RL Tasting Notes Series
a delectable series of music, wine, and dinner with Dr. Madeline Anderson, pianist, and Cecilia Barretto, sommelier
Dr. Madeline Anderson and Cecilia Barretto, two experts in their fields, team together to create an unforgettable experience: their collaboration is a delectable series of music and wine. Anderson brings forward her classical piano expertise, as well as her research on sensory blending with music, and Cecilia brings her skill and knowledge for tasting, pairing, and edutainment on the topic of wine.
Dr. Anderson researched sensory blending during her music doctorate and became fascinated with the combining of flavors, scents, and textures paired with sounds from the piano. Her research indicated that audiences benefit from a “sensory synthesis” during live performances; attention to the blending of senses helps listeners stay in the present moment and emotionally connect with the music on a deeper level. Cecilia’s passion for wine started 22 years ago, to include three years in Burgundy for an MSc in Wine Business, and many exam trips to Napa to complete the Level 4 Diploma of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET). For the last three years she has run a wine edutainment business, with a particular joy for events with pairings that go beyond food. Naturally, the opportunity to collaborate with Dr. Anderson to combine the sensory pleasures of wines and music was one not to be missed.
Together, they have paired music with wine to intentionally enhance both the audience’s listening and tasting experiences. Event attendees will sit back, sip, and listen, as Dr. Anderson performs music and shares insight on music cognition and Cecilia guides the wine tasting and pairings to complement the music.
Following this, attendees will be treated to another joy of the senses with a seated dinner paired with the wines featured during the tasting, as well as opportunities to mingle and share in discourse on the sensory blending of the evening.
Series I
Five Tuesdays of Piano, Wine, and Dinner once a Month
6:30PM Reception - 7:00PM Performance & Presentation - 7:30PM Seated Dinner
Open Bar - Limited to 20 Guests
Series I: 1 of 5: Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Debussy - Price - Chopin
Debussy: L’isle Joyeuse | Florence Price: Clouds | Chopin: Sonata no. 3, Second Movement
Claude Debussy was inspired by a painting, blending two senses himself: the visual and the aural. Emotional themes in L’isle Joyeuse include excitement, exoticism, and sensuality. Florence Price’s Clouds is a delightful piece full of imaginative textures, bright and sparkly flourishes, and sweeping melodies. Chopin’s Sonata No.2 features both a glittering and virtuosic section and a beautiful, lush, harmonious lyrical section. The juxtaposition of the rapid virtuosic “A” section, and slower, heart wrenching “B” section create emotional depth and complexity. These selections are short and sweet, yet dazzle with complexity and sophistication.
Debussy: L’isle Joyeuse paired Crémant, the unsung hero of French sparkling wine
Claude Debussy was inspired by a painting, blending two senses himself: the visual and the aural. Emotional themes in L’isle Joyeuse include excitement, exoticism, and sensuality.
Wine Pairing: Crémant - Bubbles are the epitome of life’s moments of excitement, exoticism, and sensuality. Crémant is also with the French theme of French composer and French title ‘L’isle Joyeuse’, inspired by French painting "L'embarquement pour Cythère" by the French painter Jean-Antoine Watteau. Early notes of this piece are also like the sparkling sensation of sparkling wine.
Florence Price: Clouds paired with a White Rhône Blend
Florence Price’s Clouds is a delightful piece full of imaginative textures, bright and sparkly flourishes, and sweeping melodies
Wine Pairing: White Rhône Blend - In the shadow of the famous Rhône reds. A blend of grapes, a blend of styles, just like this piece. A forgotten about wine w/ a forgotten about piece, until now, being rediscovered.
Chopin: Sonata No. 3, Second Movement (Scherzo) paired with a Merlot
Chopin’s Sonata No. 3 features both a glittering and virtuosic section and a beautiful, lush, harmonious lyrical section. The juxtaposition of the rapid virtuosic “A” section, and slower, heart wrenching “B” section create emotional depth and complexity.
Wine Pairing: Merlot - The word ‘scherzo’ comes from the Italian word scherzare, which means "joke". However, Chopin created his scherzo in a no-joke, serious style, and treated it like a movement. In this same light, Merlot can be a range of styles from light and joke-like, to serious and some of the most expensive wines in the world. This range of Merlot styles also mirrors the juxtaposition styles of the rapid virtuosic “A” section, and slower, heart wrenching “B” section of this song.
Purchase Tickets
These nonrefundable tickets are transferable.
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Series I Dates
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Tuesday, December 10, 2024
Tuesday, January 7, 2025
Tuesday, February 4, 2025
October 15, 2024 Dinner Menu
Amuse Bouche
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Fettuccine
Crème Fraîche, Smoked Salmon, & Salmon Roe
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Entrée of Chicken Roulade
Spinach, Artichoke and Feta - White Wine Sauce
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Dessert
You will have an opportunity to indicate your dietary preferences when you purchase your ticket.
Dr. Madeline Anderson
Classical pianist Dr. Madeline Anderson, born in 1995, is currently based in San Antonio, TX. She holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music (BM ‘17), Texas State University (MM ‘19), and the University of Iowa (DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy '23). While pursuing her DMA, Anderson studied piano under the tutelage of Dr. Ksenia Nosikova. Anderson pursued a “secondary area” in Music Theory and worked closely with music theorist and composer Dr. Matthew Arndt. Dr. Anderson's previous piano mentors include Hans Boepple, Dr. Enrico Elisi, Ann Schein, and Dr. Jason Kwak. One of Dr. Anderson's interests is audience and listener engagement, particularly at live piano performances. Anderson's dissertation essay centered around active listening and sensory involvement – both literally and conceptually – as a means to heightened engagement, enjoyment, and understanding in listeners. Using sensory involvement as the cornerstone, Anderson developed a listening activity – Attend, Notice, Blend – for this project and was fortunate to conduct a research study at the University of Iowa debuting her listening activity. Results indicated significant overall improvement in the experience of audience members with the listening activity in place. This research project has inspired and informed Anderson’s performance trajectory.
Dr. Anderson enjoys teaching and connecting with students of various levels. At the collegiate level, she has taught at Kirkwood Community College (2022-2023), and held teaching assistantships at Texas State University and the University of Iowa where she taught group piano courses, private piano lessons, and accompanied instrumentalists. During her time in Iowa, Anderson maintained a private piano studio and was on faculty at the University of Iowa Community Music Lesson Program. Anderson also previously taught at the FunKey Piano Project (San Marcos, Texas) and the Orpheus Academy of Music (Austin, Texas). Currently, Dr. Anderson teaches private piano lessons at MACSA (Musical Arts Center of San Antonio), and holds an adjunct position at Northwest Vista College where she teaches Music Theory and Group Piano.
As for performing, Anderson has a passion for sharing music and enjoys staying active with solo performances in San Antonio, with a focus on community engagement. Recent 2024 performances involved analysis of the word "dolce" in regards to music interpretation and execution. Audience members were provided with chocolate candies to enjoy during the performance for a complete dolce experience. Anderson has participated in, and won awards in, numerous piano competitions and events. Most recently, Madeline was named a 2020 MTNA Young Artist Competition state winner (Iowa), won the Third Prize at the Second International PianoArt competition, and was a finalist at the 2020 Sound Espressivo competition. In addition to her solo music endeavors, Madeline is a passionate chamber musician and enjoys collaborating with colleagues. When Dr. Anderson is not playing or teaching music, she can be found at the gym teaching cardio, strength, and pilates classes.
Cecilia Barretto
Cecilia Barretto is a wine expert whose passion for wine began 22 years ago. She spent three years in Burgundy, France pursuing her MSc in Wine Business. From there she continued on to attempt the “Mt. Everest of Wine Certifications”, the Level 4 Diploma Certification of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), a certification held by less than 13,000 people worldwide. Cecilia is one exam away from reaching the proverbial summit. For the last three years she has run her Wine Edutainment Events business in San Antonio, Texas, hosting both private and corporate wine events. She is also a Certified WSET Wine Educator, teaching the Levels 1 & 2 Certifications in San Antonio, Austin, and the Hill Country. Her favorite wines to drink are: Dry sherries, sparkling wines, and Italian wines. Cecilia’s other passions include cooking, cheese, jazz music, dad jokes, meditating, Frank Sinatra, and her corgi, Ms Vita.
PARKING AT THE ROOSEVELT LIBRARY
The Roosevelt Library has about 50 complimentary self-parking spaces available to guests. Street parking is often available. Vehicles are not to be left in the Roosevelt Library parking lot overnight. The Roosevelt Library will not be liable for theft or damages to vehicles or the contents of vehicles.
MAP TO THE ROOSEVELT LIBRARY
HISTORY OF THE ROOSEVELT LIBRARY
The First Carnegie Library of San Antonio opened in 1903. The original building at 210 W. Market Street was constructed with funding donated by Andrew Carnegie, on property donated by Caroline Kampann. On September 9, 1921, a storm event created from the remnants of a hurricane moved through Central Texas and produced over seven inches of rainfall in downtown San Antonio and the near west side of the city. The flooding forced the temporary closure of the Carnegie Library. It was razed in 1929 and the new main library was completed in August 1930 on the original site. The name changed from Carnegie Library to San Antonio Public Library.
In 1929 the Roosevelt Park Branch Library, San Antonio’s South side library, opened and in 1968 it closed. The building is located across from the Roosevelt Park which marks the beginning of the Mission Reach Ecosystem Restoration and Recreation Project, an eight mile stretch of the San Antonio River that has received designation as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, the building’s architect was John Marriott who also designed the Carnegie Library in Delaware, Ohio. Leland Stone purchased the building in 2013. The building is the home of the Roosevelt Library Social Club.
Open bar. Dietary preferences accommodated.
This nonrefundable ticket is transferable.