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.

Monthly Meeting Recap and More for March 2024

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Welcome to this month’s meeting recap. and announcements.

We had a wonderful evening of guitar music on Thursday at our monthly guitar society meeting at Paschal Winery.  We had another full house and a surprise guest appearance by Rupert Boyd of Boyd Meets Girl, who put on a fantastic show on Friday with his wife, cellist Laura Metcalf (see below). We also had several new guitarists join us on Thursday. Welcome Art, Peter B., Connor, and Brian L.!
 
PROGRAM

Rupert Boyd – Etude #1 by Christian Dozza. A Felicidade by A.C. Jobim (arranged by Roland Dyens) 

Brian Parris – Marie by Randy Neuman, The End of the Innocence by Bruce Hornsby and Don Hendley

Connor Reese – Muse, On Hold (originals)

John Swinnerton – The second and fourth movement of the Springtime Suite (original)

Art Baden and Peter Bland – Another Tequila Sunrise by the Eagles, They Are Killing This Town (original by Peter)

Victor Mlotok with Neil and Elizabeth Holland, a.k.a. Victor and the Misfits – Pioneer Hall (original)

Neil Holland – Blue Ridge Burn, Delta Blues (originals, the latter on the dobro)

~ Intermission ~

Mary La and Grant Ruiz (LaRui Duo) – When I’m 64 by Paul McCartney (arranged by Grant)

Grant Ruiz – Cello Etude No. 7 by Jean-Louis Duport (arranged by Grant), Farrucas (traditional flamenco)

Brian Lundeen – Antelope (original)

Mark Turnbull – Reflection, In My Cathedral (originals)

Arturo Ville – The Children of Piraeus by Manos Hadjidakis, Deep Blue by George Harrison

Boyd Meets Girl Live
BMG Residency
BMG Residency

Boyd Meets Girl a success!

In conjunction with Britt Education (an arm of Britt Music & Art Festival), Boyd Meets Girl had several successful classroom visits around the Rogue Valley in Grants Pass, Phoenix, and South Medford. Then on Friday, March 15, they put on a wonderful, eclectic show at Grizzly Peak attended by almost 100 very appreciate audience members. Our thanks go out to the duo and to Britt Education.

Rupert recently posted on Facebook, “We love you Ashland! What a gorgeous space and warm audience for our concert last night. Huge thanks to @grizzlypeakwinery, Guitar Society of Southern Oregon, and @brittfestival for making this incredible week possible. We hope to be back soon!”

Hollands at JV Lib
Hollands at JV Lib
GSSO continues community outreach

The guitar society has become more active in providing guitar music to the local community. On Saturday, February 24 we presented Arturo Ville at the Eagle Point Library, and on Saturday, March 9 we presented Neil and Elizabeth Holland at the Jacksonville Library (above). We look forward to future events, including Mark Turnbull on Saturday, April 6 at 1:30pm at the Talent Library. Come along and help support our efforts!
ANNOUNCEMENTS

Spanish flamenco guitarist Diego Amador, Jr. will perform with dancer Savannah Fuentes at the Bellview Grange in Ashland on Tuesday, April 2 from 7:30 to 9:00pm. They will also perform in Grants Pass on April 1 (no foolin’). You can get tickets and information at savannahf.com/performance. Diego is a master of flamenco from Andalucia, and his command of guitar, piano, percussion, and voice is not to be missed. Savannah is a dramatic, modern dancer with a strong stage presence.

Grant Ruiz and Dan Fellman will play guitar duets on Friday, April 5 at Belle Fiore Winery from 5:30 to 7:30pm and on Sunday, April 7 at Paschal Winery’s happy hour from 3:30 to 5:30pm.

Arturo Ville will perform as part of a larger ensemble with the Rogue Valley Chorale and SOU Choir. The performances will be at 3:00pm on April 6 and 7 at the Criterion Theater and the SOU Music Recital Hall, respectively. The repertoire will include Misa Criolla by Ariel Ramírez, which will include Arturo, along with several other selections. You can get tickets and information for the Criterion concert here and for the SOU concert here.

The Siskiyou Music Project is bring Duo Violão Brasil Plus One to Grizzly Peak Winery on Friday, April 19 at 7:00pm. This is a combo of two Brazilian guitarists and percussion. You can get tickets here.

The GSSO is proud to present Romanian guitar virtuoso Dragos Illie (dragosilie.com) at Grizzly Peak Winery on Thursday, May 2. Dragos will also participate in our outreach program, performing at several locations the week before his concert. Stay tuned!

Monthly Meeting Recap – February 2024

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Dear Guitar Fans:

We had an extraordinary evening of music with over 45 people in attendance, including several new attendees!


PROGRAM

John Swinnerton – untitled original

Francesco Bard – Kathmandu by Cat Stevens, Capricho Árabe by Francisco Tárrega

Brian Parris – Long on Time by Gary Wight, Mexico by Toy Caldwell

Steve Bismarck – All the Things You Are by Jerome Kern, I’ve Got You Under My Skin by Cole Porter  

~ Intermission ~

Grant Ruiz – Arpeggio study in F, Dreaming Sorrow, Finding Joy (originals)

Grant Ruiz & Dan Fellman – Anouman by Django Reinhardt, San Sol, Resolución (Dan originals)

Mark Turnbull – Blue Moon excerpts by Rogers and Hart; Love is in Charge; Branches, Roots, and Vines; The Old Family (originals)


ANNOUNCEMENTS

You can now get your tickets for our upcoming Spring concert featuring the guitar and cello duet of Boyd Meets Girl. The event will be on Friday, March 15 at 7:00pm at Grizzly Peak Winery, Tickets and information are available right here!

Keith Holland is a very experienced luthier and guitar repair person who owned a business in Los Gatos and now resides in the Rogue Valley. If you’re interested in his services, you can contact him at keith@khguitars.com.

Former GSSO president Matt Dorris gave a presentation on 19th century guitar music at the Ashland Senior Center as part of our outreach program, which was very well received.

Upcoming outreach appearances by GSSO members include:

• Arturo Ville at the Eagle Point Library on Saturday, February 24 at 1pm
• Neil and Elizabeth Holland at the Jacksonville Library on Saturday, March 9th at 1 pm
 
René Izquierdo, who performed for us here in November, will be giving a masterclass that will be presented online. If you’d like to watch, you can register here. It will happen on Sunday, February 25 from 11am to 1:30pm PST via Zoom.

Grant Ruiz and Dan Fellman will play at Belle Fiore Winery in Ashland on Sunday, February 11 from 5 to 7pm.

The next Guitar Society gathering will be on Thursday, March 14, the day before the Boyd Meets Girl concert. Mark your calendars!