Daniel Binelli, Polly Ferman, Leanne Nicholls, City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong & Germán Augusto Gutiérrez
Biography Daniel Binelli, Polly Ferman, Leanne Nicholls, City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong & Germán Augusto Gutiérrez
Daniel Binelli
Renowned Argentinean bandoneón player and composer, Daniel Binelli is considered to be the foremost exponent of the modern tango and the torchbearer of his fellow countryman Astor Piazzolla. During the 1980s he worked extensively with Astor Piazzolla, touring as a member of Piazzolla’s New Tango Sextet. As bandoneón soloist he has performed with the Tonhalle Orchestra Zürich, the Calgary and Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestras, the Argentine National Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Montreal, Dallas and Sydney Symphony Orchestras. He has also collaborated with jazz and contemporary greats including Paquito D’Rivera, Lalo Schifrin, Michael Brecker, Gary Burton and the Dizzy Gillespie United Nation Orchestra. Daniel Binelli is the Music Director of Tango Metropolis, a dance and music company touring worldwide. In addition to commissions from soloists, ensembles, tango companies and orchestras from around the world, Daniel Binelli has composed music for Argentine films including India Pravile, Funes un Gran Amor, Tango Baile Nuestro and Tango Shalom. His numerous recordings include Astor Piazzolla’s Concerto for Bandoneón and Guitar with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra under Charles Dutoit and Tres Tangos Sinfónicos with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra conducted by Giancarlo Guerrero. Nominations for the 2018 and 2019 Latin Grammy Awards include Marron y Azul and Nostalgias. As a member of the Binelli-Ferman Duo he has toured worldwide for more than 20 years and produced several recordings including Sax and Tango with the Púrpura Pansa Saxophone Quartet.
Polly Ferman
Described by The Japan Times as a “Musical Ambassador of the Americas”,
Polly Ferman has performed extensively as piano soloist with the San Francisco, Colorado and Vancouver Symphony Orchestras, the Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra, the Kharkiv Philharmonic Orchestra, the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra, the Argentine National Symphony Orchestra, the Camerata Romeu String Orchestra in Cuba, and with all the major orchestras in her native Uruguay. She has performed in recital at Carnegie Hall in New York, St Martin-in-the-Fields in London and at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. As a member of the Binelli-Ferman Duo she has toured the world for more than 20 years and produced several recordings including Sax and Tango with the Púrpura Pansa Saxophone Quartet. Performances with Tango Metropolis, Orquestango and the Daniel Binelli Quintet have also taken her on tours to Europe, Japan, Australia and the USA.
A cultural entrepreneur for Latin Amercian music, Polly Ferman has been Founder and Director of the Pan American Musical Art Research since 1984 and the Latin American Cultural Week held annually in New York City since 2006. She has also been at the forefront in the creation of several new productions celebrating women in tango including Leading Ladies of Tango, GlamourTango and the musical Aires de Mujer. Her recordings include an extensive collection of solo piano works by Latin American composers including Ernesto Nazareth, Ernesto Lecuona and Ariel Ramírez.
Leanne Nicholls
is the Founder, Artistic Director and Principal Oboist of City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong. She has been at the forefront of classical music programming in Hong Kong since 1990. Her mentors include Czech oboe virtuoso Jiří Tancibudek and Hans Elhorst. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree with First Class Honours from The University of Adelaide and was the winner of the 1988 Adelaide Eisteddfod Non-Keyboard Competition. Her orchestral career in Australia and Asia includes engagements with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, the Adelaide Chamber Orchestra, the State Opera Orchestra of South Australia, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Macao Orchestra and the Hong Kong Sinfonietta. As lyricist and script writer, she has penned WILD The Musical (2021) and Bug Symphony (2015) which received the Public Choice Award at the 2017 YAMawards in Portugal. In 2009 Leanne Nicholls was awarded a commendation certificate by the Secretary for Home Affairs of the Hong Kong SAR Government for her contribution to the development of arts and cultural activities in Hong Kong.
Germán Augusto Gutiérrez
has performed as a guest conductor throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and Oceania. His performances include engagements with the Symphony Orchestras of Fort Worth, Shanghai, Xalapa, and Porto Alegre, the Bogotá and Auckland Philharmonia Orchestras, the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, the South Dakota All-State Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestras of Peru, Costa Rica and Puerto Rico. He also appears regularly with orchestras in his native Colombia and has been invited as a guest conductor at several prestigious musical festivals including the Ibero American Arts Festival in San Juan (Puerto Rico), the Pergine Spettacolo Aperto Festival in Italy and the International Music Festival in Medellín in Columbia. In 2008 he achieved an unprecedented twelfth year as conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s African American and Hispanic Festival. Germán Augusto Gutiérrez is currently Associate Professor at Texas Christian University in Forth Worth, where he also serves as Chair Director of the Centre for Latin American Music and Director of Orchestras. He is the recipient of the 2002 Dean’s Award for Research and Creative Activity and the 2003 Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Research and Creative Activity, the highest award bestowed by the Texas Christian University.
City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong (CCOHK)
enjoys a unique position as one of Asia’s leading chamber orchestras. Since 1999 the orchestra has performed with many world class artists including Sir James Galway, Sarah Chang, Christian Lindberg, Julian Lloyd Webber, Giovanni Sollima, Branford Marsalis, Sharon Isbin, Richard Galliano and Sir Neville Marriner. On tour CCOHK has made its mark in Italy, Taipei, Shanghai and Beijing. Recordings include two internationally acclaimed releases with Danish recorder virtuoso Michala Petri (OUR Recordings) and Scottish percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie (NAXOS). Bug Symphony, CCOHK’s original musical creation, won Public Choice Award at the 2017 YAMawards in Portugal. From 2008 to 2016 French conductor Jean Thorel served as chief conductor and was succeeded in 2019 by the Armenian piano virtuoso and conductor Vahan Mardirossian.
