MoCA Westport to Host Django Fest Allstars & Artem Kuznetsov in November
Westport, CT - MoCA Westport is thrilled to welcome the Django Festival Allstars November 21 at 7pm. Django’s unmistakable cool and jumping ‘joie de vivre’ style made him an icon for greats from Carlos Santana to Eric Clapton to Jimi Hendrix. Dorado, Samson, and Amati, along with Francko Mehrstein on rhythm guitar and Gino Roman on bass, carry on Django’s legacy. All are from the Lorraine region of France where Django’s music reigns supreme. The band has toured the US every year to top festivals, concert halls and clubs such as The San Francisco Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and 24 years at legendary Birdland in NYC.
This music will lift you up, send your feet dancing in your seat as Dorado, Samson and Amati swing like crazy. The group’s music transports listeners to Paris in the 1920s and ’30s, when Gitane music filled the air and Django was king. It was a romantic time in Paris in those days. The music today still thrills audiences and smells of romance with ballads that can break your heart!
“Sensational, hardest swinging band at the Newport Jazz Festival” — Downbeat Magazine
“Best show in town” — Wall Street Journal
“Some of the best musicians in the world” — Leonardo DiCaprio
MoCA Westport is also excited to welcome back the 2022 Heida Hermanns Competition laureate Artem Kuznetsov on Saturday, November 18 at 7PM.
Since becoming the Heida Laureate in 2022, Kuznetsov has been very busy performing around the world. He has been concertizing a lot with major orchestras, including Orquestra Filarmónica Portuguesa, Orchestra Simfonica di Sanremo, Orquesta Internacional Virtuosos de Madrid, Orchestra Filarmonica Mihail Jora di Bacau, Orquestra Simfònica del Vallès, Royal Prince Consort Orchestra and Euregio Chamber Orchestra among others, and collaborating with conductors such as Conrad Van Alpen, Simon Crawford-Philips, Ovidiu Balan, Benedetto Montebello, Lawrence Golan and Osvaldo Ferreira.
He won first prizes at the Russian Piano Competition in San Remo, Italy, as well as the Santa Cecilia Piano Competition in Porto Portugal. Artem is also expecting his release of a new digital album in October on KNS CLASSICAL and preparing for his first tour in Japan in November.
While enjoying these shows, MoCA guests acan experience the Museum’s current exhibition with complimentary admission.
To learn more or purchase tickets, please visit www.mocawestport.org or call (203) 222-7070. MoCA Members always receive a discount.
MoCA Westport believes the arts should be accessible to all. If you need financial assistance with admissions, classes or event registration, please contact the Museum at info@mocawestport.org. Although masks are not required at MoCA Westport, visitors are welcome to wear masks in the Museum.
MoCA Westport thanks its Music at MoCA Concert Series Sponsors, including Cohen and Wolf, The Russell Insurance Agency and Dr. Richard and Ina Epstein. To learn more about corporate, community partner, and individual sponsorship opportunities, please contact Colleen Thomas at colleen@mocawestport.org.
More About MoCA Westport:
MoCA Westport is a non-profit visual and performing arts organization that has been a cornerstone of the Westport, Connecticut community for over 50 years. In 2019, MoCA Westport underwent a significant expansion in order to bring extensive programming to the local community and greater New York and New England regions.
In addition to hosting contemporary art exhibitions and performing arts events, The Academy at MoCA Westport provides arts classes for all ages.
MoCA Westport is thankful for its generous Supporters, including Bill and Jodi Felton, Joyce Pauker, Eric Bernheim, Gary Cosgrave, Michael Delgass, Paul Efstathiou, Kristin Foster, Derek Goodman, Elizabeth Gorayeb, Tom Hofstetter, Pamela Hovland, Jennifer Kanfer, Shari Lebowitz, Adam Moore, Deborah Murtaugh, Rachel Pencu, Dogan Perese, Jane Preiser, Oliver Pursche, Elizabeth Strick, Joyce Thompson and Lucien Vita.
MoCA Westport is also thankful for the dedication of its generous Sponsors.