Thursday, September 4, 2014, at 7:00 PM

Masterclass

Thursday, October 2, 2014, at 7:00 PM

Common Problems and Solutions for the Student Guitarist
The lecture will use common examples from the beginning and intermediate guitar repertoire to explain concepts in technique and musicianship which are often overlooked in method books.

Thursday, October 16, 2014, at 7:00 PM

Masterclass

Thursday, November 6, 2014, at 7:00 PM

A Brief History of the Guitar
Played on original instruments, including Baroque guitar, 19th-century guitars (Rene Lacote original 1820, Louis Panormo original 1831), and modern classical guitar, with works by Sanz, Mertz, Alexsandrov, Sainz de la Maza, and Kondo Koji

Thursday, December 4, 2014, at 7:00 PM

Tone and Relaxation
An interactive class devoted to both tone production and maximum relaxation, specifically holding the guitar, locating tension in the body, and adopting proper hand positions, nail shape and angle of attack.

Thursday, January 8, 2015, at 7:00 PM

Ear training and fingerboard knowledge

Thursday, February 5, 2015, at 7:00 PM

Exploring Falla’s Homanaje
Interactive lecture/class on Manuel de Falla’s masterpiece Homenaje: Le Tombeau de Claude Debussy

Thursday, March 12, 2015, at 7:00 PM

A Discussion with Xuefei Yang

Thursday, April 2, 2015, at 7:00 PM

A Diverse Career in Music: Recording, Performing, Teaching, Publishing, Community Engagement

Thursday, June 4, 2015, at 7:00 PM

The Symphonic Guitar: The harmony of five elements: repertoire, orchestra, conductor, guitarist and audience

Thursday, September 5, 2013, at 7:00 PM
939 Eighth Avenue, Studio 2B
Note different location!

See It, Sing It, Play It: Top Tips to Sight Read with Ease (bring your guitar!)

Thursday, October 3, 2013, at 7:00 PM
Diller-Quaile School of Music, 24 East 95th Street (between Fifth and Madison Avenues)
Note location!

Masterclass
Due to time constraints, there will be no open-mic playing time at this meeting. Watch for signup details in the September newsletter.

Thursday, November 7, 2013, at 7:00 PM

Vicente Asencio and His Collectici íntim: In Search of a Text
The role of creation, collaboration, and textual comparison to create a performer’s edition of this masterwork.

Thursday, December 5, 2013, at 7:00 PM

Unearthed: American Masterpieces for Guitar Solo

Ripley-Grier Studio 16FG, 520 Eighth Avenue (between 36th and 37th Streets)
Note different location

Thursday, February 6, 2014, at 7:00 PM

The Music of Agustin Barrios

Thursday, March 13, 2014, at 7:00 PM
Note different date — second Thursday of the month

Goya and the Guitar
Lily Afshar, Professor of Guitar at the University of Memphis, blends a fascinating analysis of etchings by Francisco Goya and related guitar music by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco with her own inimitable performance on the guitar

Thursday, April 10, 2014, at 7:00 PM

Technique and Performance
This workshop will provide self-study tools and solutions on performing music accurately, helping the participants overcome some of the difficulties encountered in guitar performance.

Thursday, May 1, 2014, at 7:00 PM

How to Deal with Stage Fright
Denis Azabagic, eleven-time competition winner and author of On Competitions: Dealing with Performance Stress, discusses overcoming performance anxiety

Thursday, June 5, 2014, at 7:00 PM

Masterclass
Due to time constraints, there will be no Open Mic at this meeting.

Thursday, July 5, 2012
The Guitar Music of Maurice Ohana
Composer Maurice Ohana (1913–1992) is one of the most obscure figures of 20th-century guitar literature. Renowned for his Tiento (1957), his name has for a long time been exclusively paired with this single work. Only in the last two decades have other guitar pieces by Ohana started to become popular. Ohana’s complex cultural origins and multiple sources of inspiration are reflected in his music, and are the keys to understanding his work. In anticipation of the upcoming centennial in 2013 of the birth of Ohana, the presentation will feature discussion and performance of his guitar music.

Thursday, August 2, 2012
General Meeting
This month, we’ll take a break from our guest presentations and devote the meeting to member performances.

NOTE DIFFERENT LOCATION: 353 West 48th Street
Thursday, September 6, 2012
The Life and Work of Emilia Giuliani
Mauro Giuliani’s music is a staple in the guitar repertoire – but few have heard of his daughter Emilia, Mauro’s beloved protégé and duo partner. This presentation will explore the music of Emilia Giuliani-Guglielmi, a virtuosic guitarist with a prolific compositional output.

Thursday, October 4, 2012
How Luthiers Optimize Sound
Classical guitars are more than beautiful boxes of wood. How do luthiers maximize their tonal potential? Join luthier Garrett Lee for a lecture/demonstration on classical guitar construction. Using numerous photos, live demonstration of building techniques, and audience participation with wood, he will explain in a fun and painless way the physical basis for guitar sound and the methods used to optimize it. Why does spruce sound different than cedar? How does a guitar top move? Why do handmade guitars sound better than factory-built guitars? What’s a double top-guitar? Learn the answers to these questions and more.

NOTE DIFFERENT LOCATION: 520 Eighth Avenue, 16th floor. Thursday, November 15, 2012 (rescheduled due to Hurricane Sandy)
Brazilian Music
João Luiz, member of the Brasil Guitar Duo, will discuss the rhythms and other characteristics of the music of his native Brazil.

Thursday, December 6, 2012
Masterclass
Ana Vidovic will conduct a masterclass. Participant slots are full. Auditors are welcome. (Due to time constraints, there will be no open-mic playing time at this meeting.)

Thursday, January 3, 2012
General Meeting
This month, we’ll take a break from our guest presentations and devote the meeting to member performances.

Thursday, February 7, 2013
There’s more to the score! Filtering out truth from fiction: Performers’ dilemma with urtext editions
Benjamin Verdery will compare the final editions to the original scores from various composers who have written for him. He will discuss whether or not future players have the right to change the various passages which he has altered with the approval of the composers. In addtion, he will briefly compare original scores to the editied final editions of Villa-Lobos and Frank Martin.

Thursday, March 7, 2013
Your Body and the Guitar
Tips on how to use your body efficiently and with relaxation, so that you can play the guitar with greater ease.

Thursday, April 4, 2013
Left-hand technique
The evening before her NYCCGS concert, Martha Masters will give a presentation at the monthly meeting.

Thursday, May 2, 2013
A discussion with Jason Vieaux.
Bring your questions for an open discussion with this virtuoso guitarist.

Thursday, June 6, 2013
The Interaction of Tonality and Serialism in Henze’s Royal Winter Music
Hans Werner Henze’s Royal Winter Music has long been regarded as one of the most important solo guitar works of the twentieth century. Music based on Shakespeare abounds in the opera and the ballet, but the portrayal of Shakespearean characters for a solo instrument is unique, even beyond the comparatively insular world of the classical guitar.

Henze was one of the first composers of the post-war generation to embrace serialism, and one of the first to also reject it as the sole premise of modern music. In Henze’s music we find a lyricism, uncommon to contemporary music, that embraces both traditional tonality side by side with serialism. These disparate elements inform the sonatas throughout.