We're Excited to Announce the 10th Anniversary 2014-2015 Portland Guitar Series!
Portland Classical Guitar (PCG) is proud to announce its 2014-15 concert season-marking the ten-year anniversary of this important and much-loved series, which continues to bring world-class talent to the greater Portland area. This season’s lineup is stellar, with a number of outstanding headliners, including Pepe Romero, Roland Dyens, Ana Vidovic, and Jason Vieaux. Concerts will be held in various locations: either the First Congregational Church in downtown Portland, or St. Anne’s Chapel or Wiegand Hall, both on the campus of Marylhurst University. All performances begin at 8 PM sharp.
The series will kick off in Fall 2014 with a special Gala Concert at St. Anne’s Chapel on Friday, September 12. This concert will showcase PCG proprietor William Jenk-performing Vivaldi’s Concerto in D Major with members of the Portland Chamber Orchestra—as well as a number of solos and duets by other prominent and respected local guitarists, including Jeff Ashton, Peter Zisa, Dan Cosley, and Mario Diaz. Following the Gala Concert, the series proper begins with the wonderful Brasil Guitar Duo, performing on Friday, September 26, in Wiegand Hall. A 2006 winner of the Concert Artists Guild International Competition—and hailed by Classical Guitar magazine for its “maturity of musicianship and technical virtuosity”—the Brasil Guitar Duo is adept at both classical and Brazilian repertoire.
Next up is Jason Vieaux, performing on Friday, October 10, in St. Anne’s Chapel, with a master class on Thursday, October 9 at 7 PM—both in Wiegand Hall. Considered “among the elite of today’s classical guitarists” (Gramophone), Vieaux has earned a reputation for putting his expressive virtuosity at the service of a remarkably wide range of music, and is in demand internationally for performances, teaching, and recording. Recordings of Vieaux’s music are regularly heard on radio around the world, and he has been highly praised in such magazines as Acoustic Guitar, MUSO, Gramophone, and on NPR’s “Deceptive Cadence.” Following Vieaux is another series favorite: Ana Vidovic, the celebrated Croatian guitarist, who will be making her seventh appearance with PCG on Thursday, November 6, in St. Anne’s Chapel. (Vidovic will also conduct a master class on Friday, November 7 at 11 AM at Wiegand Hall). An extraordinary talent and perennial prizewinner, Vidovic has performed to great acclaim in New York, London, Paris, Vienna, Rome, Budapest, Warsaw, Tel Aviv, and elsewhere. Her Mel Bay-released DVDs feature beautiful renditions of works from composers as diverse as Torroba, Piazzolla, Villa-Lobos, Paganini, Walton, and Bach.
The first concert of the new year will feature recent Guitar Foundation of America International Concert Artist Competition winner Anton Baranov (this is the eleventh time PCG has presented a GFA First Prize winner), who will perform Friday, January 9, 2015, at Wiegand Hall.
Following Baranov will be the much-loved Pepe Romero, performing on Friday, February 6, at the First Congregational Church (a master class will follow on Saturday, February 7, at 11 AM at Wiegand Hall). An undisputed living legend, Romero has been honored by kings and queens, heads of state, and major institutions, while staying connected to everyday audiences. He is considered by many an ambassador of the classical guitar. And no wonder: he is the second son of one of the greatest guitarists who ever lived—Celedonio Romero—and brother to two other masters of the instrument—Celin and Angel Romero. Alone and with his remarkable family, Pepe Romero has given literally thousands of concerts worldwide, and has worked with almost every major conductor alive, appearing on more than 60 recordings (among which are 20 concerto recordings with the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields), and premiering works by some of the finest composers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, including Joaquín Rodrigo, Federico Moreno Torroba, Lorenzo Palomo, Padre Francisco de Madina, Paul Chihara, Enrique Diemecke, Ernesto Cordero, and, most poignantly, Celedonio Romero.
Romero will be followed by Emmy-nominated John Doan, widely-acknowledged master of the twenty-string harp guitar, presenting his “Homage to Fernando Sor” program on Friday, February 27, in Wiegand Hall. This beautiful composition derives from Doan’s deep love for the works of Sor, an under-appreciated nineteenth-century composer. Following Doan will be Naxos recording artist Jeremy Jouve, performing on Friday, March 13 in Wiegand Hall. Based in Paris, Jouve has delighted audiences and competition judges worldwide. Jouve will be followed on April 24 by PCG proprietor William Jenks, also performing in Wiegand Hall. In addition to his widely-admired work as an educator and presenter, Jenks has an extensive performance history, receiving favorable notices from the Colorado Guitar Festival, the Portland Wine and Arts Festival, the Boulder Colorado Classical Guitar Society, the Newport Performing Arts Center, and Cycle Oregon. He has also performed internationally—in France, Germany, Italy, and the Dominican Republic. Jenks will be followed by Roberto Fabbri and Alberto Cumplido, performing on Friday, May 15, also in Wiegand Hall. Fabbri is a Sony Classical artist, renowned both as a soloist and for his work with the Roberto Fabbri Guitar Quartet. He is also the artistic director of the Fiuggi Guitar Festival. Cumplido is an adventurous guitarist who has collaborated with poets, dancers, and filmmakers; he has also had works commissioned by excellent guitarists like Christian Wernicke and Hilary Field.
Closing out the season will be Roland Dyens, performing on Friday, June 19, at First Congregational Church, and offering a master class on Saturday, June 20, at 11 AM, at Wiegand Hall. An internationally renowned performer, composer, and teacher (he is on faculty at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris), Dyens’ concerts unfold as experiences of emotional awakening for the listener, thanks to his sensitive and colorful approach to the guitar, his engaging artistic open-mindedness, his stage presence, and his prowess at improvisation, a technique not usually found in the modern classical music world. Dyens’ music has become an integral part of the instrument’s repertoire, placing him at the heart of a select group of contemporary guitarist/composers who enjoy such a privileged position.
The series will kick off in Fall 2014 with a special Gala Concert at St. Anne’s Chapel on Friday, September 12. This concert will showcase PCG proprietor William Jenk-performing Vivaldi’s Concerto in D Major with members of the Portland Chamber Orchestra—as well as a number of solos and duets by other prominent and respected local guitarists, including Jeff Ashton, Peter Zisa, Dan Cosley, and Mario Diaz. Following the Gala Concert, the series proper begins with the wonderful Brasil Guitar Duo, performing on Friday, September 26, in Wiegand Hall. A 2006 winner of the Concert Artists Guild International Competition—and hailed by Classical Guitar magazine for its “maturity of musicianship and technical virtuosity”—the Brasil Guitar Duo is adept at both classical and Brazilian repertoire.
Next up is Jason Vieaux, performing on Friday, October 10, in St. Anne’s Chapel, with a master class on Thursday, October 9 at 7 PM—both in Wiegand Hall. Considered “among the elite of today’s classical guitarists” (Gramophone), Vieaux has earned a reputation for putting his expressive virtuosity at the service of a remarkably wide range of music, and is in demand internationally for performances, teaching, and recording. Recordings of Vieaux’s music are regularly heard on radio around the world, and he has been highly praised in such magazines as Acoustic Guitar, MUSO, Gramophone, and on NPR’s “Deceptive Cadence.” Following Vieaux is another series favorite: Ana Vidovic, the celebrated Croatian guitarist, who will be making her seventh appearance with PCG on Thursday, November 6, in St. Anne’s Chapel. (Vidovic will also conduct a master class on Friday, November 7 at 11 AM at Wiegand Hall). An extraordinary talent and perennial prizewinner, Vidovic has performed to great acclaim in New York, London, Paris, Vienna, Rome, Budapest, Warsaw, Tel Aviv, and elsewhere. Her Mel Bay-released DVDs feature beautiful renditions of works from composers as diverse as Torroba, Piazzolla, Villa-Lobos, Paganini, Walton, and Bach.
The first concert of the new year will feature recent Guitar Foundation of America International Concert Artist Competition winner Anton Baranov (this is the eleventh time PCG has presented a GFA First Prize winner), who will perform Friday, January 9, 2015, at Wiegand Hall.
Following Baranov will be the much-loved Pepe Romero, performing on Friday, February 6, at the First Congregational Church (a master class will follow on Saturday, February 7, at 11 AM at Wiegand Hall). An undisputed living legend, Romero has been honored by kings and queens, heads of state, and major institutions, while staying connected to everyday audiences. He is considered by many an ambassador of the classical guitar. And no wonder: he is the second son of one of the greatest guitarists who ever lived—Celedonio Romero—and brother to two other masters of the instrument—Celin and Angel Romero. Alone and with his remarkable family, Pepe Romero has given literally thousands of concerts worldwide, and has worked with almost every major conductor alive, appearing on more than 60 recordings (among which are 20 concerto recordings with the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields), and premiering works by some of the finest composers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, including Joaquín Rodrigo, Federico Moreno Torroba, Lorenzo Palomo, Padre Francisco de Madina, Paul Chihara, Enrique Diemecke, Ernesto Cordero, and, most poignantly, Celedonio Romero.
Romero will be followed by Emmy-nominated John Doan, widely-acknowledged master of the twenty-string harp guitar, presenting his “Homage to Fernando Sor” program on Friday, February 27, in Wiegand Hall. This beautiful composition derives from Doan’s deep love for the works of Sor, an under-appreciated nineteenth-century composer. Following Doan will be Naxos recording artist Jeremy Jouve, performing on Friday, March 13 in Wiegand Hall. Based in Paris, Jouve has delighted audiences and competition judges worldwide. Jouve will be followed on April 24 by PCG proprietor William Jenks, also performing in Wiegand Hall. In addition to his widely-admired work as an educator and presenter, Jenks has an extensive performance history, receiving favorable notices from the Colorado Guitar Festival, the Portland Wine and Arts Festival, the Boulder Colorado Classical Guitar Society, the Newport Performing Arts Center, and Cycle Oregon. He has also performed internationally—in France, Germany, Italy, and the Dominican Republic. Jenks will be followed by Roberto Fabbri and Alberto Cumplido, performing on Friday, May 15, also in Wiegand Hall. Fabbri is a Sony Classical artist, renowned both as a soloist and for his work with the Roberto Fabbri Guitar Quartet. He is also the artistic director of the Fiuggi Guitar Festival. Cumplido is an adventurous guitarist who has collaborated with poets, dancers, and filmmakers; he has also had works commissioned by excellent guitarists like Christian Wernicke and Hilary Field.
Closing out the season will be Roland Dyens, performing on Friday, June 19, at First Congregational Church, and offering a master class on Saturday, June 20, at 11 AM, at Wiegand Hall. An internationally renowned performer, composer, and teacher (he is on faculty at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris), Dyens’ concerts unfold as experiences of emotional awakening for the listener, thanks to his sensitive and colorful approach to the guitar, his engaging artistic open-mindedness, his stage presence, and his prowess at improvisation, a technique not usually found in the modern classical music world. Dyens’ music has become an integral part of the instrument’s repertoire, placing him at the heart of a select group of contemporary guitarist/composers who enjoy such a privileged position.