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A Publication of the Minnesota Guitar Society • P.O. Box 14986 • Minneapolis, MN 55414 january / february 2018 VOL. 34 NO. 1 Lute-a-thon / Montenegrin Duo 2017-18 Sundin Music Hall Series Concerts
The Lute-a-thon with guest vocalist Sarah Jackson Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018, 8 p.m.
Montenegrin Guitar Duo Friday, Feb. 16, 2018, 8 p.m.
Minnesota Guitar Society ~~ Find us and like us on Facebook! Dear Guitar Community, Happy New Year! These cold winter days and long winter 2017-2018 nights are the perfect time to learn new music – and what bet- ter way to try out some new music than the ongoing music Sundin Music Hall Series garage sale at our Sundin Hall Concerts? Feel free to drop off your old treasures and find new ones on our table of unsorted — AT A GLANCE! guitar masterpieces, mishaps, and mysteries. Our January concert features local lutenists Paul Berget, Richard Griffith, Rocky Mjos, Phillip Rukavina, and Thomas Jan. 20 Lute-a-Thon Walker, Jr., with special guest, soprano Sarah Jackson, who (with guest vocalist) will be joining Phil. Feb. 16 (Friday) – Montenegrin Duo In February the Montenegrin Guitar Duo will be visiting. We look forward to their unique mix of Bach and new pieces Mar. 17 emanuele Buono for classical guitar. Apr. 21 Petra Poláčková Stay healthy, keep practicing, and keep your fingers warm. Jun. 2 Classical Guitarathon Sincerely, Emily Youngdahl Wright Concerts held on Saturdays unless otherwise Managing Director indicated. All concerts begin at 8 p.m. [email protected] www.mnguitar.org
To reserve tickets for any Sundin Music Hall concert, please call 612-677-1151 or visit the MGS web site,
Minnesota Guitar Society
Board Officers PRESIDENT: Mark Bussey VICE-PRESIDENT: Joanne Backer TREASURER: Doug Whorton Secretary Chris Olson ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: Joe Hagedorn MANAGING DIRECTOR: Emily Wright
Board Members Al Norton Annett Richter Joe Haus
Tech Guru: Mark Bussey
WebMaster: Amy Lytton
Newsletter EDITOR: Emily Wright Newsletter PRODUCTION: i draw the line, inc. Fox Ridge Printing Sundin Music Hall is on the Hamline University Campus at Newsletter DISTRIBUTION: 1536 Hewitt Ave. in St. Paul. Joe Haus Al Norton Directions: from I-94, head north on Chris Olson Snelling Ave. in St. Paul, past University Ave. to Hewitt Ave. Brent Weaver Turn right, Sundin Hall is on your left, a half-block east of Doug Wright Snelling. Free parking is available one block past the hall, in lots Doug Whorton off Hewitt (on your right) or off Pascal (1 block north). Sundin Music Hall is handicap accessible and there is www.mnguitar.org ample free parking available.
2 guitarist Sundin Music Hall Concerts The Minnesota Guitar Society Presents The Lute-A-Thon, January 20, 2018 — By Phillip Rukavina oming up on Saturday, January 20th, the Minnesota lute songs and solos by the English Renaissance composer Guitar Society will present an evening of music per- John Dowland (1563-1626). Berget will performing music formed on the lute on it’s Sundin Hall music series. by the great German composer Sylvius Leopold Weiss. CAffectionately known as the “Lute-A-Thon,” the event will fea- Tom Walker will present music from the early 17th century ture five local lutenists each presenting different eras of while Richard Griffith will present music for the Scottish solo music composed for the instrument. Many are not aware Renaissance lute. Rocky Mjos will offer music for medieval of the fact that the Twin Cities is home for quite a number of lute, including a few medieval lute duets with Rick Griffith. accomplished lutenists. Where most mid-sized American cit- We hope you take the opportunity to join us for this ies can boast of maybe one or two professional-level lute play- unique, variety-filled program. ers, the Twin Cities is home to from eight to ten serious lute Paul Berget received his B.F.A. degree from the University players. of Minnesota in 1972. After graduation, he continued his stud- One happy outcome of this situation has been the formation ies with the legendary Diana Poulton at the Royal College of of a concert series called The Lute Café. It is a series of casual Music in London, where he also studied with acclaimed lute- lute concerts sponsored by the Twin Cities Lute Cooperative. nist Nigel North. It is a kind of coffeehouse experience where the performance In 1973, he appeared on Broadway in a musical production of live lute music is the at center of attention rather than a of Cyrano starring Christopher Plummer. In addition to play- background experience. It’s ing early music, he has also called “Thursday at the Lute Lute-a-thon performed in a variety of other Cafe” because it takes place musical styles: modern classi- on the third Thursday of every “Soprano Sarah Jackson, a cal and steel string guitar, and month from September to May native of the Twin Cities, has world music. each year. The event takes been devoted to Early Music since Recently he has been per- place at Immanuel Lutheran falling in love with the music of forming as the lutenist in the Church located at 104 South Bach as a child. Since her first internationally acclaimed Snelling Avenue in St. Paul. The opportunity to collaborate with ensemble Minstrelsy!, a enterprise opened its doors in Phillip Rukavina in 2011, she has group that records on the the 2006-2007 season and con- dedicated herself wholeheartedly Lyrichord label. Other early tinues operation today, present- to the Renaissance and Baroque music collaborations include ing performances by the area’s literature for lute/theorbo and the Rose Ensemble, Ensemble best known lutenists and early voice. Her repertoire includes Spanish and English Polaris, the Minnesota Lute music performers. Renaissance songs, airs de cour, and the works of Quartet (MiLQ), and per- In recognition of the sizable Barbara Strozzi; but the music of John Dowland is among formances with the St. Paul lute and early music commu- her greatest passions. She has enjoyed the great privilege Chamber Orchestra. nity here, the Minnesota Guitar of singing with several members of the Twin Cities Lute Rick Griffith is a lutenist, Society has already featured mul- Cooperative, and is deeply grateful and honored to be guitarist and euphonium tiple local lutenists part of this region’s thriving Early Music community. player who has performed on past concert programs at Sarah is a graduate of St. Catherine University. an eclectic variety of music, Sundin Hall. However, unlike Following the completion of her degree, she studied with from Renaissance to 21st the MGS Lute Summit concert master teacher Elizabeth Mannion.” Century compositions, in ven- which featured a performance ues ranging from Renaissance of music entirely for lute ensemble, the 2018 Lute-A-Thon will festivals to libraries to concert halls. He is a founder of feature lutenists performing a variety of solo sets of music the Twin Cities Lute Cooperative and a past co-producer for the lute. Those in attendance will have the opportunity to (with Phil Rukavina) of the monthly Thursday at the Lute hear a broad range of music for medieval, Renaissance, and Cafe concert series. Career highlights include the two previ- Baroque lutes, as well as “transitional” music composed for ous Lute Summit concerts, contributions to the soundtrack lute in nouvelle accordes (new tunings) which moved the lute for Oskar Allegria’s award-winning film “The Search for from a Renaissance instrument (mainly tuned in 4ths) to the Emak Bakia”, and a live score—performed at the Walker d-minor tuned lute of the Baroque era. Art Center—for a screening of Man Ray’s 1926 experimental Lutenists on the program will include Paul Berget, Richard film “Emak Bakia.” Rick is an avid song-writer, composer, Griffith, Rocky Mjos, Phillip Rukavina, and Thomas Walker, and recordist, and is almost always working on “something Jr. Also included on the program is Twin Cities-based soprano new and weird.” Sarah Jackson, who will be joining Phil Rukavina for a set of continued on p. 4 january / february 3 An Interview Sundin Music Hall Concerts
Lute-a-thon continued from p. 3 Rockford Mjos performs as an accompanist and soloist on theorbo, archlute, Baroque and modern guitars, and ukulele. He has been a regular on the Twin Cities Lute Cooperative’s season, appeared on the MGS All Strings Considered program last year, and has been a guest with many Minnesota-based ensembles including Consortium Carissimi, Musica Glorifica and Glorious Revolution Baroque. He has recently performed for the second time at the Portland (ME) Early Music Festivals and has appeared at festivals in the Twin Cities, Utrecht, Wroclaw, and San Antonio. He has also performed in England, Germany, Sweden, Poland and Italy; and been broadcast on Minnesota Public Radio and Dutch National Radio. Rocky studied historic performance at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague (NL). He appears on CDs with the Chambure Vihuela Quartet and the Beggar’s Banquet. Rocky is also a member of Ukulele Drive, a ukulele band. Phillip Rukavina performs as a lute and vihuela soloist and as a continuo lutenist. He has appeared at many music festi- vals including the Utrecht Early Music Festival (2013) and the Boston Early Music Festival (2015). In 2017, Phillip was invited to perform as a soloist at the European Lute Festival in Füssen, Germany and at the Lute Society of America’s 2017 WestFest Montenegrin Guitar Duo held in Victoria, BC Canada. Phillip is a founding member of the Venere Lute Quartet and has performed with many promi- Friday, February 16, 2018, 8 p.m. nent ensembles, including the Newberry Consort, the Texas he Montenegrin Guitar Duo (MGD) was formed Early Music Project, the Rose Ensemble, the Bach Society MN in 2005 by two prominent Montenegrin guitarists, and with renown sopranos Emma Kirkby, Ellen Hargis and Goran Krivokapić and Danijel Cerović. The duo Sarah Jackson. He has served on the faculty of the Lute Society isT frequently invited to eminent international events (e.g. of America’s LuteFest in Cleveland, OH and the Amherst Festival Internacional de Musica y Danza de Granada, Kotor and Vancouver Early Music Festivals. He has recorded on the Art Festival, Koblenz Guitar Festival, A Tempo music fes- Lyrichord, LSA, and Naxos labels. His fourth Studio395 solo tival, Guitar Foundation of America International Guitar release, Italian Lute Music 1507-1517, was issued in 2016. Convention, Shenyang International Guitar Festival, Daejeon Thomas Walker, Jr. started classical guitar lessons at age International Guitar Festival), for recitals and concerts with 10. Not long thereafter he became interested in the 12-string orchestras, as well as for masterclasses, lectures on transcrib- guitar stylings of Leo Kottke and spent much of the next ing Bach’s music and adjudicating competitions. Their perfor- decade playing and composing in that style. Realizing that Leo mances have been highly acclaimed by both audience and crit- was and is sui generis, he returned to classical music in col- ics who praise their historically informed performances of J. S. lege, studying both classical guitar and music theory. Theory Bach’s English Suites in a new, fresh approach on two guitars. classes provided his first introduction to the earlier musical Their repertoire includes the transcriptions of ancient music vocabulary of counterpoint. After college, he studied jazz gui- and original compositions dating from the 19th, 20th and tar independently, but was increasingly captivated by early 21st century, with a special emphasis on contemporary music music, particularly polyphony. He bought his first lute in 1992 originally written for two guitars, as well as improvisation. and began studies with Phillip Rukavina not long thereafter. MGD’s ultimate goal is to broaden the guitar repertoire and Since then Thomas has performed with Phillip, Ensemble further integrate guitar with other instruments. Their educa- Polaris, Consortium Carissimi, the Rose Ensemble, and the tion work has taken them to Toronto University and Montreal Venere Lute Quartet, as well as with lutenists Paul Berget and Conservatoire in Canada, to Chapman and Metropolitan uni- Edward Martin. versities in the USA, Maastrich Conservatoire (Netherlands) Thomas served a term as treasurer for the Lyra Baroque and Tianjin University in China. from 2003-2006, and currently serves as treasurer for the Lute Their debut CD with works by Domeniconi, Piazzolla and Society of America. In regular hours he works as a consulting Bogdanovic was published in 2013 by the Montenegrin Music economist for small, privately-held companies. Centre. The first of two volumes of Bach’s English Suites, a world premiere of this unique project, transcribed by the duo, “This activity is made possible by the was published in 2015 for Naxos Records and was praised voters of Minnesota through a grant from by audience and music critics alike. English Suites Vol. 2 was the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, recorded in October 2016. thanks to a legislative appropriation from Reviews for their Bach English Suites include: “These are fine the arts and cultural heritage fund.” transcriptions, brilliantly played. The faster movements are continued on p. 5
4 guitarist Sundin Music Hall Concerts
Montenegrin Duo, continued from p. 4 (TV Montenegro, TV Arte) and he performed for and gave inter- views to TV and radio stations such as FOX7, Fine Music Radio, played with infectious rhythmic energy and joy. Ornaments Hessische Rundfunk, WGBH Radio Boston, WDR. Various sparkle like firecrackers, and some of the slower movements newspapers and music magazines wrote about him: are simply ravishing—listen to the sarabande from the second Classical Guitar Magazine (UK), Akustik Gitarre (Germany), suite and be awashed in beauty!” (American Record Guide) GendaiGuitar Magazine (Japan), Les Cahiers de la Guitare “… you’ll find the performances technically assured, inter- (France), Musica (Italy), Seicorde (Italy), MobilArt (Montenegro), pretively nuanced yet free of mannerism, and very carefully, Stampa (Italy). expertly balanced across registers and between voices. In Goran Krivokapić’s focus is on the development of new other words, these are very fine realizations that lovers of Bach works for classical guitar, mainly through transcribing Baroque and the guitar will appreciate… Strongly recommended” and Classical works, but also collaborating with contemporary (Classicstoday.com) composers. Since 2010 he lectures a class of post-graduate stu- CD Of the Week, WGBH “Though Bach spent his life within dents at the Koblenz International Guitar Academy. a remarkably limited geographical area, his knowledge of Danijel Cerović graduated from the Faculty of Music Arts various contemporary baroque styles was indeed expansive. in Belgrade in the class of Professor Vera Ogrizovic and com- In arrangements of three of his six English Suites, originally pleted his master studies in guitar at the Conservatory in written for keyboard, the Montenegrin Guitar Duo translates Maastricht (The Netherlands) in the class of Carlo Marchione. Bach’s mastery of encompassing several musical styles within At the Music Academy in Cetinje, he obtained a Master‘s a single work through a new, refreshing instrumental texture.” degree. He attended master courses with renowned per- “Danijel Cerović and Goran Krivokapić have brilliantly tak- formers and educators. Cerovic has won numerous awards en the challenge of this ambitious project with quality arrange- in competitions for guitar locally and abroad. Cerović regu- ments, in which the guitars are harmoniously conversing. The larly performs as a soloist and member of chamber ensembles original aspect of the keyboard pieces remains when listening, at domestic and international festivals (Montenegro, Serbia, while honoring a way of playing specific to the guitar. The per- Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Greece, Germany,The formance is flawless and accurate… This CD is then a must- Netherlands, Spain). As a soloist he has performed with have, and next volume is eagerly awaited.” (Guitare Classique) the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of Goran Krivokapić, born 1979, is one of the leading guitarists Montenegrin Radio and Television, Mossani Strings (The of the international scene. He is known for his technical virtu- Netherlands), Rubicon Quartet, as well as with prominent osity, and his unique interpretations of old and new repertoire. national and international artists such as Amanda Stojovic, Apart from winning eighteen international competitions, he Goran Krivokapic, B. Martinovic, M. Gjuro, O. Dukic and others. received several awards at the annual “International Guitar Danijel Cerović is co-founder and artistic director of the Convention in Alessandria”, Italy: 2005 as the best young gui- Niksic Guitar Festival. Since 2003 he has taught and lectured tarist of the year and 2006 for his debut CD “Best CD of the at the Music Academy in Cetinje. He is a member of the Board Year”. His breakthrough came in 2004 as winner of the two for music at CANU, and was a professor of guitar at the Music most prestigious competitions in North and South America Academy of Eastern Sarajevo. As a soloist, he has recorded a CD (Canada and Chile). Since then he has performed in the with music by Scarlatti, Sor and Giuliani. As a member of Duo most prestigious halls all over the world. As a soloist, Goran Amarilli, he has recorded a CD with music for voice and guitar. has performed accompanied by orchestras from Montenegro, Cerović regularly records for radio and television broadcasts. Serbia, Germany, Italy, Chile, Hungary, Russia, Slovakia and Romania. As an artist, lecturer and adjudicator, he is a frequent guest at many international festivals and universi- ties. Several television documentaries were made about him
january / february 5 News & Notes
Send Us Your News Got a CD release planned? New teaching studio or schedule? Concert coming up in your area? We want to hear about it! We want to tell the (MGS) world! Send all and any news of a guitaris- tical nature to [email protected]. Nota bene: the deadline for Annual Guitar Festival each issue is the 25th of each odd-numbered month, (So, to get your news in the Mar-Apr issue, please send it by January 25th). The Latino Arts Strings Program is delighted to invite Please check the Calendar on our website for concert dates and classical guitarists of all ages and enthusiasts of classical guitar events, and for contact information to post your events – the cal- music to the 5th Annual Latino Arts Strings Program (LASP) endar is updated by outstanding MGS board member and vol- Guitar Festival and Youth Competition in the Latino Arts, unteer, Al Norton. Our website is created and maintained by the Inc. Auditorium (1028 S. 9th St., Millwaukee, WI) on Saturday, efforts of valiant MGS volunteer webmaster, Amy Lytton, with February 10, 2018. technical support from MGS Board President, Mark Bussey. The 2018 LASP Classical Guitar Youth Competition intends to provide young musicians ages 8-18 with an opportunity to MGS OpenStage exhibit their talent and reward their hard work, as well as to Instrumental acoustic guitar of all styles featuring classical encourage them to appreciate music from different cultural and fingerstyle, plus other fretted strings on occasion origins. We wish to encourage new generations of young Second Sundays, September-May, 2-4 p.m. guitarists to: More info: http:///www.mnguitar.org/openstage.htm • Explore and discover the pleasures of playing Location: Underground Music Café, 1579 Hamline Ave. N., classical guitar Falcon Heights, MN 55108. http://undergroundmusiccafe.com • Experience a regional competition at a youth level Latino Arts Guitar Festival - Milwaukee, WI • Play for world class judges The Latino Arts Strings Program is inviting classical guitar- • Have an experience of performing as part of a ists of under the age of 18 to participate in the fourth annual guitar orchestra Guitar Festival. A panel of local and international classical gui- • Share the stage with renowned world class guitarists tarists will select one winner from each level: Intermediate and • Connect with our guest artists through master classes Advanced. Competition winners will perform with our guest • Enjoy workshops and other activities with other young artists during that evening’s concert. The Festival will be held in guitarists. Milwaukee, WI on Saturday, February 10, 2018. For information, A panel of local and international classical guitarists will select visit: http://www.latinoartsinc.org/Strings/GuitarFestival.htm. one winner from each level, Intermediate and Advanced. The Master Guitar Class - March 11 winners of the competition will perform with our guest artists during the Guitar Festival Concert. They will also receive cash Master performer, composer, and former University of and other prizes donated by our sponsors. For more details, see Minnesota professor Jeffrey Van will conduct a master guitar the attached guidelines and judging procedures form. class for students of the classical guitar in the Recital Hall at the All youth competitors will have access to all parts of the 2018 Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts (MCA) on Sunday, March LASP Guitar Festival including entry into the Youth Competition, 11, 2018, 12:15-1:45 p.m. Master Class with guest artists, workshops, and entrance to the Mr. Van, has premiered over fifty works for guitar, includ- Guitar Festival Concert for only $30. ing Dominick Argento’s Letters from Composers, four concer- Youth interested in attending only the Master Class and the tos, and a broad variety of chamber music. He has performed Guitar Festival Concert will get a unique chance to experience the in Carnegie Hall, London’s Wigmore Hall, and the Kennedy festival by reserving their spot in advance for only $10. Center in Washington, DC, As part of Duologue, with flutist To register for the Youth Competition and to RSVP for a Susan Morris De Jong, he has premiered and recorded commis- Master Class, please visit
6 guitarist News & Notes
News & Notes, continued from p. 6 Students of all ages and abilities are welcome to register to be officially called “Thursday at the Lute Cafe” because it takes a solo participant in a short public lesson with Mr.Van for only place on the third Thursday of every month. Doors open at $25. Participation space is limited so early registration is rec- 7:00 and performances start at 7:30 pm. There is no set charge ommended (Observers do not need to register). Online registra- for attending the performances, but a $10-15 per person dona- tion is open, for more information please call 507-453-5500 or tion is suggested to help defray costs and support our per- email:
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