Spring And Summer 2019 Updates
Hello All,
How is it possible that it is June 2019 already? It’s been quite a while since my last update and it seems only fitting that now at the end of the academic year I give a brief account of the first quarter of 2019.
First and foremost, I’ve completed my 2nd solo recital for my doctorate. My program will be published online where you can check out the new repertoire. It was a real treat to be able to dive deep into some unknown gems of the guitar repertoire mixed in with some of the standards. I performed a suite in D Major by Francois Campion (1686-1747) which had been a collection of pieces I’ve listened to in fragments throughout my life. Campion’s music has been, in true high baroque fashion, cut up and rearranged by some of the early 20th century guitarists. Some of my favorite recordings are of Ida Presti playing Campion. The rhythmic vitality this music has is otherworldly, particularly the French courante which alternates not only between simple triple and compound duple but also employs hemioli in the simple time which further adds to the interpretive complexity creating a web of rhythmic ‘hearings’ that seems infinite in possibility. As much as I love this repertoire it is on to new things for my next exam where I’ll be performing Joaquin Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez.
For the past year I’ve been on the conference committee for the 2nd Annual Dublin Guitar Symposium. This event brought together some of the leading academics and performers in the guitar world today. From a personal standpoint the symposium was the definitions of ‘worlds colliding.’ Mentors, teachers and friends from nearly 10 years of my guitar education were all brought together under one roof and it was surreal to see and be a part of.
Some highlights of the weekend were the lively debates at the keynote lectures, presentations on stylometry, pedagogy, new music and of course the phenomenal concerts by Antigoni Goni and Pavel Steidel. The symposium itself was such a success and I look forward to the future of the program in Dublin as it continues to grow.
For those who follow my live stream, as you know I’ve been working on the Concierto de Aranjuez for my next doctoral exam. I will be live streaming more regularly starting in July as I work to improve my live stream and the content I’m providing. This summer I plan on rolling out a series documenting just how I'm going to tackle learning the concerto. I hope to see you all there everyday!! If you haven’t already, please follow and share!
More updates to come as the summer progresses!
m
