Minnesota Guitar Society Mission Statement Promote the guitar in all its stylistic and cultural diversity through sponsorship of public forums, concerts, and workshops. Serve as an educational and social link between the community G u i t a r i s t and amateur and professional guitarists of all ages. The Minnesota Guitar Society PO Box 14986 / Minneapolis MN 55414 Vol. 35 No. 4 / Summer Issue 2019 Announcing Our 2019—20 Sundin Music Hall Concert Series
Pictured (clockwise from upper left): Levante Guitar Duo, Rovshan Mamedkuliev, Bokyung Byun, Mak Grgic, Austin Wahl, Raphaël Feuillâtre, and Andrea Gonzalez Caballero.
The Season At-A-Glance In this issue… Sept. 27, Friday – Levante Guitar Duo Preview of the upcoming concert season...page 2 Oct. 19, Saturday - Rovshan Mamedkuliev Nov. 16, Saturday– Bokyung Byun Letter to the Members and MGS news…….page 5 Dec. 7, Saturday - Mak Grgic Other Guitaristic News and Notes…………...page 6 Jan. 18, Saturday – Acoustic Guitarathon Feb. 15, Saturday – Andrea Gonzalez Caballero Updates on the Showcase Concerts series Mar. 14, Saturday – Austin Wahl and Guitar In Our Schools program...……...page 7 April 24, Friday – Raphaël Feuillâtre May 16, Saturday – Classical Guitarathon SUNDIN MUSIC HALL CONCERT SERIES
ur upcoming series of concerts at Sundin Mu- season, came after winning the Guitar Foundation of sic Hall promises to be something very special. America International Concert Artist Competition, as part Six soloists, one duo, seven countries of origin, of a solo tour in which he gave 51 concerts, as well as mas- O plus two guitarathon events presenting estab- terclasses, throughout the US, Canada, Mexico, and lished, emerging, and advanced student guitarists. All in Brazil. As a soloist, Mamedkuliev has performed with en- one of the finest concert venues anywhere in the world. sembles and orchestras throughout Europe. Get your tickets now! The virtual box office is open at Rovshan Mamedkuliev was born in 1986 in Baku,
his original music and his arrangements for guitar duo. November 16 / Bokyung Byun Aleksandra Ivanovic-Lazarevic started playing piano Korean guitarist Bokyung Byun enjoys a reputation as at the age of six and later studied jazz singing for a time, one of the most sought-after artists in the world, sparked before turning to classical guitar. She earned her under- by her successes in international competitions and prov- graduate and graduate degrees in guitar at the Belgrade en by her many performances across Asia and North Music Academy. She has won prizes at national and inter- America. A true trailblazer, Byun is the first female win- national competitions, including the Niksic International ner of the prestigious JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Guitar Festival and Guitar-Art summer festival in Herceg Concerto Competition. Other prizes include first-prize Novi. She has been noted by audiences and critics alike finishes at the Frances Walton Competition, the Montreal for her delicate and emotional performing. International Classical Guitar Competition, and the Phila-
delphia Classical Guitar Competition, second prize at the October 19 / Rovshan Mamedkuliev 2018 Guitar Foundation of America International Artists Rovshan Mamedkuliev has performed in major cities around the world. His first visit here, during the 2013–14 Sundin Season continued on page 3
MGS BOARD OF DIRECTORS NEWSLETTER Officers Production Editor Paul Hintz Copyeditor President Joe Haus Annett Richter Fox Ridge Printing Vice-President Annett Richter Treasurer Douglas Whorton WEBSITE Design and Maintenance Ann Wempner Secretary Dan Lehn Artistic Director Joe Hagedorn Guitar In Our Schools Managing Director Paul Hintz Program Coordinator Milena Petković
Members Jerry Bannach Mary Ellison OpenStage Coordinator Douglas Whorton
2 g u I t a r I s t SUNDIN MUSIC HALL CONCERT SERIES Sundin Season continued from page 2
Competition, and fourth place at the 2019 Parkening Inter- averages 85 performances a year as soloist and collabora- national Guitar Competition. tor. In 2009, Grgic made his debut in Russia, performing Byun’s concert programs often feature contemporary Rodrigo’s Concerto de Aranjuez with the St. Petersburg music alongside traditional repertoire. Her skill at navi- Symphony Orchestra. The following year, he toured the US gating both has led to solo performances with orchestras for the first time, as a member of the Zagreb Guitar Quar- and performances within orchestras as an ensemble mem- tet, and also appeared at the Lancaster Festival in Ohio. ber. She actively contributes to the music community in Since that time, he has toured throughout Europe, Asia, many ways. She has given solo recitals and masterclasses and the US. for festivals, workshops, and guitar societies around the An active entrepreneur and educator, Grgic is director world. She has taught at the Aspen Music Festival in Colo- of EuroStrings, a consortium of 17 guitar festivals in Eu- rado, The Juilliard School, and in California as a primary- rope, the European Guitar Festival Collaborative, the Za- school guitar instructor. greb Guitar Festival, the Roots & Notes Interactive Music Born in Seoul, Korea, Byun began playing guitar at age Festival in Croatia, and Music@Rush Hour in Los Angeles. six. At 11, she took the stage for her first full-length solo He serves as director of Elemental Guitar in Santa Monica, recital, leading in her teen years to concert tours across a program for youth, and is an adjunct faculty member at Korea, millions of views on YouTube, and first-prize finish- Mount St. Mary’s University in Los Angeles. es in three competitions: the Korea Guitar Association, the Grgic’s recordings explore the world of guitar and its Music Association of Korea, and the Guitar Foundation of possibilities. His latest, Balkanisms and MAKrotonal, cov- America International Youth Competition. She came to the er ethnic music, microtonal, new music, and early music on US, briefly studying in Los Angeles before moving to New re-fretted instruments such as a “zig-zag fretted Bach pro- York City and enrolling at The Juilliard School at age six- totype guitar.” teen. She holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Born in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in 1987, Grgic studied gui- The Juilliard School, and is now pursuing a doctorate at tar in Zagreb at the Elly Basic Music Academy. By age 14, the University of Southern California as a recipient of the he was balancing his world champion status in karate with prestigious International Artist Fellowship. his love for the guitar. Throughout high school, he concer- tized in Ljubljana and Zagreb while competing in profes- December 7 / Mak Grgic sional martial arts contests across Europe and Asia. After Mak Grgic’s career is fueled by curiosity, imagination, and an injury to his left thumb, he decided to focus solely on a boundless energy. His repertoire reflects his versatility and career in music, completing a bachelor’s degree at the Uni- wide-ranging interests—from the Renaissance and Baroque versity for Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. Pursuing to music of the cinema, from ethnic music of his native Bal- advanced studies in the US, Grgic was one of the first stu- kans to extreme avant-garde and microtonal music. He Sundin Season continued on page 4
This activity is made possible by the Information for all voters of Minnesota through a grant Concerts at from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Sundin Music Hall Council, thanks to a legislative appro- Tickets can be purchased in advance priation from the arts and cultural through our website
S u m m e r I s s u e 2 0 1 9 3 SUNDIN MUSIC HALL CONCERT SERIES Sundin Season continued from page 3
dents to apply for the University of Southern California with Xavier Jara, Henry Johnston, and Christopher Gar- (USC) Thornton’s Arts Leadership graduate program, wood. Subsequently, he earned bachelor's and master's which he incorporated into his doctoral studies in guitar. degrees as well as a performer's certificate at the Eastman In 2017, he became the first guitarist ever admitted to the School of Music in Rochester, NY, where he is currently a elite Artist Diploma program at USC. doctoral student of Dr. Nicholas Goluses. In addition to his classical guitar playing, Wahl enjoys January 18 / Acoustic Guitarathon many other styles of music. He won the 2009 youth divi- Artists will be announced in October. sion of the Minnesota State Fair Bluegrass Flatpicking competition and has performed in a bluegrass band mas- February 15 / Andrea Gonzalez Caballero terclass for internationally known banjoist Bela Fleck. Andrea Gonzalez Caballero of Spain has been described by Wahl is also a member of the Rochester, NY, bluegrass Operaworld Magazine as “the female voice of the Spanish band Kubick’s Rubes. At age 14, he built a fully functional guitar.” She has been an award winner at numerous inter- electric guitar (dubbed the “Wahl-o-Caster”) with a body national guitar competitions, including First Prize and of solid purpleheart, which weighed in at nearly fifteen Special Prize at the XL International Competition F. Sor pounds. Since the fall of 2017, Wahl has led the bass sec- in Rome, and the XIII Alhambra International Guitar tion of the Mount Hope World Singers in Rochester. Competition in Valencia (Spain), at which she was the youngest guitarist to ever receive First Prize. April 24 / Raphaël Feuillâtre Gonzalez Caballero has appeared at international fes- Raphaël Feuillâtre is a young Paris-based virtuoso of the tivals and concert series around the world. Highlights in- classical guitar. Born in 1996, he started classical guitar clude performances at Palau de la Música in Barcelona, lessons at the age of nine, first with Hacène Addadi at the National Auditorium and Juan March Foundation in Cholet Conservatory and later with Michel Grizard in Madrid, and Sinfonietta Ratingen and Neue Philharmonie Nantes. In 2014, he was accepted by the Paris National Westfalen in Germany. Selected by the International Gui- Superior Conservatory of Music and Dance (CNSMDP) tar Foundation of London to perform as soloist in interna- into the class of Roland Dyens and his assistant Jean- tional music events such as the London Guitar Festival, Marc Zvellenreuther and obtained his Bachelor of Per- she debuted in the UK with concerts at venues such as forming Arts degree in 2017 with highest honors. He is King’s Cross in London and Sage Gateshead in Newcastle. currently pursuing his master’s degree in classical guitar Her 2017 CD for the Laureate Series on the interna- performance with Tristan Manoukian. Various intern- tionally known Naxos label contains both the premieres of ships and training courses contributed to his musical de- new guitar compositions and standard pieces of the classi- velopment, in particular those with Arnaud Sans, Gabriel cal guitar repertoire by master composers such as Benja- Bianco, and Judicaël Perroy, with whom he has been min Britten, Isaac Albéniz, and Francisco Tárrega. working for the past three years. He regularly performs Her career has been supported by the Alexander von his own arrangements of works by J. S. Bach, D. Scarlatti, Humboldt Foundation, DAAD (German Academic Ex- and E. Granados. change Service), AIE (Society of Performing Artists of He has won prizes at numerous classical guitar com- Spain) and the Provincial Council of Guipuzcoa to study at petitions. Among them, in 2017, he won First Prize at the the Robert Schumann Musikhochschule in Düsseldorf International Guitar Competition Jose Tomas—Villa (Germany), where she graduated with honors. She is cur- Petrer in Spain, and Third Prize in the Kutna Hora Inter- rently enrolled in the graduate program at the Peabody national Biennial Guitar Competition in the Czech Repub- Institute of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, as a lic. His performance on our Sundin Music Hall concert student of Manuel Barrueco. series is part of a 50-concert international tour arranged by the Guitar Foundation of America, as part of his First March 14 / Austin Wahl Prize, awarded at the 2018 GFA International Concert Austin Wahl, a native Minnesotan, has won prizes at a Artists Competition. dozen competitions in the US and Canada. He has per- formed in masterclasses for Leo Brouwer, David Russell, May 16 / Classical Guitarathon Manuel Barrueco, Sharon Isbin, Eliot Fisk, Lorenzo Artists will be announced in January. Micheli, Matteo Mela, Roland Dyens, and Raphaella Smits, among others. He began study of the classical gui- Visit our website to learn more, tar at age five with Alan Johnston, a founding member of see videos of the artists, and buy tickets! the Minneapolis Guitar Quartet. As a young artist, he was
4 g u I t a r I s t SOCIETY NEWS AND NOTES
Summer: A Time for New and Renewal Dear Friends, First, an overdue acknowledgement to those members of our Board of Directors who, after long and invaluable service to the Society, have stepped down over the past 10 months. To Mark Bussey, Joanne Backer, and Christopher Olson, we say a hearty thank you for your generosity and ongoing support! At the same time, we’d like to welcome Dan Lehn and Mary Ellison, who joined the Board over this winter, Jerry Bannach, who returned last fall for another term, and Scott Criqui, who will join our board in September. Please see our next issue for profiles of all those currently on board. Next, a word of thanks to the dozen members whose generous responses to our appeal (on this page in the last newsletter) have raised $2,850 of the $3,500 we need to raise by the end of July. To meet the rest of our goal, we hope you all will consider an early renewal of your membership, an additional donation, or the purchase of (extra) season tickets. Even if you can’t come to all of next season’s con- certs, you know concert tickets make a great gift to family and friends! The season brochure will mail in mid-July. For those who are digital and virtual in their preferences, our new website makes it easy to make donations and ticket purchases. But a check payable to MGS and mailed to our post office box, PO 14986, Mpls MN 55414, will always reach us. Every donation matters. Every membership matters. Thanks, again. See you at Sundin! -Paul Hintz, Managing Director
Newsletter News Our next issue mails right after Labor Day and will feature profiles of the fall artists on the Sundin Music Hall concert season. As always, up-to-date news can be found on our website, Facebook page, or Instagram. Questions? Suggestions? Got news? Deadline for the fall issue is August 15th. Contact
Opportunities for Members Our Society needs your help. We have established four committees. Each needs at least one additional volunteer: Membership. Help retain current members, bring back lapsed mem- bers, recruit new members. Publicity. Use social and traditional media to reach a wider audience for our concerts. Development. Find new ways to fundraise. Assist with events. Finance. Help set up and maintain a system to track all revenue and expenses more accurately. Time commitment variable. Value to the MGS, inestimable. Want to learn more? Let’s get together and talk. I’ll buy the coffee! Call me at (651) 699 6827 or email me at
S u m m e r I s s u e 2 0 1 9 5 OTHER NEWS AND NOTES
The August 17, 2019 edition of the Lowertown Gui- tar Festival, St. Paul’s free, outdoor, one-day music festi- val with a six-string slant, has announced a diverse lineup of artists and community activities. The festival begins at noon with workshops open to the public as well as a stu- dent spotlight and setups from local luthiers, pedal makers, guitar shops, and larger sponsors. Expos throughout the festival site, a community jam sponsored by the Minnesota Bluegrass and Old Time Music Association and led by Bill Cagley, a gear swap, and other lakeside activities make this an event suitable for all ages of music lovers. Longtime fes- tival sponsor Willie’s American Guitars will be on site as well. Performers include multi-instrumentalist and looping artist Taylor Seaberg, festival mainstay and guitar hero Greg Koch, and Minnesota-based artists Jeremy Ylvisaker, Mike Michel, and Paul Metzger. New festival partners in- clude MacPhail Center for Music with student and faculty performances throughout the day, the Minnesota Guitar Society, and the Minnesota Bluegrass and Old Time Music Association. Find, friend, and follow the festival on Face- book for updates and more information.
6 g u I t a r I s t SOCIETY NEWS AND NOTES
Guitar In Our Schools ing for the program, and will add to the staff of teaching assistants. Look for updates in future issues of the news- These are challenging times for arts organizations, large letter. and small, old and new. One of the challenges is building If you’d like to help out, our first need is guitars! the next generation of audience members. Another, for Please consider donating that second-best, still-playable- our Society, is nurturing future players and lovers of the and-tunable-but-no-longer loved instrument. Contact guitar. Guitar In Our Schools is the Minnesota Guitar So-
S u m m e r I s s u e 2 0 1 9 7 Classified ads are free to MGS members. Place ad by email to
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