On Friday 12 June 2015, the guitarist Craig Ogden and the violinist Tamsin Waley-Cohen premièred William Lovelady’s South American Suite, for Guitar and Violin and string orchestra with the Orchestra of the Swan, conducted by David Curtis at the Stratford Arts House in Stratford-upon-Avon. The three-movement double concerto, South American Suite, was commissioned by the Orchestra of the Swan…
The Uruguayan guitarist, OLGA PIERRI, who celebrated her 101st birthday on Wednesday 3 June 2015!
It is with great sadness that I write about the Spanish classical guitarist MANUEL BABILONI, who died unexpectedly on Monday 11 May 2015, while at home, playing his guitar. Manuel Babiloni was born in Castellón, Spain, into a musical family in 1959. He was initially taught the guitar by his father, Manuel Babiloni Alicart, and…
The Cuban composer, conductor and guitarist LEO BROUWER was in London to attend the première of his Sonata Ars Combinatoria No. 5, performed by the young guitarist Andrey Lebedev at St John’s, Smith Square on 4 December 2014. This Julian Bream Trust concert featured a second première – Construction with Guitar Player: Beyond the White Hand by Harrison…
The British guitar-maker PAUL FISCHER supposedly retired recently from guitar making, however, he is still maintaining a rather high profile as a guitar-maker. This year, 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of death of Winston Churchill, and part of the celebrations of his life have included celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Winston…
The WOLFGANG MUTHSPIEL TRIO was featured in Claire Martin’s Jazz Line-Up programme on BBC Radio 3 on Saturday 21 March 2015. The programme is available to listen again. This live performance of Wolfgang Muthspiel’s ‘American’ Trio, featuring Larry Grenadier on double bass and Brian Blade on drums, was recorded at the Vienna Konzerthaus, in 2014 by Austrian radio. In September…
TEN YEARS have passed now since guitarist Milton Mermikides had his successful bone marrow transplant. This London concert is a celebration of his survival and all the proceeds will go to support leukaemia charities. The list of performers is LONG and includes John Williams, Craig Ogden, Gary Ryan, John Wheatcroft, Milton Mermikides, Bridget Mermikides, Amanda Cook, Peter Gregson, Steve…
FRANZ SCHUBERT (1797–1828) was a prolific composer of songs, setting the poetry of Goethe (1749–1832), Heine (1797–1856), Müller (1794–1827), Schiller (1759–1805), Schlegel (1767–1845) and many others, mostly for voice with piano accompaniment. Although there are some depictions of Schubert with a guitar in hand and his connection with the guitar still much debated*, what is…
FRANK MARTIN’s chamber music will be featured in a concert on Thursday 5 March 2015 at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música in Madrid. The concert ‘Frank Martin y la Guitarra’ – Música de Cámara 1933–1969, which has been organised in collaboration with the Escuela Superior de Canto de Madrid, will begin with Frank Martin’s only work…
GRESHAM COLLEGE is London’s oldest Higher Education Institution; it was founded in 1597, and since then has been providing free public lectures. In September 2014 Professor Christopher Page was appointed Gresham Professor of Music. During his first year in the role, he will give a series of six lectures on ‘Men, Women and Guitars in…
International Classical Guitar 