LA Guitar Quartet Headlines Eastern Shore Guitar Festival

The internationally renowned Los Angeles Guitar Quartet (LAGQ) will perform at Washington College on Saturday, October 25, as the headline event of the inaugural Eastern Shore Guitar Festival. The concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Decker Theatre, Gibson Center for the Arts, on the College campus, 300 Washington Avenue. Tickets, at $20, are available at washcoll.edu/guitarfestival.

A highlight of the concert will be a performance of SHIKI – Seasons of Japan, a moving composition by Kyoto-based composer and guitarist Shingo Fujii that the Quartet premiered in 2012. The composer based the composition on Japanese folksongs and dedicated it to the victims of the powerful tsunami that struck Japan in 2011. For this Festival performance of Shiki, the Quartet will be joined onstage by more than 50 guitarists, all faculty and students participating in the three-day guitar festival, led by conductor Rafael Scarfullery.

In addition, the Quartet will offer music from its upcoming CD, including “Music from the Time of Cervantes,” and contemporary works inspired by John Dowland and Francesco da Milano. It also will play selections from its Grammy Award-winning Guitar Heroes project, including compositions by Ralph Towner, Pat Metheny and Chet Atkins. For more about LAGQ visit the group’s website: www.lagq.com.

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

The three-day Eastern Shore Guitar Festival, organized and hosted by the Washington College Music Department and coordinated by director of guitar studies Matt Palmer, will run Friday through Sunday, October 24, 25, and 26. It offers guitarists and guitar students a weekend full of workshops, master classes, lectures and concerts showcasing global talents. Topics include composing for the guitar, guitar construction and repair, jazz guitar workshops, and yoga for musicians.

“We have an incredible lineup of artists visiting for the weekend, each with a unique and fascinating approach to playing the guitar,” says Palmer. “The close interaction of our visiting artists with students and festival attendees will make for a truly unforgettable event.”

“We have planned a weekend filled with great opportunities for entertainment and education,” adds Ken Schweitzer, chair of the Washington College Music Department and one of the organizers of the festival. “We hope it will build on Chestertown’s reputation as a cultural hub for the Eastern Shore.”

In addition to Saturday evening’s headlining Los Angeles Guitar Quartet performance, there are three notable concerts featuring special guest artists that are open to the public (see below). Admission is $10 per concert, or $50 for a festival package that provides access to all events, including concerts, classes and workshops. A complete schedule and information on how to purchase tickets is available through the Guitar Festival Web site: www.washcoll.edu/guitarfestival.

For additional questions, please contact Matt Palmer at [email protected] or call 410-778-7839.

ADDITIONAL FESTIVAL CONCERTS

João Paulo Figueiroa, Danielle Cumming, and Quartet 122

Saturday, October 25, at 1:00 pm, in Hotchkiss Hall, $10

João Paulo Figueiroa is an admired ambassador for the music of his native Brazil and has performed throughout the U.S. and South America. Winner of multiple prizes at national guitar competitions, he now teaches on the music faculty at Catholic University.

Danielle Cumming is an associate professor and head of guitar studies at Salisbury University. A certified yoga instructor, she teaches yoga programs that can help musicians prevent injury and calm performance anxiety.

Quartet 122 consists of Zack Stachowski on violin, Ian Wardenski on guitar, Dan Shomper on cello, and Mary Knepp on vibes. They combine diverse backgrounds to create a blend of classical, jazz, Latin, and popular music.

Matt Palmer, Rafael Scarfullery, and the Klasinc & Loncar Duo

Sunday, October 26, at 1:00 pm, Hotchkiss Hall, $10

Matt Palmer, director of guitar studies at Washington College, is gaining international attention as a virtuosic and soulful concert artist. Self-taught as a youth, he began formal studies at age 20 and earned his doctorate in musical arts from the University of Arizona. His pioneering method, The Virtuoso Guitarist, has been recognized as a valuable addition to guitar pedagogy.

Rafael Scarfullery, who will have conducted the guitar orchestra for Shiki the previous night, is a Dominican-born guitarist, composer, conductor, and organist who teaches at Randolph College and Sweet Briar College. He has organized seven international guitar festivals in his home country.

The Klasinc & Lončar Duo is the husband-and-wife team of Miroslov Lončar and Nataša Klasinc. The two began their partnership two decades ago at the University of Graz, Austria, where both studied classic guitar before earning doctorates in musical arts from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Luthier Showcase and Student Concert

Sunday, October 26, at 6:00 p.m., Hotchkiss Hall, $10

This final concert showcases guitars made by luthier Zebulon Turrentine, as well as talented students from Washington College and the Mid-Atlantic region.

Like Decker Theatre, the Hotchkiss Recital Hall is located in the Gibson Center for the Arts on the Washington College campus, 300 Washington Avenue. For directions, visit https://www.washcoll.edu.