The Seventh Annual  UTB/TSC

Guitar Ensemble Festival 2 0 0 8

March 26 - 29, 2008
 

* Ensemble Competition * Feature Concerts * Master Classes *

1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd Places awarded in each category

    Brownsville, Texas    “On the Border by the Sea”

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The UTB/TSC Guitar Ensemble Festival began in March of 2001 for a duel purpose: to give young guitar students the opportunity to perform in a competitive though encouraging environment and to bring some of the best guitarists to the Valley so that these young and maturing musicians can see great artists perform. Previous performers have included classical, flamenco, flamenco nuevo and popular artists performing on classical-type guitars.  Not only are there world-class concerts, there will be master classes held by highly skilled professors and performers.  These classes amount to public lessons from experienced concert artists who give pointers about the craft of music to individual students in front of an audience.  This type of experience is both concert and instruction for the performer—a little nerve-racking for the student, to say the least.  Auditors (people who sit in the audience for the class) are invited no matter what level of guitar expertise and may at no charge.  Locations for each class will be on the UTB/TSC campus Student Union Building and Eidman Music Building (see schedule below for exact times).

The heart of the events will be the ensemble competition held Thursday, Friday and Saturday during which ensembles will show off their best repertoire before this panel of distinguished judges who will rate their performances.  The competing groups range in experience from elementary school students to conservatory-trained musicians and will be judged according to their performance categories.  These performances are free and the public is invited to attend in the SET-B Lecture Hall.

FESTIVAL AND COMPETITION APPLICATION 2008 (pdf format)

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE 2008

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"...inspired yet deceptively easygoing virtuosity that exists when discipline and spontaneity are balanced to perfection." -- Washington Post

"One of the finest guitar quartets in the world...If you haven't heard a classical guitar quartet before, this one won't just show you what you've been missing-they'll blow you away." -- Guitar Player

"The world's hottest classical ensemble or its tightest pop band? However it helps you to think about the LAGQ, keep the emphasis on superlatives for its unrivaled joy, technical elan and questing spirits." -- Los Angeles Times

John Dearman.  Originally from Minneapolis, John Dearman is a versatile guitarist whose repertoire ranges from samba to bluegrass, and from flamenco to classical. He enriches the sound of the LAGQ by performing on a unique seven-string guitar with extended upper and lower registers. John is currently the Director of Guitar Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Matt Greif.  Matthew Greif is the newest member of the Quartet. In addition to being a classical guitarist, he has an extensive background playing in other styles, such as jazz, rock, flamenco, and bluegrass. Matthew's recordings include Permanent Transition, which features duo improvisations with Andrew York and Dusan Bogdanovic. Matthew was named Outstanding Graduate of the U.S.C. guitar department, where he studied with William Kanengiser, James Smith, and Scott Tennant. He also studied jazz with Joe Diorio, Mark Pratt, and Frank Potenza. Matthew has taught at several colleges and universities throughout Central and Southern California.

William Kanengiser.  Acclaimed soloist, recording artist and professor at the USC Thornton School of Music, William Kanengiser is one of the few guitarists to have won the Concert Artists Guild New York Competition. His solo recordings on the GSP label display his unique approach to programming, ranging from the music of the Old World to the Caribbean to his latest disc Classical Cool, an exploration of jazz currents for classical guitar. He has earned critical acclaim for his imaginative arrangements for solo guitar and guitar quartet, and for producing two instructional videos for Hot Licks. Kanengiser may be best known as the classical guitarist in the 1986 film Crossroads.

Scott Tenant.  Celebrated as a world-class performer, author and teacher, Detroit-born Scott Tennant has been concertizing since the age of twelve. Much in demand as a solo artist, Scott has recorded for Delos International and is currently completing a recording project of the complete solo guitar works of Joaquin Rodrigo for GHA, Belgium. He is the author of the best-selling book and video Pumping Nylon, a technical handbook for the classical guitarist, and the five-part series Scott Tennant's Basic Classical Guitar Method. He has taught at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and is now on the faculty at the USC Thornton School of Music.

Performances given by participating guitar ensembles will be judged by a panel of accomplished instrumental artists on the basis of ensemble execution and the expressive impact of the group’s performance.  Special recognition may be given to ensembles based on consensus of the judges.  Ensembles vie for rating awards of First, Second or Third Place in each category.  To be eligible for this event each ensemble should:

Ø       select a repertoire (any style) of appropriate length depending on the appropriate category (See “Registration Form” for detailed requirements)

Ø       play on acoustic nylon-stringed instruments (additional types of acoustic guitars or acoustic bass guitars may be incorporated)

Ø       Pay the registration fee for all members and the director

Ø       NEW THIS YEAR:  16 low-profile stands are available for ensemble use during the competition.

Directors may perform with their ensembles, but there will be a deduction in scoring for this scenario.  Only one player may be substituted/exchanged per group during a single judged performance.

Open to Festival registrants only.  Master classes for guitarists will be held which give both soloists and groups an opportunity to receive coaching from experienced performers.  The most advanced students from each ensemble are encouraged to apply for a class.  There is an additional fee of $50 for each 30-minute instructional slot.   The fee covers an entire group or a single soloist. Registration for each class will be assigned on a first-come-first-served basis.  Advanced master classes from feature artists will be open to solo performers with at least two years of classical training (a letter of recommendation from a current classical guitar instructor is required for these classes) and ensembles with at least two years of experience.  These performing slots are also awarded on a first-come-first-served basis, and registered applicants may be assigned to master classes other than their preferred choice depending upon availability.  Class assignments are not available until March 26, and they will be posted at the registration desk.   Performers must provide the master teacher with published copies, not photocopies, of the music they perform.  (Please see the “Festival Schedule” and “Master Class Registration Form”)

APPLICATION INFORMATION

To Apply for this Festival and Competition, please follow the link to a PDF file and download the application.  Applications should be sent to Dr. Quantz.  DEADLINES: Registrations must be postmarked by February 25, 2008.  Late Registration will be accepted through March 10, 2008 for an additional fee.  

FESTIVAL AND COMPETITION APPLICATION 2008 (pdf format)
ONLINE REGISTRATION AND APPLICATION FORM
MASTER CLASS REGISTRATION FORM

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TICKETS & FESTIVAL PASS INFORMATION

Individual tickets for the concerts are available only at the door in the SET-B Lecture Hall, and the doors open at 7:00 pm.  A festival pass for all events will be available at the registration in the lobby of the UTB/TSC Student Union for $XX beginning (date TBA) and will provide admittance to all events and concerts. As a special tribute to our service personnel, active duty military will be admitted free of charge with current military ID.  Evening concerts start at 8 pm.

CONTACT INFORMATION

For more information on any event in this Festival - please contact: 
      Dr. Michael Quantz, Festival Director
      Phone (956) 882-7527 or Fax: (956) 882-3808 or Email:  michael.quantz@utb.edu

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