Dear Members,
The Guitar Society motto is “Bringing local guitarists out of the woodwork” and that is certainly what happened at the last meeting on September 14th. We had a great turnout, great participation and an even greater range of music! Adam playing some great solo Blues arrangements by John Fahey in open tunings We began the evening with some good ensemble pieces from Andrew Forrest’s website and from Jerry Snyder’s Guitar School. There is clearly growing interest in the ensemble music and looking forward I can imagine this section evolving into a more structured session. Looking further down the road (for those who have never heard a guitar orchestra) it is quite remarkable the quality and depth of sound that can be created with a large number of guitars and, if you are still unsure, check out some of the guitar orchestras on YouTube. Here’s a good rendition of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.
(Editor’s note: The photographs have been stripped from this archive edition due to internal error. Download the PDF to see them)
The Open Stage session saw the widest range of styles on show we have had so far. Although I didn’t capture all the performers, the following photographs tell some of the story: Chilean classical guitarist Ricardo Cardenas impressed us with classical guitar pieces from S America including Lauro’s Waltz No. 4.Andrew playing a wonderful solo arrangement of the jazz standard “Tenderly”. One of our younger performers wowed the audience with a minor swing duo with Nick Rivard/Michael treating us to an eclectic mix of classical, folk and his own great arrangement of Sweet Georgia Brown. Cindy and Berto kicked off the Featured Artist set with a couple of great Brazilian duets.I hope some of these images will encourage you to get out your guitar and footstool and come and join us at the next Guitar Society meeting on October 5th.
As a further incentive you can look forward to hearing classical guitarist Ryan Walsh as our featured performer. A graduate of University of Oregon, Ryan did what all the best do after graduating and went to Spain to hone his skills. This set him on a path that would eventually lead to Seville’s renowned Conservatorio Superior, and the opportunity to study with the renowned Paco Cantón. I am very excited to have Ryan come and play for the guitar Society and I hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to hear him play in Corvallis.
Agenda for October 5th Meeting
7:00p – 7:05 Welcome
7:05 – 7:30 Ensemble – bring your guitar and join in
7:30 – 8:10 Open Stage – time to get on stage and play for a friendly audience.
8:10 – 8:20 BREAK & refreshments
8:10 – 9:00p Featured Artist Ryan Walsh
As a growing non-profit organization, we need all the support we can get, so please consider a donation at the door and please like us on Facebook.
I look forward to seeing you on October 5th.
Best Regards
Jon Sharp
President, Corvallis Guitar Society.
This newsletter is available as a downloadable PDF, with photos. Click here to view or download.