The U.S. International Guitar Series Season 2022 is Here!

Adam Levin, Angel Romero, Celino Romero, David Russell, Grammy Award Winner, Mak Grgic, Michele Libraro, Pepe Romero, Roberto Fabbri and Daughters, Sharon Isbin, The Romero Quartet, the Romeros, William Jenks -

The U.S. International Guitar Series Season 2022 is Here!

U.S. International Guitar Series Season 2022 Updated Schedule

 Mak Grgic

Mak Grgic Virtual Master Class – Saturday, January 29 at 6:30 PM Pacific Time

Mak Grgic Virtual Concert – Sunday, January 30 at 4:00 PM Pacific Time

The Romero Quartet

The Romero Quartet Hawaii Concert – Wednesday, February 23 at 7 PM at the Kahilu Theatre 

The Romero Quartet LA Concert – Friday, February 25 at 7 PM at the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles Main Sanctuary 

The Romero Quartet LA Master Class – Saturday, February 26 at 10 AM 

The Romero Quartet Portland Concert - Sunday, February 27 at 4 PM at the First Congregational United Church of Christ

The Romero Quartet Portland Master Class  Monday, February 28 at 11:00 AM at the First Congregational United Church of Christ 

David Russell

*David Russell LA Concert – Friday, March 18 at 7 PM at First Congregational Church of Los Angeles Main Sanctuary

*David Russell LA Master Class – Saturday, March 19 at 10 AM 

*The concert and master class in LA will be available to watch virtually for a pay-per-view audience.

David Russell Portland Concert – Sunday, March 20 at 4 PM at the Garages

David Russell Portland Master Class – Monday, March 21 at 11:30 AM at the Garages

David Russell Hawaii Concert- Sunday, March 27 at 4 PM at the Cliffs at BellaVista   

 Sharon Isbin

Sharon Isbin Portland Master Class – Thursday, May 5 at 6:30 PM at the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral

Sharon Isbin Portland Concert – Friday, May 6 at 7 PM at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral

Sharon Isbin LA Master Class – Saturday, May 7 at 6:30 PM 

Sharon Isbin LA Concert – Sunday, May 8 at 4 PM at First Congregational Church of Los Angeles Main Sanctuary  

  Adam Levin 

Adam Levin Hawaii Concert – Sunday, June 5 at 4 PM at the Cliffs at BellaVista 

Adam Levin Portland Master Class – Wednesday, June 8 at 6:30 PM at the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.

Adam Levin Portland concert – Thursday, June 9 at 7 PM at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.

*Adam Levin Virtual Master Class – Saturday, June 11 at 6:30 PM

*Adam Levin Virtual Concert – Sunday, June 12 at 4 PM Pacific Time

Roberto Fabbri and Daughters, Michele Libraro, and William Jenks 

Hawaii Concert Sunday, August 21 at 4 PM at the Cliffs of BellaVista 

Portland Concert - Friday, August 26 at 7 PM at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral

Los Angeles Concert – Sunday, August 28 at 4 PM at the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles Shatto Chapel  

*Angel Romero and Ronit Widmann-Levy

Angel Romero with Ronit Widmann-Levy Hawaii Concert – Sunday, December 4 at 4 PM at the Cliffs of BellaVista in Hawi

Angel Romero Portland Master Class – Thursday, December 8 at 6:30 PM at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.

Angel Romero with Ronit Widmann-Levy Portland Concert - Friday, December 9 at 7 PM at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.

Angel Romero with Ronit Widmann-Levy LA Concert – Sunday, December 11 at 4:00 PM at First Congregational Church of Los Angeles Main Sanctuary 

*The Angel Romero concerts have been rescheduled to December of 2022. Your tickets will be valid for the rescheduled dates.

 

Doors open 30 minutes before the start of each concert. Season ticket holders will be let in first to select their seats. Enough seats will be held in the reserved section for season ticket holders up to the start time of the concert.

U.S. Classic Guitar is thrilled to announce the U.S. International Guitar Series Season 2022 artist line-up and the return to live concerts and master classes again in the areas of Portland, Los Angeles, and on the Big Island of Hawaii. The concerts and master classes will also be streamed live for a pay-per-view audience that wishes to watch these events virtually. This season will include some of the greatest guitarists in the world including the Romero Quartet, Grammy-winners Sharon Isbin and David Russell, the legendary Angel Romero with renowned soprano Ronit Widmann-Levy, 2022 Grammy nominee Mak Grgic and rising star Adam Levin. The series will also include a concert featuring world-renowned artists Roberto Fabbri and Daughters, Michele Libraro, and U.S. Classic Guitar President William Jenks

First, we would like to give a special thanks to the Augustine Foundation for their generous support as well various other individuals, foundations, and businesses. U.S. Classic Guitar is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, and we rely on your support. As we enter 2022, please consider making a tax deductible donation, become a sponsor, or join our team of distinguished volunteers. 

Our concert and master class venues this season will include the gorgeous historic First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, the Kahilu Theatre in Hawaii, a beautiful private venue on the Big Island of Hawaii called the Cliffs at BellaVista, and our newest exciting venue in Portland called Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. 

The season will kick off in late January of 2022 with rising star Mak Grgic who has quickly established himself as one of the up-and-coming performers in the guitar genre, whos program includes music as far reaching as works from the avant-garde, film music to the great classics of guitar repertoire and transcriptions of Brahms and Kreisler. Touted as a “gifted young guitarist” by the New York Times, and “a guitarist to keep an eye on” by the Washington Post, Mak Grgic [GER-gich] is a star on the worldwide stage. This special performance will include an all J.S. Bach program on a unique well tempered guitar.

Next, in February will be the legendary Romero Quartet performing their 60-year anniversary tour featuring Celin, Pepe, Celino, and Lito Romero. Known to millions as “The Royal Family of the Guitar,” the Romeros have performed in major performance venues of the world, such as Carnegie Hall. They were also asked to perform at the White House and in 1983 they appeared at the Vatican for the Pope John Paul II. King Juan Carlos knighted Celin, Pepe, and Angel into the Isabel la Catolica. Since the Romero family came to the United States in 1957, they have consistently dazzled audiences everywhere and have inspired enthusiastic praise from critics coast to coast. The Romeros have given thousands of concerts all over the world; today, they continue to produce music which is extraordinary. Whether performing as a quartet, duo or as soloists in recital and with symphony orchestra, the Romeros prevail as champions in the realm of classical guitar. 

David Russell dazzled our online audience this last March of 2021 with an incredible performance from his home in Spain and now he will be returning to perform for us live this March in 2022 with a completely different program. He received a Grammy-award for his CD called Air Latino, he holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Arizona, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Guitar Foundation of America. He is a very prolific recording artist and his discography includes seventeen CDs with Telarc International. The New York Times wrote about his performance: "... Mr. Russell made his mastery evident without ever deviating from an approach that places musical values above mere display. It was apparent to the audience throughout the recital that Mr. Russell possesses a talent of extraordinary dimension". 

Performing in May will be Sharon Isbin who is acclaimed for her extraordinary lyricism, technique, and versatility. She is a multiple Grammy-award winner and she was named the 2020 Musical America Worldwide Instrumentalist of the Year and the first guitarist ever to receive the coveted honor in its 59- year award history. Hailed as “the pre-eminent guitarist of our time,” she is the winner of Guitar Player magazine’s Best Classical Guitarist award, Germany’s Echo Klassik, Concert Artists Guild’s Virtuoso Award, and the Toronto and Madrid Queen Sofia competitions, and was the first guitarist ever to win the Munich ARD Competition. She has performed with the major orchestras and important venues of the world and her catalogue of over 30 albums from Baroque, Spanish/Latin and 20th Century to crossover and jazz-fusion, has sold nearly a million copies and reflects her remarkable versatility. She is also the director of guitar departments at the Aspen Music Festival and The Juilliard School (which she created in l989 becoming the first and only guitar instructor in the institution’s 100-year history). 

Praised for his “visceral and imaginative performances” by the Washington Post, top prize-winning classical guitarist and recording artist Adam Levin will be performing for us in June. Levin has performed extensively across the United States at renowned venues such as Chicago’s Pick Staiger, Nichols, and Mayne Stage concert halls as well as at the prestigious Art Institute of Chicago; Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, and Jordan Hall; Spivey Hall in Atlanta; repeat appearances at Le Poisson Rouge in New York City; and the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. In Europe, Levin has performed in some of the finest venues across Spain, Italy, Germany, and Switzerland. 

August will feature Italian guitarist Roberto Fabbri performing with his two daughters vocalist Francesca Fabbri and violist Valeria Fabbri; Italian guitarist Michele Libraro; and U.S. Classic Guitar President William Jenks. In 2007, Soundboard magazine stated that, “Roberto Fabbri is flamboyant and technically astonishing - a definite crowd pleaser.”  He currently records for Sony classical where he often composes and performs his own music. Michele Libraro is the recipient of “The Golden guitar Prize” at the 7th International Guitar Meeting in Alessandria, Italy in September of 2002 and he is the winner of various National competitions such as those of Genova, Pescara, Taranto, Locorotondo, Napoli and Matera. William Jenks is a rare talent from a new generation of classical guitarists. Not only is he a world class recording artist, sought out for performances and master classes around the globe—he is also the Founder and President of U.S. Classic Guitar. He has performed throughout the United States, South America, and Europe and has taught master classes and served on the jury for several International guitar competitions. 

To close the series in December will be the legendary Angel Romero whos is a member of the Romero family but left the quartet to focus on his solo career and conducting. Hailed for his superior artistry as a master of Spanish guitar, Angel Romero’s eminence in the music world as a soloist and a conductor is heralded by audiences and critics alike. One of the most sought-after musicians of his generation, Angel Romero has appeared with the world’s major orchestras, including the LA Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic, the New World Symphony, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. For these exiting concerts in December, he will be joined by soprano Ronit Widhamm-Levy who is a world renowned vocalist originally from Israel. Their exciting program will include Spanish voice and guitar works by Manuel de Falla, Federico Garcia Lorca, guitar solos composed by Angel Romero's father Celedonio Romero and the two songs from the rare, treasured Ladino music of Spanish-Jewish heritage. Ronit Widmann - Levy has received accolades for her operatic and concert performances throughout the world. A versatile artist equally at home on both concert and opera stages. Ronit has sung in opera houses and festivals in San Francisco, Chicago, Washington, Tanglewood, Cincinnati, Kentucky, Berlin, Munich, London, Bangkok and Jerusalem. She sang at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago, the Bath and Dartington Festivals in England, the Jüdische Kulturtage in Berlin, and the America Haus Concert Series in Munich. Ms. Widmann-Levy made her début with the San Francisco Symphony in February 2005 in Schumann’s Das Paradies und die Peri, conducted by Ingo Metzmacher. Since her debut Ronit has regularly performed with Michael Tilson Thomas and the SFS in Carnegie Hall, with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the New World Symphony Orchestra as well as with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Widmann-Levy’s interpretation of Arnold Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire has won praise and she has been invited to perform the piece in Europe and the U.S.A.

Please join us for this monumental season by becoming a season ticket holder (our best value) or purchasing individual tickets. Also, we want to ask you to consider supporting U.S. Classic Guitar which is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization at a deeper level by making a tax-deductible donation or joining our group of distinguished volunteers. We also have some great sponsorship packages for businesses. Thank you for your support!