Press Releases
Summary: Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens, Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens, a historic home and cultural center in south Orange County, presents a night of chamber music featuring critically-acclaimed Japanese-American viola and cello duo Ayane & Paul.
San Clemente, CA – Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens, a nonprofit southern California cultural center, presents an evening of chamber music this April. New York City-based viola and cello duo Ayane & Paul have performed across the U.S. and Japan. This performance marks the return of renowned cellist and composer Paul Wiancko to his hometown of San Clemente, and it is the duo’s first performance at Casa Romantica together. Inside Casa Romantica’s Main Salon, Ayane & Paul will perform works from the Baroque era (Bach, Clarke) to the present (Greenstein, Shaw, Lutoslawski) including original compositions from Wiancko.
NPR recently wrote of Wiancko, “If Haydn were alive to write a string quartet today, it may sound something like Paul Wiancko’s LIFT”, a 25-minute work featured on the Aizuri Quartet’s GRAMMY-nominated album Blueprinting. He has performed alongside Midori, Yo-Yo Ma, Richard Goode, Chick Corea, Mitsuko Uchida, Nico Muhly, Max Richter, and members of the Guarneri, Takács, JACK, Parker, Kronos, Orion, and Juilliard quartets. His partner, Ayane Kosaza, is a founding member of the Aizuri Quartet and winner of the Primrose International Viola Competition hailed for her “magnetic, wide-ranging tone” and “rock-solid technique” (Philly Inquirer).
Ayane & Paul formed in 2014 after they worked together on the creation of American Haiku, a richly textured work for violin and cello that incorporates Appalachian fiddling, percussive patterns, and Japanese folk-inspired melodies. They have collaborated with musicians from a wide variety of genres for album projects including the GRAMMY-nominated album Blueprinting (2018) by Aizuri Quartet, on Norah Jones’ album Pick Me Up Off the Floor (2020), and for Postcards to the Met, an audio/visual collaboration between Matthew Evan Taylor and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Tickets are available now for Ayane & Paul at CasaRomantica.org/Calendar or call (949) 498-2139 for reservations.
About Ayane & Paul
Ayane Kosaza is a founding member of the Aizuri Quartet and winner of the Primrose International Viola Competition. Hailed for her “magnetic, wide-ranging tone” and her “rock solid technique” (Philadelphia Inquirer), Ms. Kozasa loves performing chamber music and is renowned for her detailed artistic approach and radiant performances. The Aizuri Quartet gained international acclaim when they captured first prize at the 2017 Osaka International Chamber Music Competition in Japan. Soon after, they became the Quartet-in-Residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and won the grand prize at the M-Prize Chamber Arts Competition.
Much of Ayane’s current work involves mentoring aspiring young musicians through programs like the Green Lake Chamber Music Camp, Olympic Music Festival and Musikiwest Summer Festival. She is currently on the viola faculty at Adelphi University in Long Island, and has served as guest faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
Paul Wiancko has led an exceptionally multifaceted musical life as a composer and cellist. An avid chamber musician, Paul has performed alongside Midori, Yo-Yo Ma, Richard Goode, Chick Corea, Mitsuko Uchida, Nico Muhly, Max Richter, and members of the Guarneri, Takács, JACK, Parker, Kronos, Orion, and Juilliard quartets. His performances with Musicians From Marlboro have been described as “utterly transparent” and “so full of earthy vitality and sheer sensual pleasure that it made you happy to be alive” (Washington Post).
Chosen as one of Kronos Quartet’s “50 for the Future”, Paul’s own music has been described as “dazzling”, “compelling” (Star Tribune), and “vital pieces that avoid the predictable” (Allan Kozinn). NPR recently wrote, “If Haydn were alive to write a string quartet today, it may sound something like Paul Wiancko’s LIFT”, a 25-minute work featured on the Aizuri Quartet’s GRAMMY-nominated album “Blueprinting”. Paul is a recipient of the S&R Foundation’s Washington Award for Composition and has been composer-in-residence at Music From Angel Fire, Spoleto Festival USA, Portland Chamber Music Festival, and the Methow Valley Chamber Music Festival.
About Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens
Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens maintains a robust series of year-round programs in arts, music, history, horticulture, and literature for all ages. Casa Romantica has commissioned several critically-acclaimed works, including Casa Classic: Opera Through the Seasons (2021; site-specific commission), Casa Kinetic: Tango Romantica (2021; dance), Open Casa: Who was Nellie Gail Moulton? (2020; visual art), Casa Coastal: Murals of Levi Ponce (2019; visual art), Casa Theater: The Odd-Essy (2019; theater), Casa Kinetic: Culture Shock LA Hip Hop (2019; dance); Casa Coastal: The Art of Baja California (2018; visual art), Casa Theater: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2018; theater), Casa Kinetic: Celebrating Tap Dance Legends (2018; dance), Casa Coastal: Rebecca Louise Law (2017; visual art), Casa Kinetic: Contemporary Dance Collective (2017; contemporary dance), and Open Casa: The Photographs of Douglas Kirkland (2015; visual art). The 2020-21 Casa Captivating season includes an expanded dance (Casa Kinetic), theater (Casa Theater), and concert series (Casa Vibes), visual and performing arts commissions, and an expanded Casa Kids education program.
Casa Romantica also hosts a variety of free arts education programs for children year-round. The institution’s annual Casa Romantica Music Festival and Academy has received critical praise for its comprehensive two-week music studies program in cello, piano, viola, and violin. Casa Romantica also offers a Summer Dance Workshop, a Spring Break Arts Week, various art, literature, and horticulture events to grades K-12, and welcomes over 6,000 children from the Capistrano Unified School District each year for STEAM-based field trips that examine the history of San Clemente and the coastal environment.
Mission Statement: Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization and is the historic home of the founder of the City of San Clemente. Casa Romantica provides programs for all ages in arts, music, history, and horticulture and is a premier Southern California cultural center.
Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens is located at 415 Avenida Granada, San Clemente, CA 92672. Hours: Tuesday—Thursday 10 am—4 pm; Friday—Sunday 10am—2pm; closed Mondays and holidays. General admission is $5; Casa Members, active military with ID, and children under age 13 visit for FREE. For more information, call (949) 498-2139 or visit CasaRomantica.org
