Elena Casanova-Hanson
Elena Casanova, a native of Cuba, is a pianist whose musical training included study at the Alejandro Garcia Caturia Music Conservatory in Havana, Pacific Union College (1984-1987), and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She graduated with a B.Mus. in piano performance from the University of Redlands in California. She has studied with Maria D. Robles, Tom Turinia, Robert Bowman, and Lynn Wheeler.
Casanova started piano lessons at age 5. By the time she was 13, her repertoire included major works by Bach, Beethoven, and Schubert. Although she enjoys performing the traditional repertoire as a soloist and is an accompanist for recitals and music productions, her major preoccupation and passion is in promoting the music of her native country. She is a frequent performer.
She is a featured pianist on the 13th Annual Professional Pianists Concert, a performance preserved on a DVD released in 2006 by Wine Country Films, and on another DVD labeled Dig Gig which also featured Amunka & Isa on percusssion. More recently she has released a CD called Remembering the Maestros of Cuban Classical Music, which features Casanova performing music by Rene' Touzet, Ignacio Cervantes, and Ernesto Lecuona.
ds/2007
Sources: Pacific Union College Viewpoint, Winter 2005, 32; Winter 2007, 24.