Charlie Chaplin Shorts (1915-1917)
Original Soundtrack performed by Loreta Kovacic
A collection of Chaplin's early shorts including The Tramp, The
Immigrant and The Cure with an original soundtrack to the shorts
written and performed live by local pianist, singer
Loreta Kovacic. Known for her virtuoso
performances from Boom Boom room to Carnegie Hall, Kovacic's style is inspired
by music from around the world, a unique, international mixture of influences.
This "International Immigrant," also known as "Texas Slav," calls her own
style "Slavic & Western." With a Doctorate degree in piano performance from
Rice University, she composes, teaches, directs, produces and plays in her
studio in Houston Heights.
Reviews
Loreta Kovacic
A leap year concert features the Croatian pianist on her way to Carnegie
Hall
Published: February 28, 2008
You might want to catch Loreta Kovacic at
Notsuoh this week. You’d have a bit of a drive to her next gig — it’s at
Carnegie Hall. (Yep, that Carnegie Hall.) The Croatian-born pianist is based
in H-Town now, and she’s taking time from rehearsing for her big concert to
celebrate Leap Year with her buds downtown. Expect a happy mix of
classically-tinged and contemporary music starting at 9 p.m. 314 Main. For
information, visit www.alchemistpiano.com. Free.
Fri., Feb. 29, 9 p.m., 2008
Loreta Kovacic
Published: January 3, 2008
Booked at Carnegie Hall in June — that's right, the Carnegie Hall —
Croatian-born Houstonian Loreta Kovacic moves between the classical and pop
milieus as fluidly as her fingers dance around the ivories. Leaving behind the
recital-hall atmosphere of her first two CDs, Fugitive Visions and
Piano Notturno (which was played on the International Space Station),
Kovacic's new disc Cantabile — Italian for "in a singing style" —
tweaks the folk-music traditions of her native Balkans with original
compositions based on Croatian, Macedonian and Dalmatian melodies. Songs like
"It's a Girl," "It's All Good" and "Art Guys" (a tribute to her friends and
sometime collaborators in the eponymous local artists' collective) recall the
moody shades of Tori Amos, while the playful tint of "Mare," "Amigos" and
"Sejla" accent her extensive experience as a children's-music composer —
Kovacic, who holds a Ph.D. in Piano Performance from Rice University, has
taught kids at her Alchemist Piano Studio for more than a decade. With guest
Chenoa Farrell joining Kovacic on violin, Sunday's Mucky Duck concert (and
Cantabile CD release) promises to be an elegant exploration of lively
Central European textures.
"Genuine artistry at the piano"
Vecernji List, Zagreb
"Loreta, an "eat dessert first" kind of girl,
... Loreta is a highly regarded classical pianist whose style is so powerful,
she once broke a key off her instrument while performing in competition. When
she says you must try the baklava, you literally have no choice."
- Houston Press April, 2004