A Southwest Story: Composer Elizabeth Naccarato Shares Inspiration, Reverence and New Music
July 30, 2022
SAN LUIS, CO, USA, July 30, 2022 — One might say Elizabeth Naccarato is a romantic. She is known to compose entire albums when a place and its people speak to her soul. San Luis Music announced the release of Naccarato’s seventh album, A Southwest Story, an alluring collection of thirteen piano pieces inspired by her latest love: the Southwestern United States. The album evokes images of desert wilderness and lonely canyons, while also flirting with Spanish classical influences, and adding a dash of cowboy charm. The album is available everywhere as physical CD, digital downloads, and on worldwide streaming platforms: https://elizabethnaccarato.hearnow.com/a-southwest-story
A Southwest Story, Naccarato says, was inspired by the region and culture of Southern Colorado where she now resides. Produced by Michael Gettel, an exciting pianist and composer in his own right, the works range from solo piano to contemporary instrumental piano pieces accented by guitar, bass, violin, mandolin, percussion and accordion. Featured performers include Leon Christian (guitar and bass) and Nancy Rumbel (Native flute and English horn). Naccarato composed and arranged the genre-defying album, with the exceptions of “The Spanish Dance No. 2” by Enrique Granados, and “Fandango” by Federico Moreno Torroba.
Early singles “Dusk” and “Sacred Land” convey the stunning pastel sunsets, and the physical beauty of the land between Ute Mountain and Mt. Blanca, which is said to be sacred. Rumbel’s Native American flute adds a hauntingly beautiful quality to “Shrine of the Stations of the Cross” an homage to San Luis’ spiritual attraction of the same name. People visit from all over the world to seek its solace and to take in the breathtaking views on this trail of bronze sculptures (from 3/4 to life size, representing the 15 stations of the cross), which are positioned along a trail on a mesa in the center of San Luis.
“From whimsical tunes to waltzes to classical covers of Spanish composers to reverent pieces honoring religious traditions of old, and slow dreamy solo piano sequences reflecting on the region’s beauty and the natural elements, A Southwest Story offers a relaxing and uplifting ‘auralscape’ to a fascinating place,” wrote Lissette Cascante, of the Auralscapes music blog and podcast.
Favoring the album’s more classical influences, Kathy Parsons (Mainly Piano) wrote “…my favorite piece on the album (“Flower Moon”), Chopin’s influence can definitely be heard in the graceful nature of the music. Ahhhh!”
A native Texan, Naccarato began her piano studies at the age of six at the Dominican Convent in Houston. She won her first piano competition at the age of nine and performed and competed in local and statewide events; later, she was a Piano Performance major at the University of Southern California where she earned her degree, and was a three-time winner of the Hollywood Alumni S.A.I Scholarship as well as a highly-coveted Teaching Assistantship in graduate school. She joined the Annie Wright Schools faculty in 1999 and has been an affiliate faculty at The University of Puget Sound since 1989. Much of her instruction is in piano and voice, but she also has directed dozens of regional theater presentations of plays and musicals.
An in-depth recent interview with Elizabeth Naccarato can be heard on the award-winning Tones and Drones music interview podcast, exploring how A Southwest Story came about, the composer’s history with the landscape, her musical vision, and her love of sports; a USC alumna, Naccarato is a steadfast Trojan fan.
Previous recordings by Naccarato include Jarrell’s Cove, North Sycamore, Stone Cottage, One Piano (a collaboration with Gettel), History, and Souvenir d’Italia, all available through her official website and Amazon.com.
Naccarato is preparing to announce upcoming live performances for this Fall 2022; watch her website and social media for the cities, dates and ticket links.
Music fans can link to buy or stream A Southwest Story from their favorite platform here: https://elizabethnaccarato.hearnow.com/a-southwest-story
Tracklist:
1 San Luis (4:42)
2 Wild Horses (2:58)
3 Sacred Land (5:08)
4 Mi Hito, No! (4:12)
5 Fandango (1:48)
6 Brown Eyes (4:12)
7 Spanish Dance No. 2 by Granados (5:25)
8 La Sierra (4:38)
9 Shrine of the Stations of the Cross (3:33)
10 The Vega (4:31)
11 Dusk (4:08)
12 Cowboy’s Waltz (3:30)
13 Flower Moon (3:36)
Links:
WEBSITE: https://elizabethnaccarato.com/
SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0REXjQLt79Pi2YZO31goUl?autoplay=true
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/c/Naccaratonetwork/videos
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Naccarato/e/B000APAEXS
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/elizabethnaccaratopianist
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethgettel/
APPLE: https://music.apple.com/us/album/a-southwest-story/1632306586
For more information on A Southwest Story, or to interview Elizabeth Naccarato, please contact: Beth Hilton at bethhilton@thebcompany.com
Beth Ann Hilton
The B Company
bethhilton@thebcompany.com
