April Newsletter

Dear Guitar Friends,
We want to thank Ryan Walsh for a lovely evening of guitar music at the Society meeting on April 3rd and also to thank everyone who joined in for the ensemble and got up to play during the open stage session. Our meetings are all about participation and inspiration and the last one fitted that bill beautifully.

Looking forward to our next meeting on May 1st, I have high expectations of another wonderful evening with featured artist James Bishop Edwards. Over his lengthy professional career James has arranged everything from Renaissance and Baroque harpsichord music to Spanish keyboard works and classic ragtime piano, to operatic arias, Jazz age standards and Beatles songs. James is looking forward to his visit to Corvallis and says, “I thought it would be fun to revisit, and also share, some of the beautiful pieces I’ve found compelling enough to make arrangements of for solo guitar.” So come along and enjoy works by composers including Enrique Granados, Georges Bizet, Frederic Chopin, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, Debussy, and Turlough O’Carolan.

Also bring you own guitar and join in with the Ensemble (music will be posted to the website one week ahead of the meeting) and share your own music with us during the open stage session – ALL levels of music are very welcome J

The agenda for the May 1st Meeting is as follows:
7:00 – 7:05pm Welcome
7:05 – 7:40pm Open Ensemble: bring your guitar, footstool and join in. Music can be downloaded from the website one week ahead of time.
7:40 – 8:10pm Open Stage: please share your music with us – all ages and abilities welcome.
8:10 – 8:20pm BREAK and Refreshments
8:20 – 9:00pm Featured Artist James Bishop Edwards

Entrance is FREE and open to the public (donations gratefully received).
Location: Odd Fellows Hall, 223 SW 2nd St, Corvallis, OR 97333. The entrance is between New Morning Bakery and Sedlaks Boots and Shoes.

Looking forward…

First Corvallis Guitar Festival!
The next big event will be the first Corvallis Guitar Festival scheduled for June 9th and 10th. Adam del Monte will be our headline artist for the Saturday concert. Adam is one of the leading flamenco and classical guitarist/composers of his generation with a remarkably diverse list of accomplishments under a banner of artistic and cultural diversity. Oregonian and rising star Jaxon Williams will be opening the festival on Friday night and there will be Master Classes and workshops which will be free and open to the public. So mark your calendar, bring your guitar and join in the fun.

Regarding the Master Classes
Adam will be conducting Master Classes with four students. Each student will have 30 mins in which they will perform pre-prepared music and then receive coaching, advice and insight on their playing from the maestro himself. If you are interested in participating in the Master Class then get in touch with me via email at [email protected]

Here’s the Festival Schedule:
Friday  June 9th
7:00pm                    Opening Concert: Jaxon Williams
Saturday June 10th
10:00am – 12:00     Masterclass with Adam; 4 students, 30 mins each
12:00 – 1:00pm                 LUNCH
1:00 – 2:45pm        Workshop: Intro to Classical Guitar – Mickey Jones
2:45 – 3:00pm                  BREAK
3:00 – 4pm             Workshop: Flamenco Technique – Berto Boyd
4:00pm – 5pm         Workshop: Fundamentals of right & left hand for all fingerstyle guitar – Jaxon Williams
5pm – 7pm                       DINNER
7pm- —                    Concert: Maestro Adam del Monte

All festival events will take place at the 1st Presbyterian Church downtown Corvallis: 114 SW 8th St.

And to Our Sponsors…
As a 501c 3 registered public charity we are looking for sponsors for the festival as well as for all our events through mid 2018. We are offering annual program advertising space, online, and video promotion for your business. If you are interested in learning more, email me or Board Member Jeff Muhr: [email protected]

Neil and Tamara Caulkins coming to Corvallis
Neil and Tamara are experts in the world of early nineteenth century music for two guitars and will be coming to Corvallis to share their knowledge and music on period instruments at the Troubadour at 2:00pm on Sunday May 28th. Neil plays a replica of a seven string guitar made in Mirecourt, France, by Aubry-Maire in 1830 and Tamara plays an original anonymous French instrument from about 1825. The program will be entirely of 19th century guitar duets and will include works by Henry, Giuliani, Lhoyer, and Mertz.  Neil will also be presenting a paper on the early 19th century performance practice of the improvised prelude at a conference at the Musicking Conference at 3:00pm in the Univ. of Oregon Collier House in Eugene at the U of O on May 26th.

PDX Classic Guitar Concert Series
Next up are the Assad Brothers, one of my favourite guitar duets and will be playing at the Marylhurst University, Portland on April 27th.
http://www.portlandclassicguitar.com/app-news/the-assad-brothers

Thank you and I hope to see you on May 1st

Best Regards
Jon Sharp
President, Corvallis Guitar Society

Upcoming May 1st Guitar Society Meeting

The agenda for the May 1st Meeting is as follows:
7:00 – 7:05pm Welcome
7:05 – 7:40pm Open Ensemble: bring your guitar, footstool and join in. Music can be downloaded from the website one week ahead of time.
7:40 – 8:10pm Open Stage: please share your music with us – all ages and abilities welcome.
8:10 – 8:20pm BREAK and Refreshments
8:20 – 9:00pm Featured Artist James Edwards

Entrance is FREE and open to the public (donations gratefully received).

Location: Odd Fellows Hall, 223 SW 2nd St, Corvallis, OR 97333. The entrance is between New Morning Bakery and Sedlaks Boots and Shoes.

Music for the ensemble session will be posted to the website one week ahead of the meeting.

Ensemble Sheet Music for April 3rd Guitar Society Meeting

Please find below the music scores for the open ensemble session at the upcoming Guitar Society Meeting on April 6th. I am delighted that our member Martin Erwig is treating us to another composition that he has written for the Society titled “Sigh of Relief”. He has included an MP3 file so you can hear what it sounds like. Thank you Martin!
I have also included an MP3 file for La Paloma to help anyone who wishes to practice their part in the context of the whole piece.
Please download the parts, decide which ones you wish to play, and bring a copy along with your guitar and music stand to the meeting. Don’t worry if you don’t want to play all the pieces. If some seem too hard, then simplify your part. Just join in wherever you wish and have fun!

The Greenwood Tree

Tango-chacabuco

Spanish_Harlem Arr Bill Tyers

SighOfRelief-1
SighOfRelief-2
SighOfRelief-3
SighOfRelief-4

La Paloma

The following piece Mysterious Barricades by Francois Couperin will be played at the meeting on May 1st. I am posting it now to give folks more time to look at it.
Mysterious Barricades