TRIO PASIONAL
Trio Pasional consists of North American flutist, Sharon Levin, Ecuadorian guitarist, Louis Cardenas and Dominican guitarist, Luis Polanco. These dynamic performers have been entertaining audiences in the New York metropolitan area for the past 9 years. Their CD, called "Reir Llorando" (To Laugh Crying), of traditional Ecuadorian repertoire, which they also perform, is representative of various facets of Ecuadorian sentiments and culture of many generations.
Trio Pasional has performed at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York City; CAMI Hall, New York City; Seton Hall University, New Jersey; Jefferson Auditorium, Virginia; La Guardia College, New York; Saint Peter's College, New Jersey; etc... They have also performed on the Buque Escuela Guayas Ship when docked next to the Intrepid in New York City, and by special request, performed for the 1997 Vice President of Ecuador, The Consulates of Ecuador of New York and New Jersey, The New York Ambassadors Wive's Club, The Casa de la Cultura Nucleus of New Jersey and The Ecuadorian/American Foundation. They also received a Citation from the Office of the Hudson County Executive for their contribution to preserving the cultural heritage of the Ecuadorian people living in Hudson County.
The unusual meeting of these artists has led this group to a partnership of music and environmental awareness regarding the preservation of the rain forest of South America. Also, this trio is a living demonstration of the saying, "Music is a Universal Language." Although they are of different backgrounds and cultures, they have discovered through music a natural and effortless compatibility on the concert stage.
Sharon Levin has performed in France, Switzerland, Germany, Israel, Brazil, Ecuador, Costa Rica and in the U.S.A. She has a Master's Degree from The Manhattan School of Music and prior to that, studied in Paris, France. For 14 years she was the principal Flutist with the New Jersey Pops Symphony Orchestra until they dissolved in 2002. She has appeared at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall five times and has performed on national television in Brazil, Costa Rica and Ecuador with her flute and harp duo, The Levin/Stern Duo. She was three times a concerto soloist with the National Symphony of Ecuador. Ms. Levin is also an active free-lance performer and teacher in the Metropolitan tri-state area.
Louis Cardenas, learned to play the guitar at the age of 14. At the age of 18 he moved to the United States and obtained a Bachelors degree in Marketing following with an MBA. He then pursued a successful business career for many years and was also the springboard for the development of a unique volunteer environmental law enforcement group that was a model for other communities in the U.S. For the past few years since the foundation of Trio Pasional, he has returned to his roots to regain and recapture his music and culture. Louis keeps studying music with private teachers and has taken a special seminar at the Juilliard School of Music in NYC.
Luis Polanco learned to play the guitar at the age of 15. He was very active in music and theatre and he found an abundance of work with the salsa and merengue orchestras of Santo Domingo, particularly with Los Tribones. He directed a choral group of 32 members of Spanish music and at the age of 19 came to the U.S. and continued his musical career with the various salsa and merengue groups of New York. Some of those groups are: Los Kimbos, Primitivo Santos y su orquesta, and Jr. Gonzalez and his orquesta. He has recorded CDs including salsa, merengue, bachata and rap. He traveled to Mexico and Florida with Cuco Valoi to perform Son Cubano.