Worcester Classical Guitar Society
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.
New members are very welcome - just follow the rehearsals link below and join us at St. George's
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.
Barbourne June 7th
Salwarpe June 20th
Land, Sea & Sky
WCGS Concerts June
This year the Guitar Society will be holding two concerts with the theme Land, Sea & Sky. The concerts will feature the Worcester Classical Guitar Society, The Worcester Guitar Quartet, plus solos and duets.
The first concert will be at our normal venue of St. George’s Church Hall in Barbourne, Worcester. It will take place at 2:30 pm, on Saturday, June 7th, with an interval and break for refreshments in the garden.
The second event will be at Salwarpe Village Hall on Friday, June 20th at 7:30 pm
Our music will take you from Sunrise in Africa to Sunset at Waterloo. We will visit Greece, take a mule ride in Peru, waltz along the Danube, cross lakes, dance with the waves and much more. How will we travel between all these places? Trains and Boats and Planes, of course!
Tickets for both events £7 on the door, cash, card and contactless payments accepted.
Concert at King’s Heath
June 25th., 8 pm
Hare & Hounds June 25th
Alexandra Whittingham & Stephanie Jones
Having recently completed a tour of Canada and the USA, Alexandra Whittingham is travelling again, this time on a UK tour with duo partner Stephanie Jones. On June 25th the duo will play at the Art Nouveau listed pub, the Hare & Hounds at King’s Heath in Birmingham.
Sergio Assad hailed Stephanie Jones as having "A magical sound with the deepest musical expression” The duo will play duets and will take it in turn to play solos.
The link below takes you to the “ThroughtheNoise” website and this performance is labelled NoiseNight 220 - perhaps appropriate for the venue that hosted UB40’s first gig in 1979.
Book Tickets HERE
The duo plays Sergio Assad’s “Invitation" HERE
Concert in Brum
Mela Guitar Quartet
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
October 2nd 6:30 pm
Winners of the prestigious Guitar Foundation of America International Ensemble Competition 2023, the Mela Guitar Quartet is known for its imaginative, engaging programming, ingenious arrangements and commissioning celebrated original works.
The quartet recently completed an eight-week tour of America and Canada as part of their GFA winners prize, including a USA premiere performance of Anthony Burgess's Concerto Grosso for four guitars and orchestra with Stanford Philharmonic at the Bing Concert Hall, California.
So here is an opportunity to see and hear this innovative quartet in action close to home in the Recital Hall of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
Concert Tickets HERE
Mela Website HERE
Tribute to Agustin Barrios
El Bohemio
Thibaut Garcia
Thibaut Garcia is a gifted Franco-Spanish guitarist, born in Toulouse in 1994, who began playing the guitar at just seven years old. He has won many international guitar competitions, was a BBC New Generation Artist in 2017, making his Wigmore Hall debut the same year.
Thibaut Garcia pays tribute with El Bohemio to the Paraguayan guitar virtuoso and composer Agustín Barrios (1885-1944). El Bohemio duly complements 16 varied works by Barrios himself with three of his transcriptions of famous pieces by Chopin, Schumann, and Beethoven. In addition, the album includes readings of two of Barrios’s poems: ‘Bohemio’, which lends the album its name, portrays the composer as a wandering troubadour; ‘Profesión de fé’ (Profession of faith) honours the Guarani, the indigenous people of Paraquay.
Presto Music Website HERE
Gnossienne No. 1
Xufei Yang
Music From Erik Satie
Xufei Yang has a new album due for release on June 27th, featuring the music of Erik Satie. She has also released singles, including her rendition of Gnossienne No. 1. Follow the link below to the relevant page on Xufei’s website. You will have the opportunity to listen on varous streaming platforms, plus YouTube Music.
Gnossienne No. 1 HERE
Lulo Reinhardt
and
Yuliya Lonskaya
Lulo Reinhardt
With Yuliya Lonskaya
Alexandra Whittingham has recently been on tour in the US and Canada as part of International Guitar Night, we thought it would be interesting to take a look at one of the artists accompanying her on this tour.
Lulo Reinhardt was born in Koblenz on the 12.10.1961 and, like his Uncles Dawelie Reinhardt and Schnuckenack Reinhardt, comes from the famous Reinhardt family.
Lulo Reinhardt was raised in the Sinti tradition where Django Reinhardt’s music played a massive part.
As well as several solo and ensemble projects in the gypsy jazz vein, Lulo has collaborated with Yuliya Lonskaya in a “Gypsy meets Classic” album. They have also played many live concerts together. We attach a YouTube video of the duo playing “Keep Up” , recorded at the Loster Eberbach, a former Cistercian monastery - also known for the filming of some of the interior scenes of “The Name of The Rose"
“Keep Up" Video HERE
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