Baltimore Classical Guitar Society - Latest Updates

Event Added: 10/25/09 - Ray Chester Master Class

Asgerdur — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:26:39 EST

Hope Presbyterian Church
October 25, 2009 - 01:00 PM

BCGS Master Class with Ray Chester - as part of FREE FALL BALTIMORE

The BCGS will present a master class with Ray Chester on Sunday, October 25, 2009 from 1-4 PM. The master class will take place in Hope Presbyterian Church, in Baltimore. For directions click on the "About Us" tab.

Auditors and Performers welcome! Please register by filling out the form. Click HERE to sign up.

There is a limited number of tickets available. Tickets will be given out on a first come, first served basis, with preference to the BCGS members.

THIS IS A FREE CLASS.

Ray Chester Biography:

B.M. from the Peabody Conservatory; studies at Kent State University. Student of Aaron Shearer. Former faculty Towson State University (chairman, guitar department and director of Towson State Guitar Ensemble), Peabody Preparatory Department. Published numerous transcriptions and articles on guitar and guitar ensemble techniques, and commissioned numerous works for solo guitar and guitar ensemble.

Event Added: 10/18/09 - Franco Platino Master Class

Asgerdur — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:24:36 EST

Hope Presbyterian Church
October 18, 2009 - 01:00 PM

BCGS Master Class with Franco Platino - as part of FREE FALL BALTIMORE

The BCGS will present a master class with Franco Platino on Sunday, October 18, 2009 from 1-4 PM. The master class will take place in Hope Presbyterian Church, in Baltimore. For directions click on the "About Us" tab.

Auditors and Performers welcome! Please register by filling out the form. Click HERE to sign up.

There is a limited number of tickets available. Tickets will be given out on a first come, first served basis, with preference to the BCGS members.

THIS IS A FREE CLASS.

Franco Platino Biography:

Recognized for his expressive interpretation and effortless virtuosity, guitarist Franco Platino has won enthusiastic praise from audiences and critics around the world. Described by The American Record Guide as “an extremely expressive player, his virtuosity is apparent but never pushed", as well as by Italy’s Seicorde Magazine for performances that are “absolutely on focus, unquestionably professional in the impeccable cascades of notes discharged with complete ease and clarity", Mr. Platino has performed in recital and as guest soloist with orchestras across the United States from New York City’s Carnegie Hall to San Francisco’s Herbst Theater, as well as throughout Canada, Mexico, and Europe.

Mr. Platino’s debut solo recording on Naxos Records, Guitar Recital, received rave reviews by music magazines worldwide, including Japan, Italy, England, Germany, France and the US. Gramophone magazine wrote: "This is one of the finest records of guitar playing I have encountered in many years. It is of star quality in every respect and, given the stylistic range and difficulty of the music, that is an accolade not to be taken lightly".

As a chamber musician, Mr, Platino has worked with a wide range of distinguished artists, most notably his mentor Manuel Barrueco. The two toured in duo throughout Europe, and their concerts were hailed in Spain as a “musical symbiosis” and in Luxembourg as sounding "like four hands on one imaginary gigantic guitar, they played as though they were one man. The seamless-ness of their musical unity was so complete that over long stretches it seemed almost academic." Their concerts were broadcast on radio in Germany and in Italy, and in the US, they performed live on NPR's "Performance Today". The duo’s recording is soon to be released on the Tonar label.

Mr. Platino has also released Robert Beaser’s Mountain Songs with flutist Susan Glaser on the Koch International label, hailed by UK’s Classical Guitar Magazine as “guitar playing at its best, musically alert, sensitive to the flute's demands, able to apply the player's own considerable powers of imagination...". In addition, he recorded Liebermann’s Sonata for Flute and Guitar with flutist Alexa Still, also for the Koch International label.

Beyond his work as a recording artist and performer, Franco Platino is a highly sought-after teacher who has inspired many prize-winning students. Devoted to teaching at the highest level, he is a master teacher at the Levine School of Music in Washington DC, and has given master classes at conservatories and guitar festivals around the world.

Born in Sardegna, Italy, Mr. Platino began to play the guitar at the age of ten. Six years later he made his debut for the Italian television station RAI, performing in a series of live broadcasts, which reached an audience in excess of eight million people. Mr. Platino went on to win top prizes in every national and international competition he entered, and received the particular honor of winning the Naxos Recording Prize at the 1997 Guitar Foundation of America International Competition. A graduate with high honors from the Conservatorio Statale di Musica G. P. da Palestrina in Italy, Mr. Platino also graduated from the Graduate Performance Diploma and the distinguished Artist Diploma programs at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, MD, where he studied under the guidance of world renowned guitarist Manuel Barrueco.

Franco Platino prefers D'Addario strings.

BCGS on Facebook

Asgerdur — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EST

The BCGS has created a page on Facebook and we invite all to join us there. You can post your comments, watch videos, see who else is planning on attending the concerts and doing the discussion group.

Latin GRAMMY for Best Classical Contemporary Composition

Asgerdur — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EST

Baltimore Classical Guitar Society's commission of "INCA DANCES" by Gabriela Lena Frank
WINS a Latin GRAMMY Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition!

The new commission was premiered during the closing concert of the 20th anniversary season with Manuel Barrueco and Cuarteto Latinoamericano.

This is a great honor for our society!

10/18/09: Manuel Barrueco Master Class

Asgerdur — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:20:24 EST

Towson University
On Sunday, April 25, 2010 at 11 am, the BCGS will again collaborate with the Towson University guitar department in presenting a master class with MANUEL BARRUECO. There is a $5 fee for listening to this class. Performers in the class will be students from the Towson University guitar department. You can register HERE http://www.bcgs.org/pages/master_classes_form Payments will be taken at the door.

10/18/09: Lukasz Kuropaczewski Master Class

Asgerdur — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:17:35 EST

LUKASZ KUROPACZEWSKI will teach a master class in connection with his recital for the BCGS. Check back here for information on this class.

10/18/09: Jason Vieaux Master Class

Asgerdur — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:14:32 EST

JASON VIEAUX will teach a master class in connection with his recital for the BCGS. Check back here for information on this class.

10/18/09: Ray Chester FREE Master Class

Asgerdur — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:04:55 EST

The Baltimore Classical Guitar Society presents three classes, as part of our FREE FALL Master Class Series. These classes are FREE and OPEN to ALL. In order to attend these classes, either to play or to listen, everyone needs to register HERE http://www.bcgs.org/pages/master_classes_form After registering, you will receive an email from us and if you are requesting to play, we will put you on a list. You will be notified later in September if you have been chosen to perform in the classes.

10/18/09: Franco Platino FREE Master Class

Asgerdur — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:03:10 EST

Hope Presbyterian Church
The Baltimore Classical Guitar Society presents three classes, as part of our FREE FALL Master Class Series. These classes are FREE and OPEN to ALL. In order to attend these classes, either to play or to listen, everyone needs to register HERE http://www.bcgs.org/pages/master_classes_form After registering, you will receive an email from us and if you are requesting to play, we will put you on a list. You will be notified later in September if you have been chosen to perform in the classes.

10/18/09: OPEN STAGE

Asgerdur — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:06:53 EST

Hope Presbyterian Church
Open Stage evenings are set in a very informal atmosphere with a very appreciative audience. All levels of classical guitar playing are welcome -– members, non-members, players, listeners, ensembles, guitar with other instruments, whatever! You are welcome to bring your guitar to play, or you can just listen to others.

10/18/09: Manuel Barrueco

Asgerdur — Thu, 07 May 2009 19:25:04 EST

Kaplan Concert Hall, Towson University

10/18/09: Chroma Duo (Tracy Anne Smith & Rob McDonald)

Asgerdur — Thu, 07 May 2009 19:24:31 EST

An Die Musik LIVE!

10/18/09: Lukasz Kuropaczewski

Asgerdur — Thu, 07 May 2009 19:23:43 EST

Baltimore Museum of Art

10/18/09: Jason Vieaux

Asgerdur — Thu, 07 May 2009 19:23:05 EST

Baltimore Museum of Art

Event Added: 10/11/09 - Risa Carlson Master Class

Asgerdur — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 14:35:35 EST

Hope Presbyterian Church
October 11, 2009 - 01:00 PM

BCGS Master Class with Risa Carlson - as part of FREE FALL BALTIMORE

The BCGS will present a master class with Risa Carlson on Sunday, October 11, 2009 from 1-4 PM. The master class will take place in Hope Presbyterian Church, in Baltimore. For directions click on the "About Us" tab.

Auditors and Performers welcome! Please register by filling out the form. Click HERE to sign up.

There is a limited number of tickets available. Tickets will be given out on a first come, first served basis, with preference to the BCGS members.

THIS IS A FREE CLASS.

Risa Carlson Biography:

Since beginning her study of the guitar at age six, Risa Carlson has climbed into the top ranks of guitarists from her generation. Her solo performances have been described as "moody, often virtuosic, musically rich ... brilliantly articulated" (The Baltimore Sun), and, in duo, her performances have been hailed as having "exquisite taste and perfect arc, making the dense textures clear and liquid" (The St. Louis-Post Dispatch).

A featured performer and lecturer at festivals such as the Manuel Barrueco Masterclass, Alexandria Guitar Festival, and the UTB Guitar Ensemble Festival, Ms. Carlson also maintains an active concert schedule, and appearing in concert as a soloist and in chamber ensemble across the United States. Recent highlights include the John E. Marlow Guitar Series, the Library of Congress, and the Phillips Collection Concert Series in the District of Columbia; Merrick Hall in Maryland; Columbia Artist Management Hall of New York City; for the Fort Worth, Dallas, and Houston Guitar Societies in Texas; for the St. Louis Guitar Society in Missouri; for the Miami Classical Guitar Society in Florida; for the Philadelphia Guitar Society in Pennsylvania; and for the Omaha Classical Guitar Guild in Nebraska.

In addition to her solo appearances, Ms. Carlson regularly performs in duo as a member of the highly praised Duo Erato with guitarist Martha Masters. The duo has been hailed by the Fort Worth Star as "so tightly coordinated that it often seemed that the two women were playing a single instrument."

Ms. Carlson has premiered several new works, including Michael Daugherty's I Loved Lucy and Paul Mathews' devil gits sat on, both for flute and guitar, and Serenata for solo guitar by Bruno Amato.

Ms. Carlson was a top prizewinner at one of the most prestigious international competitions, the 18th Annual Guitar Foundation of America International Competition in San Antonio, Texas. Her other competition successes include top prizes at the 1997 Baltimore Chamber Music Award and the 1995 National Guitar Summer Workshop Competition.

Risa Carlson is Chair of the guitar department at the Levine School of Music in Washington D.C. Ms. Carlson received her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees as well as a Graduate Performance Diploma from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland under the tutelage of world-renowned concert artist Manuel Barrueco. Duo Erato's self-titled debut album is due out later this season. Next season, Ms. Carlson's concert schedule will take her to Texas, Pennsylvania, Maryland and California in the United States, and to Edmonton and Winnipeg in Canada.

Event Added: 02/07/10 - ChromaDuo - Young Talent Concert

Asgerdur — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:43:17 EST

An Die Musik LIVE
February 07, 2010 - 03:00 PM

Young Talent Concert

A dedicated new voice in the contemporary music world, ChromaDuo is vigorously developing and presenting some of today's most evocative, lyrical, and exhilarating music. With two classical guitars, Tracy Anne Smith and Rob MacDonald unveil refreshing and innovative programs of new works by some of the most exciting composers of our time.

ChromaDuo has commissioned works from the incomparable Parisian Roland Dyens, irreverent British powerhouse Stephen Goss, emerging major American talent Christopher William Pierce, and CBC Award-winning Canadian composer Andrew Staniland. As soloists, they have performed in Canada, USA, Mexico, Italy, France, Germany, Spain, and England; as chamber musicians, they perform alongside CAGE Avant Garde Ensemble, soprano Jennifer Holbrook, Soundstreams, the Canadian Opera Company, and the Madawaska String Quartet.

The program will feature the world premiere of a new work for guitar duo by former Peabody student Christopher
William Pierce, commissioned by the Baltimore Classical Guitar Society as part of its “BCGS Composition
Commission Award.”

Event Added: 04/24/10 - Manuel Barrueco Concert

Asgerdur — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:37:11 EST

Harold J. Kaplan Concert Hall, Towson University
April 24, 2010 - 08:00 PM

"Manuel Barrueco's guitar recital at Alice Tully Hall was the work of not just a guitarist, but of a superior musician."
-New York Times

Grammy nominated Manuel Barrueco is internationally recognized as one of the most important guitarists of our time. His unique artistry has been continually described as that of a superb instrumentalist and a superior and elegant musician, possessing a seductive sound and uncommon lyrical gifts.

His career has been dedicated to bringing the guitar to the main musical centers of the world. During three decades of concertizing, he has performed across the United Sates from the New World Symphony in Miami to the Seattle Symphony, and from the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic to New York’s Lincoln Center. He has appeared with such prestigious orchestras as the Philadelphia Orchestra and with the Boston Symphony under the direction of Seiji Ozawa, in the American Premiere of Toru’s Takemitsu’s To the Edge of Dream. In addition, he appears regularly with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and with San Francisco Performances.

His international tours have taken him to some of the most important musical centers in the world, and his recording catalogue includes over a dozen recordings for the EMI label. Recent CD releases include two recordings that feature the music of Astor Piazzolla: Grammy-nominated "Solo Piazzolla" (2007) as well as "Tango Sensations" (2008), a collaboration with the Cuarteto Latinoamericano that includes the music of Carlos Gustavino. These recordings are part of the exclusive Manuel Barrueco Collection on Tonar Music label.

Mr. Barrueco will perform an hommage to Tarrega and Albeniz, in this centenary of both of the composers' deaths.

Event Added: 03/06/10 - Lukasz Kuropaczewski Concert

Asgerdur — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:30:42 EST

Baltimore Museum of Art
March 06, 2010 - 08:00 PM

" A master technician which displays artistic maturity well beyond his years…”
-Classical Guitar Magazine

Polish guitarist Lukasz Kuropaczewski has given recitals worldwide, including London, Berlin, Paris, Reykjavik, Prague, Sofia, Minsk, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington, and New York. He was the first Polish classical guitarist and one of the first Polish soloists in history to perform during one season in prestigious concert halls Carnegie Hall in New York and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

Mr. Kuropaczewski performs as guest artist every year at the most important music festivals in the world where he also works with prominent artists such as Igor Yuzefovich (assistant concertmaster of the Baltimore Symphony), Jan Stanienda, Martin Chalifour (concertmaster of the Los Angeles Symphony), the musicians of Concerto Avenna, the San Antonio Symphony, and the Cleveland Symphony. In Poland he has performed the celebrated “Concierto de Aranjuez” with the Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra among others.

Mr. Kuropaczewski is on faculty of the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznan, Poland and a College House Music Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA. He has released five critically acclaimed CDs.

Event Added: 12/05/09 - Jason Vieaux Concert

Bien — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:54:58 EST

Baltimore Museum of Art
December 05, 2009 - 08:00 PM

"…among the elite of today's classical guitarists."
—Gramophone

One of America’s leading guitarists, Jason Vieaux is changing the face of guitar programming and has earned a devoted international fan base along the way. Recent performance highlights include recitals for New York’s 92nd St. Y Series and San Francisco’s OMNI Foundation for the Performing Arts, concertos with North American orchestras from coast to coast, a debut for the prestigious Nürtingen International Guitar Festival in Germany, tours of Mexico, debuts in Brazil and Poland, and triumphant returns as “series favorite” in Boston, Hartford, Cleveland, Knoxville and St. Petersburg.

Mr. Vieaux is a frequent guest with orchestras across the United States. He has performed as concerto soloist with the Cleveland Orchestra, Ft. Worth Symphony, San Diego Symphony, he Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, and the Auckland Philharmonia, while working with such renowned conductors as Miguel Harth-Bedoya, David Robertson, Jahja Ling, and Alasdair Neale. His triumphant programs and collaborations for Music@Menlo, Strings Music Festival, Grand Teton, and Jupiter Chamber Players have forged his reputation as a first-rate chamber musician. As a passionate advocate of new music, Vieaux has premièred new pieces by Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate, José Luis Merlin, and Eric Sessler. Mr. Vieaux already has ten recordings to his credit and many more to come under his multi-record deal with Azica Records.

Mr. Vieaux will perform his "e/Merge" program, including pieces by Albeniz, Brouwer, Bach, and Pat Metheny.

Guitar Celebrity Caricatures on Auction

Bien — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST

To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Baltimore Classical Guitar Society, we have decided to hold a silent auction for our original Guitar Celebrity caricatures. Already, the caricature of Manuel Barrueco, Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, and the Duo Assad have been purchased. We still have the original caricatures of Eduardo Fernández (our opening concert artist), Andrés Segovia, Pepe and Angel Romero, David Russell, Oscar Ghiglia, and others.