Piazzolla · Rodrigo · DeFalla · Pujol · Villa-Lobos · Granados

A program with an album behind it.

Snapshots of South America won the 2002 Detroit Music Award for Outstanding Classical Recording. Two decades later, the duo’s Iberian and South American programming is the most thoroughly documented work of its kind in Michigan.

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Six Detroit Music AwardsInternational diplomatic performancesPreferred vendor: Meadow Brook Hall · The Henry Ford · Grosse Pointe War Memorial

Six Detroit Music Awards. International diplomatic performance experience including an Organization of American States event hosted by The Hon. Lloyd Axworthy. Preferred vendor at Meadow Brook Hall, The Henry Ford, and Grosse Pointe War Memorial. Standard fee: $2,500–$7,500.

An album-deep specialty

Why this program is unusual in Michigan.

Most Michigan ensembles that program for Hispanic Heritage Month do so by adding two or three Spanish-language works to a standing repertoire. The Dearing Concert Duo built its second album around the literature.

The album, Snapshots of South America, was named Outstanding Classical Recording by the Detroit Music Awards in 2002. The works on it — and the literature the duo has continued to program around it for two decades — are not novelty additions. They are the duo's specialty.

The result is a program with the artistic substance Heritage Month committees ask for and the documented credentials a serious cultural funder can stand behind.

Sample programs

Three program outlines

Hispanic Heritage Month consulate program

A 60-minute set built around regional contrast — Argentina (Piazzolla, Pujol), Spain (de Falla, Rodrigo, Granados), Brazil (Villa-Lobos), with sung Spanish-language repertoire (Argentine and Spanish art songs). Designed for consulate, chamber-of-commerce, or corporate Heritage Month evenings.

Aranjuez feature program

Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez slow movement (the work Steven performed with the Livonia Symphony in May 2012) plus complementary Iberian repertoire. Forty-five minutes.

Snapshots full-album program

The 2002 DMA-winning album performed live, with sung introductions placing each work in its composer's context. Seventy minutes.

Representative repertoire

From the documented two-decade specialty.

Piazzolla — Libertango, Café 1930 (from Histoire du Tango)
Rodrigo — Concierto de Aranjuez (slow movement), Romance de Durandarte
de Falla — Siete Canciones Populares Españolas (selections); En Jerez de la Frontera
Pujol — Tristango en vos
Villa-Lobos — Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 (Aria — Cantilena)
Granados — La Maja Dolorosa
Mompou — Combat del somni
Tárrega — Recuerdos de la Alhambra

Listen to Snapshots of South America

“Through their performance of beautiful music, the Dearing Concert Duo created the perfect mood at our event. The duo has the rare combination of musicianship and personality that engages an audience.” The Hon. Lloyd Axworthy, P.C., O.C., O.M. Then-Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister · Organization of American States event

Common Questions

Booking questions, answered

Is this a Hispanic Heritage Month-only program, or year-round?

Year-round. The repertoire is a documented two-decade specialty, not a Heritage Month add-on. Heritage Month bookings are a major use case but not the only one.

Are works performed in Spanish, Portuguese, or English?

Original language. Sung program notes and printed programs include English context so non-Spanish-speaking audiences can follow.

Is the duo of Hispanic heritage?

No. The duo's qualification is artistic — a Detroit Music Award-winning album of South American repertoire, two decades of performing this literature, and Steven Dearing's twenty-three years teaching the Spanish and South American classical guitar tradition at the University of Windsor. Heritage Month committees that prioritize artistic depth in their classical programming consistently select the duo for that reason.

Can the program include local or guest performers?

Yes. The duo collaborates with guest dancers, narrators, or visual programs (slide art, projected paintings) for cultural-programming events.

Standard fee for a Heritage Month program?

$2,500–$7,500 depending on length, customization, and travel. Many cultural-programming events are grant-funded; the duo regularly works with grant timelines.

Lead time for booking a Heritage Month event?

For a September 15–October 15 booking, six months out is comfortable. Shorter lead times are accepted when the calendar allows.

Begin a conversation

A short call answers most questions. We will send a program suggestion and quote within two business days of speaking.

Request a Heritage Program Email Steven directly