by Jarrett Hoffman
Spanish-born Andrea González Caballero, who in 2016 became the youngest guitarist to receive first prize in the Alhambra International Guitar Competition in Valencia, has chosen an all-Spanish program for her Cleveland debut this weekend.
Presented by the Cleveland Classical Guitar Society, the recital takes place on Saturday, November 20 at 7:30 pm at Plymouth Church in Shaker Heights, and features music by Tárrega, Sainz de la Maza, de Falla, Turina, and Albéniz. Tickets and safety policies are available here.
Hailing from Eibar in the Basque Country in northern Spain, Caballero moved to Düsseldorf, Germany in her late teens to study guitar at the Robert Schumann Musikhochschule, then to Baltimore to enroll at the Peabody Institute. These days, she calls Miami home.
“I like it here very much,” she said during a recent telephone call. “The first city that I lived in when I moved to the U.S. was Baltimore, which was a little bit contrasting to what I was used to. Florida, and especially Miami, I find to be a little bit closer to my culture — Hispanic culture.” And the weather certainly isn’t a minus, she added.
Like many of us, guitarist Celil Refik Kaya had a lot of time on his hands over the past eighteen months, and he used the opportunity to lean into another of his musical passions — composing. In his second-ever visit to the Cleveland Classical Guitar Society, Kaya brought the product of this extra time with him — the newly-composed Sketches, based on four works of visual art created by his father.
When Turkish-American guitarist Celil Refik Kaya returns to the Cleveland Classical Guitar Society for a recital at Plymouth Church on Saturday, October 23 at 7:30 pm, there will be one important overlap with his program from four years ago: it will include a piece by Celil Refik Kaya.
Cuban-American guitarist Edel Muñoz made his third rendezvous with the Cleveland Classical Guitar Society on Saturday, April 17. The first was a recital at Plymouth Church in November of 2012, the second a two-part engagement in July of 2014 when he performed for a CCGS benefit and gave a master class. Most recently, his appearance was virtual. At home in Puerto Rico, he recorded a 45-minute recital and connected online with guitar students from the Society’s educational programs.
Over the years, the Cleveland Classical Guitar Society has presented a seemingly endless roster of outstanding players on their International Series. That tradition continued on Saturday, March 20 when Emanuele Buono made his series debut with an impressive pre-recorded concert that left you wondering if the Italian guitarist was born with the instrument in his hands.
Although guitarist 
The shift online for concerts over the past year has included world premieres. And as amazing as it can be to gather in a room with other people and hear something that’s never been heard before, there’s a positive side to the new format. When the player has a history of not only winning solo competitions, but also creating impressive and stylish videos, perhaps a new piece can sail off into the world with a little extra propulsion.