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Duane Padilla
Violinist Duane Padilla began his musical career much in the “traditional” way. Beginning classical violin lessons at age 4, he went on to earn a Masters Degree from Yale University and a Bachelors Degree from Northwestern University. While still a student, he earned fellowships to perform with the National Repertoire Orchestra and the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra. In 1995, he founded the highly acclaimed chamber ensemble The Gemini Duo, semi-finalists in the Concert Artists Guild Competition in NYC. In addition to a busy touring schedule, The Gemini Duo won outreach grants from Chamber Music America and the American Federation of Musicians and earned positions on the Connecticut Commission on the Arts Performing Artist Roster and the CMA Rural Residency Artist Roster.
Following his university studies, Duane’s musical journey led him to a 15 year career as an orchestral musician, first with the Waterbury Symphony and New Haven Symphony Orchestras and later with the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra.
Duane began to explore a broader musical world in Honolulu. As a member of the Honolulu Symphony Pops Orchestra, he performed with a “who’s who” list of the jazz world which included: Diana Krall, Chris Botti, Dianna Reeves, Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer, Dave Koz, Monica Mancini Elvis Costello, Victor Wooten, Rosemary Clooney and countless others. Intrigued by the idea of jazz and improvisation, Duane began sitting in with some of Honolulu’s hottest local jazz artists. In 2009, he founded his own ensemble, the Hot Club of Hulaville (HCOH), a ”jazz manouche” band centered around 30’s era swing and the music of Django Reinhardt & Stephane Grapelli. HCOH is quickly becoming one of Honolulu’s hottest bands. Honolulu Magazine voted the ensemble Best Band for Hire in 2011. Their debut album “Django Would Go!” topped the Roots Music Reports’s national radio & internet airplay chart at #1 and won The Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts most prestigious Na Hoku Hano Hano Award for Jazz Album of the Year.
Duane’s imaginative improvisations are attracting the attention of artists beyond jazz. He has been seen performing Texas Sock Hop swing with Academy of Western Artists Female Performer of the Year Devon Dawson. At Hawaii Public Radio’s Saturday afternoon concert series, he has joined various visiting guest artists in concerts as diverse as Hindustani Ragas and Celtic reels and gigs. His playing is also featured on the albums of numerous Hawaiian Pop stars, including, Amy Hanalii Gilliom, Uluwehi Gurrerro, and Kapala.
Also a gifted music educator., Duane is currently on the violin faculty at the Punahou Music School.
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Take Five With Duane Padilla
by Duane Padilla
Meet Duane Padilla: Classically trained violinist (Yale and Northwestern); Honolulu Symphony Violinist; Swing Violinist with Hot Club of Hulaville; Winner Hawaii Academy of Recording ArtsJazz Album of the Year 2011.Instrument(s): Violin.Teachers and/or influences? Teachers: Idell Low, Gerardo Ribeiro, Syoko Aki.I knew I wanted to be a musician when... I was four years old and heard a recording of the Tchaikovsky violin concerto on the radio.
read moreDuane Padilla: Sentimental Swing
by C. Michael Bailey
Hot Club of Hulaville violinist Duane Padilla echos the golden age of Stéphane Grappelli, by way of Joe Venuti. Sentimental Swing presents nothing new and breaks no revolutionary jazz ground, being made up of ten well-worn jazz standards, presented in a violin-piano-bass trio format. Was all this necessary? Perhaps not, but Padilla does put a pleasant retro spin on some old classics, showing why it is important to recall the past when considering the present. Padilla opens ...
read moreJazz Violinist Duane Padilla Releases Debut Solo Album "Sentimental Swing"
Source:
Michael Ricci
Violinist Duane Padilla releases debut solo album Sentimental Swing (Honolulu, HI) On June 1, 2011, Violinist Duane Padilla released his debut solo album entitled Sentimental Swing." Inspired by the lyricism of Frank Sinatra and the eternally optimistic melodies of French jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli, the album presents a selection of romantically swinging jazz improvisations based on classics from The Great American Song Book. Honolulu Symphony Violinist Duane Padilla stumbled into Honolulu's jazz scene very much by accident. After Symphony rehearsal ...
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Primary Instrument
Violin
Willing to teach
Beginner to advanced
Credentials/Background
Violin Faculty Punahou Music School, Honolulu, HI Masters Degree - Yale University Bachelors Degree - Northwestern University Past President/Board Member Hawaii American String Teachers Association Suzuki Association of Hawaii Suzuki Talent Education of hawaii
Clinic/Workshop Information
Introduction to Improvisation for Classical String Orchestra Programs, junior high, high school, and college levels
Photos
Music
Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson