Americas Society Hosts New York Guitar Seminar at Mannes
Americas Society Hosts New York Guitar Seminar at Mannes
An international cast of guitarists performed at Music of the Americas on June 19.
On June 19, the New York Guitar Seminar at Mannes and Music of the Americas joined forces to present the inaugural concert of the Seminar’s weeklong series. The annual New York Guitar Seminar at Mannes offers the opportunity for classical guitar students to join the world's top performers, pedagogues, and competition winners for a week of concerts, master classes, rehearsals, and workshops. The Seminar’s opening event featured faculty members Dale Kavanagh, Mário da Silva, and Duo Cantabile.
Described by Classical Guitar Magazine as a “picture perfect example of emotional power,” Duo Cantabile consists of guitarist Mariano Aguirre and soprano Lauri Aguirre. The duo began the evening with Mis Primeros Versos by Puerto Rican composer Ernesto Cordero. Written in 1967 when the composer was only 21, Mis Primeros Versos is set to texts by a variety of Spanish-language poets. Following Mis Primeros Versos were five pieces entitled Cinco Bosquejos, or “Five Sketches” by Ernesto García de León, in which each movement is dedicated to the composer’s cousins. Mariano Aguirre performed the pieces on solo guitar.
Next came Dale Kavanagh, who performed the New York premiere of her original composition Tales of Greiffenberg. Written in 2009, the composer paints the natural landscape of Greiffenberg, a small German village near the Polish border, in three movements: “On the Lake”, “The Forest”, and “Wind Dance”. As an international soloist, Kavanagh performs regularly in both orchestral and recital settings. She has given over one thousand recitals in more than forty countries, and is a regular recitalist and teacher in music festivals throughout Europe, North and South America, and Asia.
Rounding out the program was Brazilian guitarist Mário da Silva, whose set featured a mix of both modern and classic works. Da Silva performed Percussion Study 1 by Brazilian composer Arthur Kampel. In his series of "Percussion Studies" for solo guitar, Kampela has created an entirely new playing technique called tapping, which exploits timbre, pitch, texture, and complex rhythmic designs. Da Silva employed this technique during his performance by using the body of the guitar to create the “tapping” effect.
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Visit the New York Guitar Seminar at Mannes website for more information on next year’s festival and a new collaboration with Music of the Americas.
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