Bourgie Hall presents

Mediterranean Nights

Trumpet, guitar, and percussion merge to convey the warmth of the Mediterranean and its traditions to Montreal audiences. From Spanish flamenco to Balkan music, Paul Merkelo and friends wield their magic to take us to the heart of rhythm and emotion.

Artists
Paul Merkelo, trumpet

Paul Merkelo is a JUNO-nominated recording artist with six solo recordings, including releases for the SONY and NAXOS labels. Merkelo is featured in a visionary project entitled Gershwin’s World on MediciTV, which combines groundbreaking jazz and classical arrangements.

He has been the solo trumpeter with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal (OSM) since 1995 and is the first soloist chosen to record a feature album with the orchestra. He has also served as a guest principal trumpeter with the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Merkelo was appointed Canadian Musical Ambassador to China for the inauguration of Montreal Park in Shanghai and performed as a soloist with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra in a national telecast. Merkelo made his New York debut at Lincoln Center with the New World Symphony Orchestra and Michael Tilson Thomas in 1998. He has collaborated with conductors such as Leonard Bernstein, Charles Dutoit, Lorin Maazel, Sir Georg Solti, Zubin Mehta, and Valery Gergiev.

Merkelo gave the Canadian premiere of the Wynton Marsalis Trumpet Concerto and Gabriela Ortiz’s Altar de Bronce for trumpet and orchestra and will premiere a new work by acclaimed film composer Jeff Beal for two trumpets with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. His new project, From Mozart to Miles, links the history of Flamenco music to the classical era and Mozart’s style of composition while paying homage to the famous Miles Davis album Sketches of Spain. All of these works push the limits of virtuosity across classical, jazz, and world music.

Merkelo has taught at McGill University, the University of Montreal, the Pacific Music Festival in Japan, and the Music Academy of the West. He is on the board of directors for the Youth Orchestra of the Americas (Canada) and is the founder of the Paul Merkelo Scholarship, which helps young, gifted brass players with financial aid and career guidance.

Chris Fossek, guitar

Chris Fossek has performed as a soloist and in ensembles in such venues as the Olympic Stadium of Rome, the RedCat Theater at Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, The Granada Theatre in Santa Barbara, and the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara. He is also a Top-Ten Billboard charting recording artist and composer.

Chris holds a Master’s Degree in Guitar Performance from the California Institute of the Arts, where he was greatly inspired by his mentor, world-renowned guitarist, improvisor, and composer, Miroslav Tadić.

Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised studying classical piano music, Chris lived extensively in Italy, where he studied piano with Stefania Bellodi in Modena, and attended the faculty of DAMS at the University of Bologna. He also lived in Spain and Germany, and has traveled extensively throughout the “Greater Mediterranean” in countries such as Portugal, France, Slovenia, Croatia, Lebanon and Turkey. His compositions are a unique blend of classical music, flamenco, Eastern European folk music, and rock ‘n’ roll. Chris and his music were featured in a film by acclaimed photographer Bruce Weber, and he was the subject of the documentary short From Water to Wind, that debuted at the 2019 Santa Barbara International Film Festival as an Official Selection. In 2017 he released his debut album Camino Cielo, to both critical and popular acclaim.

Nathan Keezer, percussion

Program
Paco de LUCÍA
Zyryab
TRADITIONAL MACEDONIAN (arr. Miroslav TADIĆ)
Eleno
Gajdarsko Oro
Zajdi, zajdi
Stojane sine Stojane
Makedonsko Devojce
Chris FOSSEK
From Water to Wind
Cecco’s Dance
A Zealous Brush
A Lonely Blue
Tangos de solera

Tuesday, March 25, 2025 at 7:30pm
To purchase your tickets, visit: www.mbam.qc.ca/en/bourgie-hall/