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Summary: VCM Summer Guitar Academy and Competition 2010

Bradford Werner — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:15:49 +0000

VCM Summer Guitar Academy and Competition 2010
July 5 – 9, 2010

I had a wonderful time directing the 2010 Summer Guitar Academy at the Victoria Conservatory of Music! Not only were there some great students to work with but I also had the chance to see the fantastic faculty at work (see list below). Here’s a few blurbs about the week in beautiful Victoria, B.C.

Faculty
Bradford Werner (Artistic Director, A.V.C.M.)
Alexander Dunn (B.Mus., M.Mus., Ph.D.)
Janet Grohovac (B.Mus., M.Mus.)
Stephen Lochbaum (B.Mus., M.Mus.)
Adrian Verdejo (B.Mus., M.Mus.)
Michael Dias (B.Mus., M.Mus.)
Douglas Hensley (B.Mus., M.Mus.)

VCM Guitar Academy Competition 2010:

Congratulations to the all the competition winners! The winners are below with their teachers in brackets.

Razvan Bezna [Adrian Verdejo]
Marvin Ren [Adrian Verdejo]
Davis Plett [Kurt Tittlemier]

Concerts

Faculty Showcase
The concert opened with Douglas Hensley and Emily Nagalbach (flute) performing Sonata for ﬂute and guitar (1983) by Henk Badings (1907-1987). Next was Alexander Dunn and Michael Dias performing Three Songs by Paul McCartney, arr. Leo Brouwer (b.1939). After intermission the Victoria Guitar Trio (Michael Dias, Adrian Verdejo and Bradford Werner) played Fugue in F sharp major, BWV882, Fugue in F sharp minor, BWV883, Fugue in F sharp major, BWV858
by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750); September by Rodney Sharmann (b.1958); Tangondo pour trois guitares by Máximo Diego Pujol (b.1957) and Carnaval by Patrick Roux (b. 1962).

Stephen Lochbaum
Classical guitarist Stephan Lochbaum performed and afternoon concert with transcriptions of Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition and J.S. Bach Sonata in Am BWV 1003.

Janet Grohovac
The wonderful Janet Grohovac played Etude No. XVII, Cancion de Cuna, Etude No. IXX by Leo Brouwer (b. 1939); Sonatina Meridional by Manuel Ponce (1882-1948); Choro de Saudade and Un Sueño en la Floresta by Agustín Barrios (1885-1944); Deux Pièces, Segoviana by Darius Milhaud (1892-1974); Sonatina para Guitarra by Federico Moreno Torroba (1891-1982).

Lectures and Classes

From Tone to Timbre
with Stephen Lochbaum
Tone, Timbre, volume, and more! This class provides the student guitarist with expert advice on sound production and volume, one of the most challenging aspects of the instrument. Instructor Stephen Lochbaum, renowned for his strong tone and balanced control of sound, guides students through the maze of techniques and possibilities inherent to the classical guitar.

Chamber Music & The Guitar
with Adrian Verdejo
The role of the guitar in chamber music. Students are guided through the essential skills needed by any guitarist playing in an ensemble experience. This will be an interactive chamber coaching and ensemble skill-building workshop for guitarists at all levels.

Approaching the Composer: Performance Issues in the Guitar Repertoire
with Michael Dias
Through the examination of autograph manuscripts and first editions, this interactive workshop explores the issue of the composer’s intent in his/her’s compositions. Works by Villa-lobos, Falla, and Ponce (and others) will be discussed. The course includes practical performance hints and interpretation skills for the student guitarist.

Guide to the Renaissance Lute
with Douglas Hensley
An introduction to Renaissance lute tablature with an emphasis on accessing the wealth of 6-course lute music just waiting for the guitarist to retune their G string and start playing. Topics include an introduction to lute tablature of the 16th century, playing directly from those sources, a sampling of the 6-course lute repertoire, as well as demonstration of the renaissance lute itself.

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Update and Subscribe

Bradford Werner — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 01:22:53 +0000

Just a quick update, I’ll be quite busy over the next week with the VCM Summer Guitar Academy which I’m directing. So, there might not be a post for just a little while.

However, if you subscribe to Classical Guitar Canada’s Newsletter ( see below) you’ll be updated when I return.

Best Regards,

Bradford Werner

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GFA Youth Winners 2010

Bradford Werner — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 16:33:20 +0000

VI International Youth Competition Senior Division
1st Place: Tengyue Zhang (China)
2nd Place: Colin Fullerton (USA)
3rd Place: Alec Holcomb (USA)
4th Place: Chaconne Klaverenga (USA)

VI International Youth Competition Junior Division
1st Place: Huaicong Mu (China)
2nd Place: Ashwin Krishna (USA)
3rd Place: Noah Kim (USA)
4th Place: Jennifer Kim (USA)

Congrats to all competitors!

Tengyue Zhang, winner – 2010 Guitar Foundation of America Youth Competition, Senior Division

Colin Fullerton – “La Muerte del Angel” by Piazzolla (arr. Brouwer)

Colin Fullerton – Grande Ouverture, Op. 61

Alec Holcomb: Gigue from Suite in E minor, BWV 996, J.S. Bach

Chaconne Klaverenga–Allegro Solemne from La Catedral–Augustin Barrios

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CD Review: Trio Alla Grande

Bradford Werner — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 18:23:40 +0000

A new recording from TRIO ALLA GRANDE / Trio Alla Grande

Buy the recording:

http://www.productionsdoz.com/c277195p17579044.1.html

Repertoire:

Baiao de Gude,
by P. Bellinati
Soupirs d’espace,
by P. Sasseville
The King’s Banquet
by M. Houghton
Rhûn,
by B.Piris

Performers: Rémi Barrette, Julien Bisaillon et Bruno Roussel

Trio Alla Grande myspace: www.myspace.com/trioallagrande

I’ve included some clips of Trio Alla Grande from YouTube at the bottom of this post in case you haven’t heard the trio before. Take a listen.

Trio Alla Grande hail from the Outaouais region of western Quebec where they have created a strong name for themselves. The players, from what I know via word of mouth, might be young but have strong reputations as strong guitarists; well educated and informed. Rémi Barrette, Julien Bisaillon and Bruno Roussel release their first recording as Trio Alla Grande including some fine repertoire and Canadian content.

My initial impressions of the recording based on the first track by Bellinati is that the trio has both the chops and sensitivity to pull off a professional job. The recording quality is high and whoever is playing the top voice has some beautiful control of tone and legato phrasing. Now, I’ll get one thing out of the way right from the start, there are some small moments here and there when the ensemble could be more together. However, to my ears the group is playing out and taking some risks and the result is positive. They don’t hold back on tempos and the vibe of the recording is one that keeps me listening attentively. With that in mind, I’ve highly enjoyed listening to the recording over the past week and expect to keep out and ready to put on again and again as the energy rivals that of a live performance which is far better than a sterile studio recording masked by recording techniques and careful playing.

Baiao de Gude by P. Bellinati is one of those works that obviously work well on the instrument and offers the group a great deal of freedom to explore the various colours and textures available to the classical guitar. If you haven’t heard the piece you can imaging some Patrick Roux with Piazolla in there as well. Trio Alla Grande impress me here because of their agreements on tempos and smooth transitions between contrasting sections of the music. This track is the highlight of the recording not becuase of the composition itself but because the trio sounds very at home with the groove and form of the work.

Soupirs d’espace by P. Sasseville is familiar after my review of Oberon Trio‘s recording of the same work. The recordings are quite different, where Oberon focuses on colour and tight ensemble performance, Trio Alla Grande take a more direct and extroverted approach. I almost get the feeling of a popular music jam session with lines crisscrossing and the rhythmic grooves being emphasized; very apparent in Supernovae and Cadavre stellaire. I love the sound of the bass strings on Supernovae, they really growl and bite. An exciting performance of the work emphasizing the contrasting movements. Not all the movements are recorded here so if you’re looking for the full work you’ll want the Oberon recording for completeness.

At first I couldn’t understand why The King’s Banquet by M. Houghton was on this recording but I have since reconsidered. The more I listen to the album as a whole the more I hear the group as like-minded guitarists who enjoy their time together and it comes across in that jam session feeling; very well suited to Renaissance aesthetic of the work.

I won’t say much about the Rhûn by B.Piris, the other highlight of the recording. Like the Bellinati, the piece works well on the instrument and the trio pulls it off beautifully. The more sensitive side of the trio gets to shine here which I’m glad they offered as it showcases their ability to be mature and well-paced players. I’ve included a YouTube clip below so take a listen.

Conclusion:

An exciting first release, Trio Alla Grande have delivered a recording with the energy of a live performance but the sound of a studio recording. Trio Alla Grande is one of Canada’s most promising and exciting guitar ensembles and I look forward to hearing more from them.

The trio’s strength lies in their ability to retain the energy of a live performance even in the studio. This leads me to believe that these fine guitarist’s love their art and the trio experience and it comes across nicely.

Le Trio Alla Grande joue “Rhûn” de Bernard Piris

Le Trio Alla Grande joue “Imagerie” de F. Kleynjans, novembre 2009.

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CD Review: Oberon Guitar Trio – Music of Our Time

Bradford Werner — Tue, 11 May 2010 17:45:00 +0000

The Oberon Guitar Trio
Music of Our Time
© Copyright-The Oberon Guitar Trio
Record Label: Titania Music and Discs
Recorded in the Joyce and Quentin Doolittle Fine Arts Studio, University of Calgary, June 16-21, 2009.

Buy this recording at www.cdbaby.com: Buy it here!

Artist Website: www.oberonguitartrio.com

Performers: Murray Visscher, Brad Mahon, Ralph Maier

Repertoire:

Alice au pays des merveilles by Claude Gagnon (b. 1950)
Juxtapositions by William Beauvais (b. 1956)
Follow the Star by Stephen Dodgson (b. 1924)
Soupirs d’espace by Pascal Sasseville (b. 1972)

What better CD to review than an recording of Canadian performers playing works by Canadian composers! The Oberon Trio, based in Calgary, have recorded some great Canadian repertoire including the Alice in Wonderland work coinciding with Burton’s new direction of the film.

You can listen to previews of the tracks at the cdbaby link at the top of this post.

As you’ll hear, the group is very well balanced and obviously worked on getting their tones to blend well when needed. This is particularly noticeable in the first movement of Alice au pays des merveilles by Claude Gagnon. After listening to this movement a few times, titled De l’autre cote du miroir, I’ve come to realize how nicely paced the tempo is in the hands of these musically mature players. My favorite movement from the Gagnon is the spirited and witty 2nd movement Big Ben Rabbit. Oberon shines here with wonderful forward movement in the lines but also a sense of complete agreement on the direction of phrases and inclusion of witty musical allusions. I’d like to thank the Oberon for recording the Gagnon as it is a very significant trio, very unified in it’s concept and programmatic elements, possibly one of the best trios written for the instrument.

Juxtapositions by William Beauvais shows a different side of the trio with a more direct and angular approach to some of the rhythms present in the composition’s inner movements compared to the smooth legato outer movements. The Dowland Calypso is a fun little track and offers a lighter, laid-back side of the trio.

Soupirs d’espace by Pascal Sasseville. is an expansive and colourful work and another important one for the classical guitar trio repertoire. Take a listen, it’s a wonderful exploration of colour and balance of sonorities on the classical guitar. In fact, all the movements seem like an exploration of the instrument’s ability to present complimentary tones to well voiced harmonies. Even if the music is not your cup of tea, listen to the track and enjoy the sounds of the instrument – sometimes I forget to enjoy the instrument itself while focusing on the compositional elements. Oberon Trio delivers a high quality tonal experience, especially on the Pulsions galactiques and Vent solaire.

The album as a whole is fairly unified in compositional style. I say this as a positive remark. I like to see the album as a collection of works essentially in the same style but with enough diversity to keep things interesting, therefore, making the album a successfully unified offering. After listening to so many Naxos GFA winners and recordings of either varied programs or of the collected works of one composer, this album offers a better experience as a whole than most. Albums without a concept end up as reference material on my shelf to show students when selecting new repertoire – I don’t really end up listening to them. I can see myself listening to this album for enjoyment and perfect for “mood” listening on those raining days when I stay inside.

The Oberon Guitar Trio have delivered a recording both enjoyable and impressively performed making it a great addition to anyone’s music library.

I recently had a chance to hear some of the repertoire live as the Oberon Trio performed at the the 2010 Northwest Festival here in Victoria. Great concert guys. If you get a chance to see Oberon live go introduce yourself as they are super nice fellows and an important factor in Canada’s classical guitar scene.

The Oberon Guitar Trio performs movements I and II of Claude Gagnon’s “Alice au pays des merveilles.” First of three videos.

Alice in Wonderland (mvmts.I & II) – The Oberon Guitar Trio

Alice in Wonderland (mvmt.III) – The Oberon Guitar Trio

Alice in Wonderland (mvmts.IV & V) – The Oberon Guitar Trio

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The Week in Links (April 18th)

Bradford Werner — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 03:07:42 +0000

In the news:

Concert preview: Rosette Guitar Duo (www.edmontonjournal.com)

The Montreal International Classical Guitar Festival… (www.thesuburbannews.ca/content/en/3772)

Argentine Guitarist Roberto Aussel performs Piazzolla (communities.canada.com)

Endless metamorphosis of Bach takes has its turn in the world of hip hop (thestar.blogs.com/soundmind/)

From Classical Guitar Canada this week:

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Northwest Guitar Festival 2010 – Conclusion

Bradford Werner — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 02:22:18 +0000

by Bradford Werner

The last few days have been busy in Victoria, BC. The 2010 Northwest Guitar Festival took place at he Victoria Conservatory of Music with artists, composers, and presenters. I played in three concerts which made the weekend an exhausting but very exciting weekend. Performers include:

PEPE ROMERO
Alexander Dunn (director)
Victoria Guitar Trio (Bradford Werner, Adrian Verdejo, Michael Dias)
Oberon Guitar Trio (Brad Mahon, Ralph Maier, Murray Visscher)
Continuum Consort (Elizabeth MacIsaac, soprano; Emily Nagelbach, flute; Molly Janz, viola; Douglas Hensley, guitar)
Duo Verdejo (Meghan & Adrian Verdejo)
Michael Nicolella
John Oliver
Randy Pile
Ray Nurse
Stephen Boswell
Stephan Lochbaum
Janet Grohovac
Robert Ward
Peter Zankaer
Francois Koh

I thought I’d just give a brief run-down of the events:

Competition Finals:

Congratulations to all the competitors. Here’s the results:

1st place: Graham Banfield
2nd place: Brett Gunther
3rd place: Sheldon Stanley
4th place: Cesar Rojas

Continuum Consort & Victoria Guitar Trio

I unfortunately missed the Continuum Consort as I was warming up to play with the trio. However I heard that they played a great concert including an original work by Doug Hensley. The Continuum has been a very active group lately and one to keep an eye on.

The Victoria Trio was a blast, I don’t know what it was like from the audience side as I’m a member of the Victoria Trio. The Trio played an all Canadian Programme. We premiered a new work for guitar trio and tape, written for the Victoria Trio by RD Wraggett titled The Nagual’s Dream. Other works include September by Rodney Sharman (he came over from Vancouver for the performance – thanks Rodney!), Conversations for Three Guitars by John Weinzweig, and Carnaval by Patrick Roux.

Alexander Dunn & Friends

A wonderful concerts of chamber music including for great songs with vocalist Anne Grimm, and a work by Hummel with Roger Buksa, and Satori Strings. The concert also included a four movement quartet by John Oliver with the Victoria Trio joining Alexander to end the concert.

John Oliver: Music of John Oliver

A discussion of the composers’ works and evolving trends. If more composers had the chance to give presentations on their style and history as a composer I think performers would be more informed as how to prepared and accomplish the composer’s works.

Oberon Guitar Trio & Duo Verdejo

The Oberon Trio from Calgary was a delight. A very professional and well blended sounds made their Canadian programme a pleasure. Thier performance of Gagnon’s Alice in Wonderland was a treat, as was the work by Pascal Sasseville.

Duo Verdejo. What can say? They gave a concert of electric guitar and viola works and it was…awesome. Composers included: John Cage (arranged by Adrian Verdejo), Jan Javlepp, Tim Brady, and Eric Schwartz. My favorites were the Cage and Swartz. YouTube these two soon to see the clips! Duo Verdejo delivered one of the most exciting concerts I’ve attended in years.

Victoria Virtuosi – Janet Grohovac & Stephen Lochbaum

Two young a spectacular guitarists wowed the audience in the Alix Goolden Hall. Lochbaum played Bach, Mussorgsky and Brahms. Stephen’s playing has more than just pure technique, he has evolved into an extraordinary strong player with superb phrasing and musicality.

Janet Grohovac, winner of the 2009 Northwest competition delivered a spectacular performance! Janet is working toward a PhD in performance with Adam Holzman in Austin Tx.

B.C. Guitar Encounter

Guitars by British Columbia luthiers Hugh Greenwood, Scot Tremblay, Marcus Dominelli, and Douglass Scott.

Youth Showcase + MultipleGuitars

NWGF artists and students in a program of mixed ensembles, with the Canadian premiere of Vals Eterna by Michael Nicolella. Michael Nicolella director, Victoria Guitar Trio (Bradford Werner, Adrian Verdejo, Michael Dias), Oberon Guitar Trio (Brad Mahon, Ralph Maier, Murray Visscher), Peter Zankaer, Francois Koh, Graham Banfield

Ray Nurse: Music of John Dowland

The seminal Renaissance figure is examined by Canada’s premiere lutenist and lute builder. That pretty much sums it up, this was my favorite lecture at the festival. Check out Ray at the Vancouver Early Music Festival.

PEPE ROMERO

I seen Pepe play about three times now and every time I see him, regardless of the hall, the repertoire, or my mood, he always captivates the audience. As usual he gave a great concert including a duo performance with Alex Dunn and a quartet with Dunn, Pile, and Ward.

A weekend of performing and networking. Good fun.

Update (June 12th):

Alexander Dunn and Pepe Romero rehearse the Rodrigo Tonadilla

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Review: Play Piazzolla – 13 Tangos for Guitar

Bradford Werner — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:29:28 +0000

Play Piazzolla: 13 Tangos for Easy Guitar
by Gary Ryan (arranger), Astor Piazzolla (Composer)

Paperback: 28 pages
Publisher: Boosey and Hawkes; 1 edition (Jan 1 2009)
Language: English

I found this collection of Piazzolla arrangements by chance at the local music store. I’ve played other Piazzolla works such as Cinco Piezas (1980) but as most people know Cinco Piezas can be difficult to pull off.

Now, although this collection is titled “for Easy Guitar” don’t be too fooled. These are for the intermediate player, in Canadian RCM level it would be around grade 4-7.

So what do I think? I love this book. I use it in the studio and in my gig collection. The arrangements sound great and are easy enough to sight read (this depends on your reading skills). In the studio, this is the number one requested book by my students (ages 12-60). After each student recital I always have one or two students request “that song” they heard another student perform.

Gary Ryan has put out a product beyond my expectations. The works, although simplistic on some levels – number of voices played at once – sound the way most musicians hear Piazolla. This is not always accomplished by the more difficult arrangements or Piazolla’s own compositions for specifically for guitar. The more abstract aspects of the composer are not focused on here making the book more suitable for the average student or player. On occasion the endings to pieces and the simplicity of the potential virtuosic sections have forced students or myself to improvise and compose alternatives to enhance the music. The majority of students, however, will enjoy the scores just as they are.

Interested in buying Play Piazzolla: 13 Tangos for Easy Guitar?

Amazon Canada ($11.83CAN)
Amazon US/International ($13.22US)
Sheet Music Plus ($16.95)

From: www.garyryan.co.uk

Play Piazzolla is a unique collection of 13 tangos by the Argentinian master of tango nuevo, arranged for solo guitar. The pieces have been skilfully arranged by Gary Ryan so that this wonderfully vibrant music can be easily enjoyed by intermediate guitar players.

Works: Artisane – Ausencias – Chanson de la naissance – El viaje – Los suenos – Milonga for Three – Vuelvo al sur – Milonga – Mumuki – Ouverture (1) – Ouverture (2) – Sensuel – Tango final

Samples – Click the samples below to enlarge the image:

This Review on Classical Guitar Canada was written by Bradford Werner.

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Rhythm Trainer #3

Bradford Werner — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 17:52:07 +0000

The Rhythm Trainer for guitarists is from my publication “Guitar Victoria – Studio Series Vol. 2″.

EXERCISE #3

The upper system gives the rhythm on open-strings. The lower system is intended for use after the upper system has been confidently mastered. Do not play the two staves as a duet.

As in Exercise #2: The below example contains 8th note rests, make sure to observe the rest accurately. A rest, in this context, means silence. Mute the string by placing the next right hand finger to be used. Make a clear distinction between legato quarter notes and 8th notes.

Be sure to let tied notes sustain for their full value. When in doubt: the only time silence occurs is during rests.

Exercise 3 with metronome

Exercise 3 without metronome

Make sure to practise the upper line with the metronome until you’re comfortable with the rhythm.

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Rhythm Trainer #2

Bradford Werner — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 17:47:36 +0000

The Rhythm Trainer for guitarists is from my publication “Guitar Victoria – Studio Series Vol. 2″.

EXERCISE #2

The upper system gives the rhythm on open-strings. The lower system is intended for use after the upper system has been confidently mastered. Do not play the two staves as a duet.

The below example contains 8th note rests, make sure to observe the rest accurately. A rest, in this context, means silence. Mute the string by placing the next right hand finger to be used. Make a clear distinction between legato quarter notes and 8th notes.

Exercise 2 with metronome

Exercise 2 without metronome

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