A report from GE capital regarding the GE/Taylor guitar commercial had the following question to and statement from Deb Barker (GE Executive):
"Is that really you playing the guitar?"
"I would love it to be me, but although I'm learning there's no way I could play that amazing riff! In the advert we wanted a light-hearted moment at the end to illustrate the close working relationships and connection GE Capital has with its customers - the surprise expert guitar playing at the end of the advert hopefully illustrated that in a nice, amusing way. To create the scene we used some movie magic to transpose my head onto the body of a wonderfully talented player named Marija Temo. Marija is a classically trained Flamenco player - one of a few in the USA. No doubt Marija will have long lasting positive effects from this commercial, as the interest in her and her craft has increased significantly. She is an amazing artist!"
Marija just landed a national commercial for Taylor Guitars/GE Capital!
Marija is playing the guitar music throughout the entire commercial. Some of the music she composed and arranged.
"It was an absolute blast, amazing adventure, and a wonderful challenge! I am very grateful for the opportunity and experience."
It will be airing starting July 5 on the following networks and print: Scroll down to see.
It would be great to hear from you on YouTube and on my new Facebook Fan page. I would especially be interested in hearing which state you see the commercial. Thank you for your support.- Marija Temo
Broadcasts: ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox; Cable News Networks:MSNBC, CNBC, CNN, HLN, Fox News, Bloomberg, Weather; Cable Entertainment Networks: A&E, AMC, Comedy Central, BBC America, Discovery, ESPN, Golf Channel, History, FX, National Geographic, Science Channel, TNT, SyFy, USA; During the New York Yankees games; Digital Media GE Capital will have digital video and display banners running on the following sites: (Yahoo! Finance, CNN Money,Bloomberg,Wall St. Journal,MSNBC, FOX News, USA Today, Inc., Institutional Investor, ESPN, Golf Channel, The Daily Beast, LinkedIn, LOCAL – DC, Huffington Post.,Real Clear Politics, Politico;GE Capital Print; Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, Boston Globe, Investor's Business Daily, Forbes issue;
Marija Temo is now offering private lessons online via Skype!
Flamenco Communicationclasses offerred bi-monthly in the MD/VA/DC area. See Calendar for location, times, and fees.
See latest YouTube clip posted
A profile of artist Marija Temo and the opening concert of the VCUs first ever flamenco festival. Also: A local guitar maker and the significance of Temos performance in Richmond. Filmed on March 20, 2009 at the VCU Singleton Center for Performing Arts.
"BIRMINGHAM TROUPE CORAZON FLAMENCO STOMPS AND TWIRLS IN STEAMY "EL AMOR BRUJO" (Marija Temo, guest flamenco guitarist and singer) REVIEW, Sept. 2009, The Birmingham News, Birmingham, AL, By Michael Huebner
By definition, flamenco encompasses dance, drama and music. With “El Amor Brujo” (“Love, the Magician”), the Birmingham troupe Corazon Flamenco has stayed true to the genre's multi-genre, Andalusian roots.
Led by its talented director, Irene Rimer, the company made an impressive showing Saturday at Levite Jewish Community Center with this tale of steamy romance, murder and ghostly apparitions.
Based roughly on the ballet of the same title by Manuel de Falla, it contains snatches of recorded orchestral music and narrative dialogue to push the action along. Rimer's brilliant choreography served the drama well, but spoken exchanges were weak. Scenes such as Jose's murder and a meeting with a witch were stilted and needed more coaching. They were rescued only by the dance numbers that followed. Scene changes, some with awkward silence and darkness, needed tightening.
Guitarist and singer Marija Temo impressed on several occasions as she heightened the action and filled interludes. A classical guitarist and orchestral soloist as well as a flamenco expert, Temo possesses immaculate technique and an expressive, penetrating voice. Her accompaniments of Rimer's dance solos were the most memorable parts of the show. Guitarist Tony Arnold, also a paleontology professor at Florida State University, contributed some beautiful solos and duets.
Like classical ballet, flamenco is mostly about dance. Rimer's choreographic vision thrives on the frenetic stomping and complex heel-to-toe rhythms that drive this centuries-old art form. Ensemble numbers carried out by her well-trained troupe generated a whirlwind of flowing colorful costumes and coordinated movements. Solo numbers, especially those by Rimer and Julia Quijano, combined passion with spectacle. Fine performances were also turned by Carlos Lencina, as Jose, and Cole Companion, as Carmelo.
Together with last year's production of “Blood Wedding” and “El Amor Brujo,” Corazon Flamenco has staged two ballets that filmmaker Carlos Saura tackled in his trilogy of flamenco-inspired dance films. Only “Carmen” remains. If the company is so inclined, it would be a welcome completion of the cycle.
RENOWNED FLAMENCO GUITARIST, DANCER VISITS ALMA MATER ARTICLE, May 2008, The Bath Country Journal, Bath, OH, By Nancy Ivan
Editor's Note: BCJ frequently receives word about former residents who are out in the world doing interesting things and leading fascinating lives. Whenever we can, we will bring you their "stories." In the first piece below, a former resident came back to us.
This past March, Marija Temo wowed Revere Middle and High schools students with her flamenco/classical guitar/dance demonstration. She had her audience of energetic teens singing in Spanish, tapping their shoes and clapping their hands at the passion and rhythm of the music.
An honoree in the Revere High School Hall of Fame, Marija visited her hometown of Bath and gave an hour-long demonstration at Revere Middle School. The Flamenco troupe that performed with her as she sang and played the guitar included Bruce Catalano, guitarist and her first flaenco guitar teacher; Martha Sidahamed, her first dance teacher; Teo Morcha, renowned Mexican dancer; and Marta, singer.
Described by critics as a "triple threat," Marija is widely recognized as a virtuoso classical/flamenco guitarist, flamenco vocalist/dancer and conductor. Her unique specialty is to combine all her talents in a single performance. The guitar she plays is a "Marija Temo" Model flamenco/classical hybrid TM, which she helped to design with luthier Tom Rodriguez.
Marija was "back home" to join the Baldwin Wallace (B-W) College Symphony Orchestra in the world premiere of Tango Fantasy, a work composed by Dr. Loris Chobanian, Composer-in-Residence at B-W, and the second piece written for her.
Flamenco is all about rhythm and emotion. The singing originates in the throat and is exciting and passionate. But the words could portray a longing for love or something as unemotional as a description of boats or Spain, according to Marija.
A trio of her first guitar teachers, Edward Mahoney, her grandfather, who played an acoustic steel stringed instrument, and Flamenco teacher Bruce Catalano are credited for her early instruction. She added that her mother liked Flamenco music, and her parents would go to Jose´ Greco concerts, which also fanned Marija's interest. Her first dance teacher, Martha Sidahmed, led her to her first professional career step, the Fairmount Spanish Dance Company.
Exposure to the music at an early age and encouraging Revere Schools' teachers helped nurture her in her cradle of eminence, she said. Mary Mounts, her "fantastic" Spanish teacher at Eastview Jr. High School, let Marija work Flamenco singing into the fabric of the class and helped her develop as a musician.
Teacher David Peters was amazing; he instilled values of integrity and honesty; Jerry Fry, my counselor, was always there for advice; Mr. Fuller was so much fun; Debby Devore, Mary Ryan and Julie Lehman were wonderful, creative music teachers," added Marija.
Mr. Peters, who teaches at Revere Middle School, remembered that "Marija always persevered in what she attempted. She never gave up."
Marija is a former faculty member of the Preparatory of the Peabody Institute, Johns Hopkins University, where she founded the Flamenco Guitar Program. She has her master's degree from the Peabody Conservatory of Music and her bachelor's degree from the B-W College Conservatory of Music.
Solo concert highlights, involving Marija's programs of classical/flamenco guitar and voice (and sometimes an additional flamenco dancer), have been featured at several guitar festivals and music and guitar series in the United States and abroad.
Among her award highlights, she has received a citation from the Governor of Maryland for her selection for the 2000 Maryland State Arts Council's "Individual Artist Award in Solo Instrumental Performance"; an Alumni-Achievement Award from her college alma mater; induction into the Revere High School "Hall of Fame," together with a music award entitled, "The Marija Temo Award." She has also performed for dignitaries around the world, including the former Spanish Ambassador, Don Jaime de Ojeda; the Crown Prince of Spain; former Vice President Al Gore; and eminent dancer Jose Greco.
In a question-and-answer period following the demonstration, Marija told the students to "Be yourself; be honest; don't let peer pressure get in the way of what you want to do. Support each other's individuality."
When asked how long it took to learn to play, she responded, "I'm still learning." When asked whether she played the video game Guitar Hero she replied, "No, but I'm sure I could beat it!" For more about this Revere alumna, her Web site is www.marijatemo.com.
'TRIPLE THREAT' BRINGS FLAMENCO FLAIR TO CLASSICAL GUITAR ARTICLE, Wed. April 16, 2008, The Gazette, Gaithersburg, MD, by Patricia M. Murret, Staff Writer
Fingers flying, elbows erect, classical guitarist Marija Temo punctuates her performances with powerful flamenco strums.
‘‘I’m definitely combining the styles,” said Temo of Gaithersburg. ‘‘What’s really fun at this stage in my life is that I’m finally able to explore both the classical and the flamenco in my work.”
She was first drawn to flamenco at age 6, when the intensity of the music ‘‘gave me goose bumps” and made her feel as if she was being pulled through a tunnel into another world, she said during an interview in her Olde Towne apartment. Trained as a virtuoso classical and flamenco guitarist, Temo is considered a ‘‘triple threat” in the symphony world, according to former teacher Loris Chobanian. Using her experience as a flamenco vocalist, dancer and conductor, she adapts flamenco styles and rhythms to classical Spanish guitar repertoires and performs them with an orchestra.
‘‘I figure if you love something enough, you continually find a way to make it work,” said Temo of charting her own path as a musician.
On March 5, Temo debuted ‘‘Tango Fantasy” in a performance at the Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory in her native Akron, Ohio. She was accompanied by the Baldwin-Wallace Symphony Orchestra, and a live recording is now being prepared for release.
The music, written by Chobanian, Baldwin-Wallace’s composer-in-residence, combines characteristics of the Argentinean tango, flamenco tango of Andalusia, Spain and Middle Eastern melodies.
‘‘In the Spanish flamenco area, women are not considered to be classical guitarists,” Chobanian said. ‘‘They are only supposed to sing and dance and clap, but [Temo] could match any man in that capacity and do the rest of it too. I think many men are intimidated by her.” The intuition Temo brings to her work goes well beyond technique and performing the notes, he said.
Temo began studying flamenco dance at 6, classical guitar at 8 and flamenco guitar at 11. She has performed flamenco professionally as a singer, dancer, guitarist and conductor since 16. But after she earned a Master of Music from the Johns Hopkins University Peabody Institute in Baltimore in 1993.
Temo decided to ‘‘up the ante” on her own and introduced flamenco into her classical guitar performances. The risk turned out to be a path of promise.
Temo has performed with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at least 16 times, she said. She has performed with symphonies in Alexandria, Va., Hilton Head, S.C., Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta,Canada, and Ocean City, N.J. She has also given solo concerts at world-renowned guitar festivals in the U.S. and abroad. Likewise, she has planned a May workshop with Swedish flamenco dancer Ulrika Frank to help flamenco dancers, guitarists and singers better enhance one another in their performances. The workshop, ‘‘Solving the Flamenco Puzzle with Ulrika Frank and Marija Temo” will be held at Collective Dance studio in Washington, D.C. Temo points to imaginary students and asks what unique gifts each brings to a sheet of music. ‘‘When you’re on stage, you’re transmitting your individuality and your gift,” she said. ‘‘And how can you put a price on that?” Back to top
BALDWIN-WALLACE ORCHESTRA PREMIERE'S CHOBANIAN'S TANGO FANTASYREVIEW, Sat.March 15, 2008, The Armenian-Mirror Spectator, Clevaland, OH, by Christopher Elliot,
BEREA, Ohio - The long-awaited premiere of Tango Fantasy for Guitar and Orchestra by Loris Ohannes Chobanian, Baldwin-Wallace (BW) Conservatory Composer-in-Residence was received by an enthusiastic audience, on March 5, at the BW Conservatory Gamble Auditorium. The BW Symphony Orchestra was conducted by Dwight Oltman and the soloist was flamenco/classical guitarist Marija Temo.
This was the second composition for Guitar and Orchestra Chobanian had composed especially for Marija Temo. The flamenco-inspired Concierto Del Fuego, (Concerto of Fire) was premiered in 2001 with the BW Symphony Orchestra. Since the premiere, Temo has performed the concerto with many orchestras and appreciative audiences have consistently enthusiastically received the composition.
The three movements of Concierto Del Fuego present diverse characteristics, yet they are based on musical ideas that are homogenous. The thematic material for both the soloist and orchestra use a common language. Soundboard magazine hailed Concierto Del Fuego as the "Concerto of the Century." Tango Fantasy matches the flamenco inspired Concierto Del Fuego in vitality and substance. The composition combines elements from three continents in a fusion of Middle Eastern melodies, Spanish flamenco falsetas and Argentinean tango rhythms.
The program notes stated: "Tango Fantasy combines the characteristic qualities of both the Argentinean Tango and the Flamenco Tango of Andalusia. Over the years, continents apart, these two dances of the same name have pursued their own individual paths and have developed their own distinct personalities. However, there are noticeable characteristics that hint at their common ancestry. In both dances, for example, we witness a compulsive need for the phrases to end in resolute and excited pulsation.
In February 2007, the composer and his wife Deanna visited many cities in Andalusia, Spain and heard numerous excellent performances of flamenco music. The idea of composing Tango Fantasy germinated during that time in Spain. Melodic patterns of flamenco music have often been influenced by those of the Middle East, especially in the vocal renditions of flamenco. Tango Fantasy incorporates Middle Eastern melodies. Years ago, when flamenco guitarist Carlos Montoya heard that the composer had lived in Baghdad, he stated: ‘You have come from the land of my ancestors.'
Regardless of the many theories and studies that have traced the history of the two dances, the aim of Tango Fantasy was to create something new and that it does. The composition is in one movement and has a balanced formal ternary design. Unlike flamenco music the tonal centers constantly change. Themes of both dances are introduced in succession and develop in many guises that create strong contrapuntal textures. Sometimes they combine to create new units. Midway through the composition the pace slows down to a gentle presence where the inverted forms of the themes are introduced. The solo guitarist renders ornamental commentary on a gentle harmonic background. The opening passage is restated and the composition ends with an exciting coda. Tango Fantasy is dedicated to the composer's granddaughter Sosi Lyudmilla Swisher.
The soloist Temo's rhythms were precise and fiery. Her rendition seemed to inspire an equally spirited and exact performance from the orchestra. Oltman's beats were expressive and clear. The different characters of flamenco and that of Argentinean tango blended in succession as if they belonged together and they indeed complemented each other naturally. The Middle Eastern melodies were reminiscent of themes that are used to call for prayer. Temo's rasqueados, as expected were exceptional. If there was anything disappointing about the Tango Fantasy, it is the fact that it could have been longer. The audience certainly was in the mood to hear a lot more.
