Monthly Meeting Recap and News for May 2024

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Welcome to this month’s newsletter. Read below for a recap of our last meeting, the Dragos Ilie concert and outreach events, and lots of announcements and upcoming guitar events coming this month, including tonight!

The Monthly Meeting

Last Thursday was a lovely evening. We kept the doors open to let the warm, Spring breezes waft through the tasting room. We thank Paschal Winery for their continued hospitality and support, providing us with a beautiful home.

Program

John Swinnerton – Phoenix Rising (original)

Steve Bismark – Oscar’s Dream by Maria Linneman, Curaçao Vagabundo by Caetano Veloso

Richard McGrath – The Glory of Love by Billy Hill, Johanna’s Journey (original)

Neil Holland – Warm West Texas Wind, Bouzouki Laments (originals)

Francesco Palmer – Mother Nature Son by Paul McCartney, Time in a Bottle by Jim Croce, What a Wonderful World by George Wiess & Bob Thiele

~ Intermission ~

Brian Parris – Across the Universe by John Lennon 1968, Dark Eyed Cajun Woman by Tom Johnston

Mark Turnbull – The Spring in My Step, Branches, Roots and Vines (originals)

Grant Ruiz – Gnossienne No. 1 by Erik Satie

Dan Fellman & Grant – Nocturne by Dan, Leaving/Cuando Yo Muera by Dan (words by Pablo Neruda), Hotel California (Gipsy Kings version) by The Eagles

 Dragos Ilie visit a big success!

What a week for GSSO! Dragos Ilie arrived on Monday, April 29 and performed at four outreach events and then held a virtuosic, intimate concert for us at Grizzly Peak Winery on May 2. He had told Grant that he normally doesn’t give encores, but he treated us to one, a stunning version of Dizzy Gillespie’s A Night in Tunisia arranged by Roland Dyens.

We were so sad to see him go, but here are some pictures from our week. We wish Dragos the best of luck at the Guitar Foundation of America (GFA) competition the week of June 17 and in all of his future endeavors.
 

Announcements


The Folias Duo (classical guitarist Andrew Bergeron and flutist Carmen Maret) will perform an intimate house concert in Ashland on Wednesday, May 22 at 7pm as part of their Dragonfly Tour. Please reply to this message if you’re interested. The message will go to Grant, who can provide more information, including the location. You can also write directly to Grant at grantruiz@ashlandhome.net.

Grant and Dan Fellman will play guitar duets on at the Paschal wine club pick-up party on Saturday, June 1 from 1 to 3pm. They will also play at the Lithia Artisans Market in Ashland on Sunday, June 9 from 1 to 3pm and at Liquid Lounge in Ashland on Wednesday, June 12 from 6 to 8pm.

On June 8 at 4pm, Chamber Music Concerts presents Such Stuff as Dreams are Made On: An Afternoon of Shakespeare and Guitar Featuring Anthony Heald & David Leisner. You can get more information here.

The guitar society received a sweet thank you card from Rupert Boyd of Boyd Meets Girl, who concertized for us back in March. Rupert writes, “Dear Jennifer, Grant, and everyone at the Guitar Society of Southern Oregon. Writing to thank you all so much for warmly welcoming us to Southern Oregon. We really enjoyed our time there, and performing for the society! With all best wishes, Rupert and Laura.”

For those of you who missed the Beijing Duo livestream concert presented by the Omni Foundation on April 6, you can find the full concert here.

Please consider becoming a member of the guitar society! If you attend or play at our meetings frequently, we would especially appreciate your support. Your membership helps pay for our ongoing logistical costs. Annual dues are $25 for individuals and $40 for a family membership (2 or more people). They are good for the calendar year, January through December.

Monthly Meeting Recap and News for April 2024

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Welcome to this month’s newsletter/meeting recap. There’s plenty going on, including our upcoming concert with Romanian guitarist Dragos Ilie on Thursday, May 2 at Grizzly Peak Winery. You can get tickets and information at our website (including a video message from Dragos). Look for a follow-up email with more details coming soon.

The Monthly Meeting

We had a very full, rich evening of guitar music on Thursday, April 11 at our monthly guitar society meeting at Paschal Winery.  We had another full house and were joined by five of Arturo Ville’s guitar students from Grants Pass, as well as several new, very skilled guitarists who played for us. Welcome Wyatt, Jesus, and Nick!

Program

Bob Bath – Claire De Lune by Debussy

Brian Lundeen – Beyond Every Wonder, Cave Junction Caveman (originals)

John Swinnerton – Springtime Suite (original)

Wyatt Thompson Siporen – Merry Go Round of Life by Joe Hisaishi, two unnamed instrumentals, A Sketch for Summer by Vinni Reilery

Jesus Rios – Two untitled originals

Nick Garrett-Powell – Garrett’s Jam & technical demo (original), Autumn Leaves by Kosma and Mercer

~ Intermission ~

Brian Parris – Home by Karla Bonoff, Into the Mystic by Van Morison

Mark Turnbull – Love is Always Young; Branches, Roots, and Vines (originals)

Komac Tapp – Registro by Antonio Lauro

Komac and Arturo Ville – Romance (anonymous)

Arturo – Danae’s Blues (original)

Arturo’s students – Guitar Trio/Andante by Leonhard Von Call, The Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel (with Arturo)

Grant Ruiz and Dan Fellman – Chan Chan by the Buena Vista Social Club, For Sephora by Stochelo Rosenberg 

GSSO Community Outreach Corner

The guitar society has become more active in providing music to the local community, particularly to those who don’t normally have access to live guitar music. On Saturday, April 6 we presented Mark Turnbull to an attentive audience at the Talent Library (above).

Dragos Ilie will play short programs at local schools and community centers during his visit in May, and Grant Ruiz will play at the Jacksonville Library on Saturday, July 20 from 2-3pm.
Announcements

Grant Ruiz and Dan Fellman will play guitar duets on Friday, April 26 at the new Liquid Lounge from 6pm to 8pm. This is a new venue trying music out, so come support local business and music (and have a good time in the process). They’ll also play on Sunday, May 5 at Belle Fiore Winery from 5pm to 7pm.

Please consider becoming a member of the guitar society! If you attend or play at our meetings frequently, we would especially appreciate your support. The GSSO Board of Directors is currently discussing a set of benefits they can provide to our dues-paying musicians. Stay tuned for more information.

Your memberships help pay for our logistical costs such as ongoing network services and annual non-profit renewal fees. Annual dues are $25 for individuals and $40 for a family membership (2 or more people). They are good for the calendar year, January through December. Please visit our membership page to pay online, or respond to this message for alternate payment methods.

On a related note, we want to assure you that if you respond to our MailChimp emails, your reply will only be directed to members of the board, not to the whole email list. So, you can respond to these messages to contact us, or you can write to guitarsocietyofso@gmail.com, or you can go to the Contact Us page of our website.

GSSO Announces New Mission and Vision!

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Dear Guitar Fans:

At the August Paschal meeting, we announced that GSSO had expanded its mission to include outreach to our wonderful community in southern Oregon, with particular focus on youth and on community members who are underrepresented or disconnected from the transformative power of music.  See our new mission and vision here:  GSSO’s New Mission.

What does this look like in practice?  GSSO’s first community partnership is with the Ashland Senior Center, and on August 30th Grant Ruiz presented a free program of Flamenco songs, stories, and history to a large and appreciative crowd.  We received the following message from the director of the Senior Center:  

“Dear Grant and fellow members of GSSO,

Thank you so much for offering an amazing classical flamenco guitar concert at Ashland Senior Center yesterday!  Grant’s playing and singing was so beautiful and moving. It was so wonderful to bring such joy to everyone at the Senior Center yesterday.”

Grant Ruiz performing at Ashland Senior Center

We have also partnered with Britt Music & Arts Festival  to provide music education in local schools.  Our first joint artist in 2023 was Jâca, to be followed by Rene Izquierdo in November and Boyd Meets Girl next March. 
 
New in 2024, GSSO is exploring additional opportunities to assist with guitar education for at risk youth in Rogue Valley, as well discussing opportunities to play acoustic guitar for hospice patients and their families.  We also plan to provide a series of free guitar music performances at rural Jackson County Library branches.
 
In addition to our outreach efforts, we will continue to celebrate the acoustic guitar through our monthly open-mic meetings at Paschal Winery, as well as offer world-class guitar concerts in our region. 
 
Look for future announcements regarding adding new board member positions and collaboration with new partners in the region. We are actively pursuing grants to support our new mission, and we are excited to take this journey with you, our members and supporters.
 
Respectfully submitted,
The Board of the Guitar Society of Southern Oregon
     Matt Dorris, President
     Grant Ruiz, Secretary
     Jennifer Babineaux, Treasurer
     Peter Jespersen
     Ryan Alexander