A Publication of the Minnesota Guitar Society • P.O. Box 14986 • Minneapolis, MN 55414 JULY/AUGUST 2007 VOL. 23 NO. 4 Segovia’sSegovia’s ndnd BirthdayBirthday inin Minnesota!Minnesota! A Memoir by Daniel Sturm Also In This Issue Preview the Sundin Hall Concert Series Masterclass with Chris Olson The Lute Cafe’s Exciting nd Season Minnesota Guitar Society Board of Directors Newsletter EDITOR OFFICERS: BOARD MEMBERS: Paul Hintz PRESIDENT Joe Haus Steve Kakos PRODUCTION Alan Norton VICE-PRESIDENT Joanne Backer i draw the line, inc. Annett Richter ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Joe Hagedorn David’s Print Shop Daniel Sturm TREASURER Jim Campbell Kuan Teoh Web Site Production MANAGING DIRECTOR Paul Hintz Todd Tipton Amy Lytton SECRETARY Patrick Strother Brent Weaver <http://www.mnguitar.org> Minnesota Guitar Society To reserve tickets Mission Statement for any Sundin Hall To promote the guitar, in all its stylistic and cultural diversity, through our newsletter and through our sponsorship of concert, call our public forums, concerts, and workshops. phone line at To commission new music and to aid in its promotion, publication, and recording. 612-677-1151 To serve as an educational and social link between amateur and professional guitarists and the community. and leave a To promote and help create opportunities for Minnesota guitarists message. and players of related instruments. As a member of the Minnesota Guitar Society, you receive ticket discounts on all MGS-sponsored events, a year’s subscription to the Guitarist and the opportunity to place free classifieds in each issue. To join the Minnesota Guitar Society, please fill out the information on this coupon and mail it to: Minnesota Guitar Society, P.O. Box 14986, Minneapolis, MN 55414 ❐ Student $15 ❐ Family $30 ❐ Sponsor $200 - $499 ❐ Regular $25 ❐ Patron $50 - $199 ❐ Benefactor $500 + ❐ Renewing ❐ New Member NAME __________________________________________________________ ADDRESS _______________________________________________________ CITY ________________________ ST ______________ ZIP _________ 2 guitarist Concert Spotlight: Sundin Season Announced One Lute Three Ouds A SehTar Lots of Guitars—and You! by Paul Hintz ur 2007–2008 Sundin Hall Concert Series has been Saturday October : Berta Rojas confirmed, and will feature an exciting line-up of Berta Rojas easily moves from classical Ogreat musicians from around the world. We want to other musical genres. Working in col- you to join us at the concerts, and in the Minnesota Guitar laboration, as with the legendary Carlos Society. The best reason to join MGS might be the deal you Barbosa-Lima, or as a soloist, Rojas has get on season tickets. The next best reason is that your sup- captivated music lovers around the port helps us raise additional money from donations and world. She has appeared at Carnegie grants. Without that synergy, none of our programming Hall and at Lincoln Center in New York. would happen. Our Sundin Hall series is just part of what the Performances at Washington DC’s John Society does. We also present a free concert series featuring F. Kennedy Center and the South Bank locally based artists at venues throughout the metro area. We Centre in London sold out in advance. In 1995 and 2005 she sponsor masterclasses by visiting artists in partnership with opened the International First Ladies Summit in Paraguay. MacPhail Center for Music, and in-school visits at area high The Kennedy Center selected her as a Fellow of the Americas schools. We maintain a website with complete information for the Performing Arts. This award, and a grant by the Orga- about our concerts and other programs and a calendar page nization of American States, allowed her to earn a Masters in listing guitar-related events throughout the area. We sponsor Music from the Peabody Conservatory, where she received and promote the OpenStage series of informal, jam- the Zaidee Thomas Award and the Harold Randolph Prize. session type meetings. And we produce this newsletter, She has released four CDs. In addition, she has produced mailed every two months to every member and distributed concerts in the U.S. that feature folk music played by South free throughout the greater metro area. Each issue brings in- American artists and has served as Artistic Director to several formation on upcoming concerts, and other articles of South American competitions including the Agustin Barrios guitaristic interest. Don’t miss out! Use the coupon on page 2 International Festival. She was honored as Personality of the and apply for, renew, or upgrade your membership today. If Year 2000 in the magazine Cartelera. In October 2004, you need more persuading, consider the outstanding artists Paraguay’s Minister of Tourism named her that country’s coming to Sundin Hall next season, and the money you’ll Ambassador of Tourism. Rojas is an adjunct professor of gui- save on each ticket by being a member. Read on for the high- tar at George Washington University in Washington, DC. lights (details in future issues): Friday November th: Michael Chapdelaine Saturday September th: Lutenist Lucas Harris Michael Chapdelaine is the only gui- Lucas Harris began his musical life as tarist to win First Prize at both the GFA a jazz guitarist in his hometown of International Classical Guitar Competi- Phoenix, Arizona. After graduating tion and the National Fingerstyle Cham- summa cum laude from Pomona College pionship in Winfield, Kansas. From New in California, he studied for a year in Italy York to Texas, Milan to Bangkok, Chap- as part of the first group of scholars spon- delaine dazzles audiences and critics as sored by the Marco Fodella Foundation. he redefines the modern acoustic guitar The following year he spent in Germany, with amazing technique, soulful expres- studying with Stephen Stubbs and siveness, and the magic of his compositions. His perfor- Andrew Lawrence-King at the Hochschule für Künste mances on steel string and classical guitars range from blues Bremen. Since returning to North America in 1998, Harris has to Bach and beyond. He has performed on four continents. become one of the foremost continuo lutenists in the U.S. and Since the 1980s he has twice won the NEA Solo Recitalist Canada. He plays regularly with many ensembles and his Grant, taken First Prize in the Guitar Foundation of America passion for Baroque theater has animated productions by the and Music Teachers National Association guitar competi- New York Metropolitan Opera and others. He has given solo tions, and won the Silver Medal in Venezuela’s VIII Concurso recitals on the New York Early Music Series and elsewhere. International de Guitarra Alirio Diaz. In 1992 he recorded the Harris is the regular lutenist with the Tafelmusik Baroque classical guitar CD Sonata Romantica (now re-released as Orchestra. Now living in Toronto, Harris has performed Mexico). In 1994, turning to pop music, he arranged, pro- throughout Europe. Harris has been on the faculty at Oberlin duced, and recorded Guitar by Moonlight (also released as Conservatory’s Baroque Performance Institute since 2002, with love) for Time-Life Music, selling 250,000 copies in its where he directs a staged opera scene project. He has been on first two years. In 1998, he again expanded his range, by win- the faculty of the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute, the ning the Winfield National Fingerpicking Championship. Lute Society of America Summer Seminar, and the New York Continuo Collective. Sundin Hall Series Preview continued on p. 5 july / august 3 Special Feature Segovia’s nd Birthday in Minnesota! A Memoir by Daniel Sturm Act I fact, I was just about to phone you.” Yeah, right, like that I was elected president of the Minneapolis Guitar Society was for sure. This most odd fellow with a foreign accent in the autumn of 1974, at the ripe old age of 23. Straight off, now began to tell me what a querulous person maestro the newly elected board began brainstorming, trying to find Segovia “is,” and that it will be most difficult to coax him ways to attract new members to the society. During its 11- into such an event. Nevertheless my new acquaintance told year history, the society had never held a paid membership me he would do the best he could, and then he hung up. beyond 13 members. First we changed the organization’s Back at the society, with a bold brazenness I suggested we name to The Minnesota Guitar Society (later to become The go ahead and publish a newsletter proclaiming our birth- Minnesota Guitar and day plans for Segovia and announcing that anyone who Lute Society). We dis- was a member had an open invitation to the party. Such we cussed advertising, devel- did, and our membership rose to 100+ paid members! oping a mailing list, and Next came a most stunning telephone call from my celeb- monthly meetings. Then I rity friend. He almost shouted into the phone, “Segovia’s took a hard sharp left turn concert is tomorrow night, he hasn’t returned any of my and asked, “Why not give calls, and I am insulted. Besides—I have some out-of-town Andrés Segovia a birthday business to attend to and I think I’ll just do that. You are on party the night of his Feb- your own!” Click. ruary concert? The follow- A mournful droning of a dramatic timpani roll sounded ing day will be his eighty- far off in the distance. “What have I done?” second birthday.” As stunned faces gazed Act III Photo of Andrés Segovia at his silently upon me I learned The moment I set the receiver down the telephone began Minnesota Birthday Party in 1975 a valuable lesson: Keep to ring. I was so stunned as to believe my conversation had by Ben Boyett, then of Channel 5 TV.