Worcester Classical Guitar Society
Rehearsals are at St. George’s Church Hall in Barbourne
New members welcome
Follow Rehearsals Link Below and Join In
The Guitar Society promotes ensemble playing for guitarists of all ages and abilities. We have a Guitar Orchestra, a Youth Guitar Orchestra (WYGO) and the long-standing Worcester Guitar Quartet. We also encourage other ensembles and solo playing.
Read on for all the news on artists, concerts and other random ramblings that may be of interest.
We also have some guitar music videos for you to enjoy.
St. George’s
Barbourne
Guitar Society Concert
St. George’s Church Hall
Sunday June 23rd, 2:30 pm
We will be holding an afternoon concert again this year, this time on a Sunday, June 23rd, starting at 2:30 pm. The concert will feature the Guitar Orchestra and the Worcester Guitar Quartet and will feature music in a variety of styles. There will be interval refreshments, to be enjoyed in the garden, weather permitting of course.
Tickets will be available on the door.
Baden Powell
The Shadow of Your Smile
Xufei Yang
Two for the price of one here: Came across Xufei Yang playing “The Shadow of Your Smile” on YouTube, in an arrangement by Baden Powell. There is a link to this music below.
Baden Powell de Aquino was a Brazilian guitarist, named after Lord Baden-Powell, the father of the scout movement and performed professionally simply as Baden Powell. He was a very influential guitarist, he combined classical techniques with harmony and swing. He performed in many styles, including Samba, Bossa Nova and Brazilian Jazz. Hearing Xufei Yang’s rendition of his music led to a little more exploration, so we have two more resources for you:
Firstly is the album “Solitude on Guitar”, from which The Shadow of Your Smile arrangeent was taken. We have a link to the 7Digital platform where a digital download can be purchased. There are samples of every track so you can assess whether this is for you.
Secondly is a free resource of Baden Powell’s arrangements in score and tab. These are published by the guitarist’s son; Philippe Baden Powell. Again there’s a link below to this extensive resource. Well worth a browse to see if anything grabs your interest.
Fei Yang plays "Shadow of your Smile" HERE
Solitude on Guitar Album HERE
“Brazil On Guitar” pdf files HERE
Worcestershire
April through July
Emma Winscom &
Steve Bridgwater
Piano, Voice, Guitar, Dulcimer
The Guitar Society’s own Steve Bridgwater, on guitar and dulcimer, will be joining forces with Emma Winscom, piano and vocals, and Mike Thomas, percussion, for a series of gigs in Worcestershire over the coming months.
They will be performing a wide range of musical styles, including songs written and performed by Joni Mitchell, Eva Cassidy, Norah Jones and Cole Porter, plus some of Emma and Steve’s own songs and instrumental compositions.
the details are as follows:
Friday, April 26th 7:30, Quaker Meeting House, 1 Sansome Walk, Worcester WR1 1UG
Saturday, May 18th 7:30, Hallow Parish Hall, Hallow WR2 6LD
Wednesday, June 19th 1:00, St George's Church, Barbourne, Worcester, WR! 1HX
Saturday, July 13th 7:30, Peace Hall, Sinton Green, Hallow, WR2 6NP
Light refreshments will be provided
Donations on the Door
Symphony Hall
Birmingham
Pat Metheny
Thursday, Nov 14th, 7:30 pm
A chance to see the outstanding guitarist Pat Metheny here in the UK. Not classical guitar of course but a very innovative guitarist whose music covers many genres and well worth a trip to Brum to see him in this solo performance.
Pat is currently on a world tour promoting both his last release “DreamBox” and the new album, “MoonDial” scheduled for release in July this year. DreamBox was created from music Pat Metheny had recorded during downtime on various tours. These were lying dormant on his hard drive until he discovered the folder and chose the best nine tracks for this album.
One track has been released as a teaser from the MoonDial album and there is a link to that below.
Pat Metheny is highly rated by many musicians; Gary Ryan pays tribute in the sleeve notes on his Worlds Apart album, particularly for the track West Coast Breeze. Good opportunity to see him in his only UK date on this tour.
B:Music Website & Tickets HERE
MoonDial Title Track HERE
Baroque Music
Anabel Montesinos
A Touch of Time EP
Anabel Montesinos is a Spanish born classical guitarist with an international reputation, having won several major international guitar competitions and tours much of the world. Here we have the opportunity to listen to a track called Invention, by J.S Bach, arranged for guitar by Anabel herself. The track features on her new EP, which features Baroque music.
Invention (YouTube) HERE
¡Flamenco!
Friday Sept 27th
Daniel Martinez Flamenco
New Production “Andalucia"
Swan Theatre, Worcester
Daniel Martinez has a new production, Andalucia, which is a musical representation of the eight regions that make up the autonomous community of Andalucia in the South of Spain, the birthplace of flamenco; Cordoba, Sevilla, Cadiz, Malaga, Jaen, Granada, Huelva and Almeria.
Each region has its own distinct take on the very many diverse styles that make up flamenco and these will be presented to the audience through Daniel’s guitar, and accompanied by an array of flamenco musicians, singers, a chamber orchestra ensemble and flamenco dance.
All of the music for Andalucia, including the full chamber orchestra, has been written and composed by Daniel himself.
The production visited the Town Hall in Birmingham on March 15th 2024, and comes to Worcester’s Swan Theatre on Friday, September 27th. Although this doesn’t feature in any brochures yet, we have a link to this production below and tickets are available now.
Tickets from Worcester Theatres HERE
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