Guitar Plus: Serenades and Premieres with David Leisner and Friends
Tuesday, December 5, 2017, at 7:30 PM
Renowned guitarist/composer David Leisner and friends Tara O’Connor (flute), Jesse Mills (violin), Mark Holloway (viola), and Raman Ramakrishnan (cello), in works by Beethoven, Diabelli, and contemporary masters Pierre Jalbert and Vivian Fine
“David Leisner is among the finest guitarists currently performing … He has a probing intellect, finding insights in music that most others miss, and delivering them with a virtuoso technique.” — American Record Guide
Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo: 40th Anniversary Retrospective
Friday, January 19, 2018, at 7:30 PM
World renowned for phenomenal musicianship, matchless technique, and extraordinary stylistic breadth, celebrating 40 years of performing together
“Extremely deft and musically satisfying; wonderfully fresh.” — Soundboard
Fabio Zanon
Friday, March 9, 2018, at 7:30 PM
A true cosmopolitan, a Brazilian master at home in the concert halls of four continents; the 1996 winner of both the GFA and Francisco Tarrega International Competitions
“A member of the highest echelon of living guitarists … fluent technique, great beauty and variety of sound, finely controlled emotional response, and stylistic sensitivity.” — Gramophone
Xavier Jara
Thursday, April 5, 2018, at 8:00 PM
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Rose Augustine Grand Prize Winner of the 2016 Guitar Foundation of America’s Solo Artist Competition
Frederic Hand
Tuesday, May 1, 2018, at 8:00 PM
Elebash Hall, CUNY Graduate Center
The renowned guitarist and composer, showcasing his new CD, The Light Through the Trees, with guest artists João Luiz of the Brasil Guitar Duo and members of the CUNY Graduate Center Chamber Music Program
“Frederic Hand is a tremendously skilled and expressive guitarist. But what makes him unique is that he is also one of today’s most fascinating composers, able to weave together a variety of influences, from jazz to Dowland to the avant-garde.” — Guitar Review
Binelli-Diaz Duo: Piazzolla Revisited
Tuesday, October 17, 2017, at 7:30 PM
Daniel Binelli, bandoneon master and veteran of Astor Piazzolla’s ensemble, with guitarist Federico Diaz in Piazzolla Revisited, commemorating the 25th anniversary of Piazzolla’s passing
“The bandoneon, Argentina’s national musical instrument, has long been an essential part of Tango culture. Now it has become a sensation throughout the world and its greatest exponent [is] Daniel Binelli.” — simphony.org.au
Sheu Pettit Duo
Friday, November 17, 2017, at 7:30 PM
Acclaimed soloists Connie Sheu and Adam Pettit join forces to explore inventive reaches of the guitar duo repertoire
“Their combined mastery of the guitar and profound musicality make the Sheu Pettit Duo a dynamic musical force which needs to be heard.” — Scott Tennant, Los Angeles Guitar Quartet
Frank Wallace
Tuesday, April 24, 2018, at 7:30 PM
The noted guitarist and composer, celebrating his 65th birthday in a program including works by others sharing the St. Cecilia’s Day anniversary (November 22): Benjamin Britten, Joaquin Rodrigo, Julio Sagreras, and more
“A powerful player, possessed of an unfailing musicianship … an almost symphonic range of colors and articulations.” — Soundboard
Luigi Attademo
Tuesday, May 15, 2018, at 7:30 PM
Winner of major competitions, a scholar and explorer of innovative repertoire, in a program marking the 50th anniversary of Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s passing
“Full of Mediterranean fire and foot-tapping rhythms, but in the context of a historically informed journey through the cultural landscape of the guitar’s spiritual home.” — Brilliant Classics
November 2017 Meeting: Peter Agondizza
Thursday, November 2, 2017, at 7:00 PM
Talk to the Hand, Because the Face Ain’t Listening: The Use of Idiomatic Fingerings, Shapes, and Gestures in Selected Guitar Works of Heitor Villa-Lobos
The presentation will examine selected guitar works of Villa-Lobos and discuss how the composer used idiomatic fingerings and shapes to project the melodic, harmonic and formal design of each composition
December 2017 Meeting: Yenne Lee
Thursday, December 7, 2017, at 7:00 PM
Arranging Songs for the Guitar
Yenne Lee will share tips on how to make effective song arrangements and how to play them, demonstrating with some of her own arrangements
January 2018 Meeting: Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo
Thursday, January 4, 2018, at 7:00 PM
A discussion with Michael Newman and Laura Oltman
A discussion with the Duo as they celebrate their 40th anniversary as an ensemble
February 2018 Meeting: Max Zuckerman
Thursday, February 1, 2018, at 7:00 PM
Making a Guitar Transcription: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
A crash course in transcription through the lens of Bach’s first keyboard Partita. Breaking down the transcription process into manageable steps and finding the best solutions to seemingly impossible problems.
March 2018 Meeting: Fabio Zanon
Thursday, March 8, 2018, at 7:00 PM
Masterclass
Fabio Zanon will conduct a masterclass
May 2018 Meeting: Diana Castelnuovo-Tedesco
Thursday, May 3, 2018, at 7:00 PM
Memories from my Grandfather
If not for the insistence of Andrès Segovia, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco may never have written for the guitar. Today, Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s guitar compositions are among his most celebrated works. Diana reflects on this extraordinary friendship, her grandfather’s admiration for Spanish culture, and the importance of the guitar for the composer during his American years.
