by Mike Telin
If it’s the beginning of June, it’s time for classical guitarists from around the world to gather at the Cleveland Institute of Music for the annual Cleveland International Classical Guitar Festival.
For the 2019 edition, which runs from Thursday, June 6 through Sunday, June 9, Founder and Artistic Director Armin Kelly has invited an outstanding lineup of performers, clinicians, and lecturers. The Festival will feature twelve participating artists and ensembles, five concerts, two premiere performances, nine master classes, two youth ensemble performances, three lectures, and one guitar demonstration concert. Click here to view a Festival schedule.
Thursday, June 6
Colin Davin (USA) will kick things off at 7:30 pm in Mixon Hall with a program that includes Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint, J.S. Bach’s Violin Sonata No. 3, BWV 1005 and Violin Partita No. 2, BWV 1004, and the Cleveland premiere of David Crowell’s Point Cloud. A performance by students of Tom Poore and Andrew Poxon in the Pogue Lobby will begin at 6:50 pm.
Friday, June 7
Lynn McGrath (USA) will present a lecture recital titled “Guitar with Spoken Word” at 6:30 pm in Studio 113.
At 8:00 pm in Mixon, Xuefei Yang (China) will present a program of works by Debussy, de Falla, Rodrigo, Albéniz, Granados, Niño Ricardo, Paco de Luca, Paco Peña, and Chen Yi, as well as traditional Chinese music.
Saturday, June 8
Master guitar maker Alfredo Velazquez (USA) will lead a workshop titled “The Art of Guitar Making” at 1:00 pm in Studio 113. At 2:00 pm in Mixon, Drew Henderson (Canada) will give a demonstration of fine classical guitars.
Lutenist Elizabeth Kenny (England) will present “Theorbo Fantasy: old and new music for the long-necked lute” at 4:00 pm in Mixon. The program will include Piccinini’s Toccata Cromatica, Partite variate sopra la Folia, and Ciaconna, Kapsberger’s Toccata, Passacaglia, Capona, Canario, and Coloscione, James Macmillan’s Motet I (Since It Was the Day of Preparation), Benjamin Oliver’s Extending from the Inside, and Nico Muhly’s Berceuse with seven variations (a premiere, written for Elizabeth Kenny).
At 6:30 pm in Studio 113, Drew Henderson will give a lecture titled “How to Prepare for the Recording Process.”
And Jason Vieaux (USA) caps off the day with an 8:00 pm performance in Mixon. The program will feature Domenico Scarlatti’s Sonata K. 208, Giuliani’s Variations on a Theme by George Frideric Handel (“The Harmonious Blacksmith”), Bach’s Violin Sonata No. 1 in g, Albéniz’s Cuba (Suite Espanola), Frank Martín’s Quatre pièces brèves, and Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 in G.
Sunday, June 9
At 2:30 pm in Studio 113, Jason Vieaux, Colin Davin, Xuefei Yang, Elizabeth Kenny, and Lynn McGrath will discuss the commissioning of works for guitar and lute.
CHILDBLOOM: Cleveland Bella Corda Ensemble will perform in the Pogue Lobby at 3:20 pm, and Petra Poláčková (Czech Republic) will bring the Festival to a close at 4:00 pm in Mixon. Her program includes Sylvius Leopold Weiss’ Tombeau Sur La Mort de M. Comte de Logy, Bach’s “Ciaccona” from the Violin Partita in d, and Manuel Maria Ponce’s Five Preludes and Variations sur Folia de España et Fugue.
Published on ClevelandClassical.com May 21, 2019.
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