Internationally acclaimed guitarist, Maria Zemantauski, presents a program of classics and stunning originals. Embracing the classical and traditional flamenco repertoire for her foundation, she takes her audience on a musical journey inspired by her flair for experimentation and pure love of the instrument.
The concert is free, open to the public, and in-person, with livestreaming.
Supported by the Birdsong Fund for Visiting Music Faculty.
Maria Zemantauski is a nylon-string guitarist and composer whose style is influenced by various musical genres, most notably Spanish classical, flamenco, and American fingerstyle. She has performed in Spain, Italy, and across the continental United States to great acclaim. Based in upstate New York, she maintains an active career as a teacher, lecturer, and performer, delighting audiences as a soloist, or as the founder and director of the Maria Z Ensemble.
Maria's programs are a dynamic blend of artistic freedom, innovation, and tradition. This is not surprising considering that as a child, she resisted guitar lessons, telling her encouraging parents that she wanted to "discover the instrument on her own without being told what to do." As one reviewer wrote, "Zemantauski has continually pushed the boundaries of the possible with her trusty six-string, blending genres that have little or no business appearing on the same bill, much less in the same song. It's rarely less than electrifying to watch her do it." She believes that the expressive possibilities of the guitar are limitless and pursues her music with passion, confidence, and grace.
With a master's degree in cultural anthropology, she is a relentless promoter of the arts as a vital educational component and an integral part of society. She is highly regarded for combining both performance and sociocultural analysis and is a frequent guest lecturer at colleges and universities nationwide, including the University of San Francisco, University of California at Santa Cruz, Eastman School of Music, Ithaca College School of Music, St. Lawrence University, California State University at San Marcos and the University of Kentucky at Lexington. Her music can also be heard in the award-winning documentary, Radical Harmonies, an historical perspective of women's music festivals, and The Heretics, a documentary film about the women's art movement of the 1970's in the USA.
Maria performs extensively as a soloist, with percussionist Brian Melick (aka Uduboy), guitarist/mandolinist, Sten Isachsen ("Sten & Maria Z"), and with the unique and flexible Maria Z Ensemble. She has been the Cultural Affairs Coordinator at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, New York, since 2004, and is on the faculty in the college's Department of Fine Arts, Theater Arts & Digital Media.