Karen Kamensek debuts with Tenerife Symphony Orchestra

December 8, 2025. – This week, the Sinfónica de Tenerife presents a program exploring musical visions developed together on both sides of the Atlantic: the orchestral elegance of Maurice Ravel in interwar Paris and the unique language George Gershwin shaped in jazz-era New York. The concert, titled Rhapsody in Blue, conceptually connects these traditions and embodies the program’s spirit – music emerging at the intersection of cultures, cities, and rhythms. The concert will take place on Friday,December 12th at 7:30 p.m. in the Symphony Hall of the Tenerife Auditorium, conducted by Karen Kamensek in her debut with the orchestra, and featuring pianist Noelia Rodiles as a guest soloist.

The first half of the concert features two works by Ravel demonstrating the breadth of his orchestral language. The Waltz (1920) begins in shadow and builds to a powerful dance, a tribute to Vienna’s Strauss and a melancholic reflection on a world ending after World War I. This is followed by piano Concerto in G Major (1931), a brilliant score blending classical influences, blues rhythms, and delicate piano writing. The Adagio assai movement has become a celebrated passage in 20th-century French repertoire.

For Noelia Rodiles,performing this program is “a great pleasure,” notably as it allows her to engage with two works she considers essential. “Ravel and Gershwin admired and influenced each other, and their works are full of creativity, luminosity, and extraordinary melodic richness, making them true jewels of the repertoire,” says the pianist. She also highlights the interplay between soloist and orchestra: “In both pieces, the piano converses with the different instruments, creating a true chamber music experience. Sharing this music with the Sinfónica de Tenerife is a luxury, and I am confident the audience will be equally delighted and entertained.”

The second half of the concert explores the sound world of George Gershwin, a pivotal figure in integrating jazz into symphonic music. His Rhapsody in Blue…