PRESS RELEASE
FERLA-MARCINIZYN GUITAR DUO
in
Concert
From Renaissance to Jazz
DATE:___________________________
TIME: ___________________________
LOCATION:__________________________________________
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The FERLA-MARCINIZYN GUITAR DUO "compile what is easily the most
diverse set list in town" (John Hayes, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
As soloists and ensemble players, Marcinizyn and Ferla have performed
thoughout the United States including programs at the Smithsonian, the
University of Akron, Arizona State, the Chatauqua Institution, Oberlin College,
Florida State University, New York University, and Notre Dame. The have been
heard on NPR, Voice of America, USIA, Chukyo TV-Nagayo, Japan, and in
Pittsburgh, on WQED-FM.
Pittsburgh Concert Society winners, FERLA-MARCINIZYN GUITAR DUO
have been heard frequently in Pittsburgh on concert series presented by
Carnegie Mellon University, the INTERNATIONAL POETRY FORUM, and the
DEAR FRIENDS Ensemble.
James Ferla and John Marcinizyn have five CDs and one DVD presently available:
In Concert at the Manchester Craftmen’s Guild (DVD)
Songs of Heart and History
Light and Splendor, a christmas recording;
Kaleidoscope, five centuries of guitar music;
and, A Matinee at the Love Cafe, and Songs from the Heart featuring
contralto Daphne Alderson.
Guitarist, composer, banjoist John Marcinizyn performs frequently as a soloist, with the FerlaMarcinizyn Guitar Duo, contralto Daphne Alderson, flute and guitar duo, violin and guitar duo, and
groups ranging from The Bach Choir of Pittsburgh to his jazz trio Acoustic Swing. His versatility as an
acoustic and electric guitarist allows him to perform in many styles including classical, jazz, rock, blues,
and folk. John has also performed guitar and banjo for many theater companies including Quantum
Theater, where he wrote and performed a flamenco score for The Red Shoes and a Blues score for El
Paso Blue. John’s original music compositions have received numerous performances and include a
guitar concerto, string quartet, orchestral music, music for theater, and pieces for solo guitar and guitar
with mixed ensemble, as well as a number of jazz and rock pieces. His Sonata for Guitar and Marimba
received critical acclaim following its premiere at the Guitar Foundation of America International
Festival and Competition held in Buffalo. The Westmoreland Symphonic Winds commissioned Song for
the Sparrows, in memory of Beth Ann Johnson and Elyse Jeanne Saraceni who were killed in the 1988
terrorist bombing of Pan Am flight 103. IonSound Project premiered his All Manner of Things Shall Be
Well, for Contralto, Cello and Piano, based upon the writings of Julian of Norwich. In December and
January, he toured in South America and the Eastern Caribbean with contralto, Daphne Alderson in
programs that varied from chamber music through cabaret. John holds a Ph. D. in music composition and
theory from the University of Pittsburgh, and teaches guitar at Carnegie Mellon University and guitar and
composition at Seton Hill University. He also teaches a class on slide guitar techniques at the Duquesne
University Guitar and Bass Summer Workshop.
In addition to his concerts with the Ferla-Marcinizyn Guitar Duo, James Ferla, a two-time Pittsburgh
Concert Society winner, has also performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony, Cuarteto Latinoamericano,
the Renaissance City Winds, The Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, DEAR FRIENDS Ensemble and
Cynthia Koleda DeAlmeida, principal oboe of the Pittsburgh Symphony,. He has published several
articles on guitar repertoire in SoundBoard, the journal of the Guitar Foundation of America. With
singer/actress Kate Young, James recorded Castelnuovo-Tedesco's "Platero y Yo" for Voice of America
and is heard on the soundtrack of the PBS American Experience film, "Stephen Foster." He teaches
guitar at Carnegie-Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. His principal teachers were
Richard Franklin, Carlos Barbosa-Lima, and Colin Sterne. James has an MFA in performance from
Carnegie Mellon University and an MA in Musicology from the University of Pittsburgh.
For more information:
James Ferla
John Marcinizyn
412.303.9543
412.761.8282
ferla@andrew.cmu.edu
zyn@andrew.cmu.edu
www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/ferla
www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/zyn