with the Adama Ensemble, New Dawn (2013) with percussionist Yshai Afterman and special guest Antonio Serrano on harmonica, and Mi Alegria (2019). May Song was released in October 2022 and features music written during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Migrant Voices, Erez’s sixth album, was released in 2024. It is a collaboration album with Hamin Honari (Iranian-Canadian percussionist). Erez has performed throughout the world and made his Carnegie Hall (NY) debut in April 2018 performing with the Omar Faruk Tekbilek Ensemble with Ara Dinjkian and Brian Keane as special guests.
As a workshop facilitator and masterclass teacher, Erez shares his unique approach to music and instrumentation with students around the globe. Recent gigs for Itamar included showcasing his quartet at the JazzAhead music conference April 2022 in Bremen, Germany and touring in Israel with his quartet in November 2022, playing with International Guitar Night (2023). 2024 has brought a variety of performances in Canada, the U.S. and Europe, including gigs at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, Penticton’s Dream Cafe, Bellingham’s Jazz Center, Edmonton’s Yardbird Suite, and many others.
In addition to his performing and teaching career, Erez has also composed music for various chamber ensembles and classical guitarists, as well as for film. He has written commissioned works for the Sound of Dragon Ensemble and other groups, and his compositions for classical guitar, including "Yahli's Lullaby," "Morning Song," "Choro for Lulo," and "Choro Sentimental," have been played by concert guitarists around the world. Erez has also written music for the film Greek To Me, directed by Harry Killas. He is currently on faculty at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra School of Music, teaching guitar, jazz and world music.
The concert takes place at Shambhala Hall, 700 Tenth St., in Nelson. Tickets ($20) are available at Otter Books.
