Thomas Athanaselos' "Iguazu" album features classical guitar music from Brazil and Argentina, while Pascal Valois has two albums of Romantic guitar.]]>
We're not calling these the "best" or "most important" classical guitar albums of 2020; but they our editor's favorites, "the ones that spoke to my soul most."]]>
BY BLAIR JACKSON /Editor, Classical Guitar Xuefei YangSketches of China(Decca) On of the first interviews I did for Classical Guitar magazine after becoming its editor more than six years ago was with the great Xuefei Yang, in Oklahoma City, in the American Southwest, of all places; it was my first Guitar Foundation of America convention. She was a wonderful interview subject—bright, engaging, articulate—and one of the things that really struck me about our conversation was that she was adamant about […]]]>
At just 19 years old, Naples-born Cristina Galietto is part of the rising generation of exceptionally talented Italian guitarists. Whether it’s the exceptional schools spread throughout the country or the many annual regional guitar festivals and competitions that happen year ’round from the north to the south, or both, there’s definitely something about bella italia that seem to produce and promote great classical guitarists. (We should note, though, that Galietto also received excellent guitar tutoring in England, where she studied […]]]>
Some of you may recall that back in the spring of 2018, we posted 14 weekly videos in a series highlighting guitar prodigies. One of them featured a spirited rendition of Paolo Bellinati’s “Jongo” by the brother-and-sister Davisson Duo from the SF Bay Area: Jack, who was 13 at the time, and Elle, 10. At some point along the line I got to meet these terrific kids; nice, and as talented as can be! Now they are 15 and 12 […]]]>
BY MAURICE SUMMERFIELD (FOUNDER AND FORMER PUBLISHER OF CLASSICAL GUITAR MAGAZINE) My old friend and colleague Barry Mason, who passed away April 14, 2020 from complications of Alzheimer’s disease, was without doubt an important figure in the development of the classical guitar in the UK. Born in Yorkshire in 1947, Mason was educated at the Hull College of Technology and went on to study classical guitar at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he studied with Anthony Rooley […]]]>
From the Fall 2017 issue of Classical Guitar | BY RHAYN JOOSTE Tango en Skaï by Roland Dyens (1955–2016), is a short, quite famous showpiece that will put your technique to the test. This lesson will cover how to approach this challenging work and also how to achieve more authenticity in your tango performances. Published in 1985 by Henry Lemoine, Tango en Skaï was one of Dyens’ concert improvisations until it was suggested he actually set it down. The title […]]]>
If we’ve missed your festival/competition here, let us know and we’ll add it! And if you’d like to send us information about events in the coming months, you can write to us at blair.jackson@stringletter.com. Also, please inform us who wins the competitions so we can publicize their names! MARCH 20–22 Guitares Au Beffroi International Festival Montrouge, France March 22 is the classical guitar day/night of this festival held in a Paris suburb, with the finals round of the international competition […]]]>
For most guitarists, it isn’t easy piecing together a full-time career in music By Blair Jackson I’m going to go out on a limb and state that almost no one aspires to become a professional classical guitarist to get rich. That isn’t to say that none become wealthy, but it’s hardly ever the reason a guitarist chooses to devote thousands of hours of blood, sweat, and tears to such an incredibly difficult and demanding undertaking. For most, the rewards are […]]]>
Being well-prepared and practicing sight-reading daily helps, but this must be combined with the right technique to get focused and begin the piece for Quick Study.]]>