Newsletter – Page 7 – Corvallis Guitar Society

Newsletter February 2017

Dear Guitar Friends,
Odd Fellows Hall is turning out to be a great venue for our monthly meetings both from an aesthetic and acoustic perspective. No amplification required, so we can just enjoy the natural sound of our guitars! Adam Scramstad was our featured artist on February 6^th and he delivered an amazing concert featuring acoustic blues and fingerstyle music inspired by the likes of John Fahey, Robert Johnson, and Muddy Waters. I have to say that Adam is emerging as one of the best local musicians I have had the pleasure to hear and, if you missed the February meeting, keep your eyes and ears open as he will likely be back!

Looking forward to our Monday March 6^th meeting we have another extraordinary guitarist who will be our featured artist; Russian-born and Israeli-raised classical guitarist Yuri Liberzon has been widely recognized for his musicality and technical ability:

“…If there were anyone in the classical guitar world that could manage to combine musical elegance with architectural logic, it would be Yuri Liberzon.” – Classical Guitar Magazine.

If you want to know more, check out his website: https://www.yuriguitar.com/ Though I recommend you don’t miss the opportunity to hear his prodigious talent at the Guitar Society meeting. Entrance is FREE and open to the public (donations gratefully received).

The agenda for the March 6th 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 Yuri Liberzon

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. We will be performing one of our members newly composed pieces called Zephyr (by Martin Erwig) during the ensemble along with other pieces. The guitar parts for Zephyr, including an MP3 of the piece to help with your preparation, are already posted on the website under the Media tab.

Upcoming Events
Looking forward we have more featured artists in the pipeline for your monthly meetings

PDX Classic Guitar Concert Series. Next up are Los Romeros on March 10^th at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland. Los Romeros are the world’s original guitar quartet enjoying their 55th anniversary (including natural transformations.) More details at: http://www.portlandclassicguitar.com/app-news/los-romeros

Here in Corvallis the SAC Academy (OSU) are planning a summer guitar workshop run by our very own Mickey Jones that will provide an in-depth week of instruction on the concepts and techniques of classical guitar for students ages 11-18. It will take place on the OSU Campus July 10^th to July 15^th 2017. More details at: http://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/school-arts-and-communication/sac-academy/summer-programs/precollege-programs/classical-guitar-workshop

Thank you and I hope to see you on March 6^th.

Best Regards
Jon Sharp
President, Corvallis Guitar Society

Newsletter January 2017

Dear Guitar Friends,
It’s time to celebrate the 2^nd anniversary of Corvallis Guitar Society, and what a great two years it has been. Four wonderful concerts, twenty-three Society meetings including seventeen featured artists, but enough statistics, what’s most impressive is the quality of music that has been on show and not just from the professionals. There have been magical moments when our own members have got up at the open stage session to share their music and increasingly at our open group ensemble sessions where we are beginning to sound like something worth applauding J So a BIG Thank You to all our members for supporting our events and for joining in. Participation is a big theme for this guitar society and we want that to continue going forward.

Monthly Meeting Location Change
At the beginning of January we held the first meeting at our new monthly venue – Odd Fellows Hall and what a great venue it has turned out to be. The location is downtown Corvallis:

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

Odd Fellows is the perfect setting with wonderful acoustics for a Guitar Society that is going to further inspire us going forward. And a special mention to Martin Erwig for writing a great piece of music for the ensemble! There is more to come, and I want to encourage everyone out there who has a modicum of music writing ambition to step up and write something for us to play! I am very pleased to announce that local acoustic blues guitarist Adam Scramstad will be our featured artist for our upcoming meeting on February 6^th. Adam has played for us before and is a great musician and a great performer. Come along and enjoy a great evening of guitar music.

The agenda for the February 6th 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 Adam Scramstad

The meeting will take place at the new location – Odd Fellows Hall in downtown Corvallis.

Upcoming Events
As we enter our third year, we have an exciting few months ahead of us:

We have an impressive featured artist line up for our monthly meetings over the coming months including:
Adam Scramstad – February
Yuri Liberzon – March
TBD – April
James Bishop-Edwards – May
Michael Harding – June

Led by our very own Berto Boyd, Flamenco Pacifico will be performing at the Majestic Theater on January 27th and 28th starting at 7:30pm. Check out the trailer on YouTube: https://youtu.be/yjn-8GjdTxg and for more information and tickets are available on the Majestic Theater website: http://bit.ly/2ht7mtM

I am delighted to announce that our headline performer for the Guitar Festival in June will be Chilean virtuoso Carlos Perez. If you have never heard Carlos play, this is a golden opportunity to see one of the world’s best classical guitarists right here in downtown Corvallis. The Guitar Festival is scheduled to take place on Friday 9^th and Saturday 10^th June 2017. Please mark your calendars and please tell your friends!

Classical guitar duo Neil and Tamara Caulkins are performing at the Willamette Heritage Center Pleasant Grove Church in Salem on the morning of Saturday 28^th January at 10:30am. Neil and Tamara share a rich history of guitar and will be playing works from the early 19^th century on period instruments. Neil and Tamara are planning to come to Corvallis to perform in May – more details will follow, and Neil is giving a paper on guitar improvisation in the early 19th century: Improvising Preludes in the Early Nineteenth- Century: Guitar Methods as an Uncommon Source for a Common Performance Practice. He’ll be speaking on Friday May 26^th at 3pm at the Collier House on the University of Oregon campus.

And on the Teaching Front…
If you are interested in furthering your knowledge and playing of classical guitar in Corvallis by working with a teacher, there has never been a better time. There is a growing number of experienced and well qualified classical/related style guitar teachers in the area and we are all working together to create an environment to meet the needs and goals for all ages and abilities. If your want to know more, check out the guitar resources tab on the Corvallis Guitar Society website: https://corvallisguitarsociety.org/guitar-resources/

Thank you and I hope to see you on February 6^th.

Best Regards
Jon Sharp
President, Corvallis Guitar Society

Newsletter December 2016

Dear Guitar Friends,
Thank you to all of you who attended the wonderful meeting we had on December 5^th . We had great fun during the ensemble session, enjoyed some lovely performances from our members in the open stage session and it was great to hear a wealth of Latin and South American music from our featured artist, Ricardo Cardenas – Maestro of the Milonga! Thanks everyone!

Location Change
Owing to Gracewinds closing, we will be changing location beginning with our upcoming meeting on January 2^nd 2017. The Board has decided to rent Oddfellows Hall in Downtown Corvallis. Oddfellows provides all the elements that will contribute to great Society meetings including very good acoustics, ambience, fixtures and fittings, and public access. We look forward to experiencing this new space and hope you will join us.

The address is
223 SW 2nd St, Corvallis, OR 97333
The entrance is between New Morning Bakery and Sedlaks Boots and Shoes.

oddfellows-location

The agenda for the January 2^nd 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 our very own Berto Boyd!

The meeting will take place at the new location – Oddfellows Hall in downtown Corvallis.

Organisation Change
The last month has also seen some changes to our organisation. Jerry Graser, one of our founding members, has retired from the Board. I would like to thank Jerry enormously for his enthusiasm and contribution in helping establish the Guitar Society and making it the success that it is today. Jerry will continue to be very much a part of what we do. I am delighted to welcome Jeff Muhr to the Board. Jeff brings with him a passion for the guitar as well as a wealth of experience in the writing and editing business and fundraising in the non-profit sector. He has been an enthusiastic member of the Guitar Society to-date and we look forward to working with him as great addition to the Board.

Upcoming Events
Looking forward to 2017, I would like to remind everyone that we are in the process of planning a Guitar Festival in Corvallis which is scheduled to take place on Friday 9^th and Saturday 10^th June 2017. Please mark your calendars! The Festival will comprise two concerts, a Masterclass with our internationally acclaimed headline concert artist (who we hope to announce soon), and guitar workshops. More information will follow as we nail down the details so please watch this space and please tell your friends.

And coming up in January, Flamenco Pacifico will be performing at the Majestic Theater on January 27th and 28th starting at 7:30pm. Led by our very own virtuoso flamenco guitarist and composer, Berto Boyd, together with Grant Ruiz, percussionist Terry Longshore, and dancer Elena Villa, Flamenco Pacifico’s guitar-driven performances feature original modern flamenco compositions rooted in the time-honored forms of traditional flamenco. These two performances will be featuring the music from their new album “Convivencia” (coexistence). This concert will also feature two special guest artists joining the group from Santa Barbara: Randy Tico on Fretless Bass and Ryan Zermeño Flamenco dancer and percussionist.

Check out the trailer on YouTube: https://youtu.be/yjn-8GjdTxg
More information and tickets are available on the Majestic Theater website: http://bit.ly/2ht7mtM

As 2016 draws to a close, I would like to thank you all for your support and participation in the Guitar Society and I hope you all have a wonderful time over the holiday season. Have a very Happy New Year!

Thank you and Best Regards
Jon Sharp
President, Corvallis Guitar Society