Monthly Meeting Recap – December 2023

/in , , /by

Dear Guitar Fans:

We had a lovely gathering at Paschal Winery Thursday night. The performers were joined by 8 of Arturo Ville’s students from his guitar class at Grants Pass High School, along with their families, so the house was full!


PROGRAM

John Swinnerton – Solstice Shuffle (original)

Bob Bath – Silent Night by Hans Gruber, Christmastime is Here by Vince Guaraldi 

Steve and Marge Bismarck – Christmas medley for bassoon and guitar: Ave Maria by Bach/Gounod; Silent Night by Gruber; Merry Christmas, Darling by Pooler/Carpenter

Francesco Palmer – Seasons of Transformation (original)

Arturo Ville – holiday medley: Silver Bells, Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Jingle Bells

Grants Pass HS guitar class – holiday medley: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen; Silent Night; Deck The Halls (arranged by Louis Martinez and Aaron Stang)

~ Intermission ~

LaRui Duo – Carol of the Bells by Mykoka Leontovych (trad. Ukranian), Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen

Grant Ruiz – Villancicos de Gloria (trad. flamenco), Christmastime is Here by Guaraldi, El Noi de la Mare (arranged by Miguel Llobet)

Victor and the Misfits (Neil and Elizabeth Holland with Victor Mlotok) – Twelve Bars Blues, Little Bird by Tim Edey

Mark Turnbull – The Day After Christmas, To a Grecian Urn, There Shines a Star (originals)

Brian Parris – Return to Me by Carmen Lombardo and Danny DiMinno, Please Come Home For Christmas by Charles Brown



ANNOUNCEMENTS

We held elections for the Board of Directors, who will serve 2 year terms. All 4 nominees – Jennifer Babineaux (incumbent), Neil Holland, Kristi Schoenbachler, and Grant Ruiz (incumbent) – were voted in unanimously as a group by a show of hands of the paying members present. Peter Jespersen is in the middle of his term, having been elected to the board last year, so he is the fifth board member.

Grant will play solo guitar at Gallerie Karon for First Friday on January 5 from 5 to 8pm, and guitar duets with Dan Fellman at Belle Fiore on Saturday, January 6 from 5:30 to 7:30pm.

Monthly Meeting Recap – November 2023

/in , /by

Dear Guitar Fans:

Last night was an extraordinary, magical gathering at Paschal Winery, full of music and laughter. The audience was joined by visiting guitarist René Izquierdo and his wife and duet partner Elina Chekan.


PROGRAM

John Swinnerton – Starry Night (original)

Steve Bismarck – Clouds by Oleg Kisilev, One Note Samba by Mendoça/Jobim

Bob Bath – If by Bread, Prelude No. 1 in C by Bach

Francesco Palmer – Disillusionment, Insomniac Artists (originals)

Brian Parris – South of the Border by Gene Autry, Runaway by Del Shannon

~ Intermission ~

LaRui Duo (Mary La & Grant Ruiz) – Do You Remember Me by Carlos Santana, Watching the River Run by Loggins & Messina

Grant and Mark Everson – Yo Soy del Sur by Ecos de Rocio, Farrucas (trad. Flamenco)

Arturo Ville – No Te Olvides de Mi, Echoes of the Rogue River (originals)

Mark Turnbull – If the World Had Amnesia, Bells, Melody Has Led Me Here (originals)

René Izquierdo then played a beautiful set of Cuban songs and one Puerto Rican song, including Guajira a Mi Madre by Ñico Rojas, Mirándote by Eduardo Martin, A Day in November by Leo Brouwer, and La Comparsa by Ernesto Lecuona (Brouwer’s great uncle).


ANNOUNCEMENTS

Grant will play solo guitar at Belle Fiore Winery on Sunday, Nov. 26 from 5 to 7pm; at Trium Wines in Talent on Friday, Dec. 1 from 5 to 7pm; and at Paschal Winery’s wine club party on Sunday, Dec. 3 from 1 to 3pm. He’ll play duets with Dan Fellman at Gallerie Karon (their last time there) on Dec. 8 from 5 to 8pm.

Elections for the guitar society’s Board of Directors will take place at our next monthly meeting on Thursday, Dec. 14. If you are passionate about the guitar and would like to support our mission of bringing great guitar music to the valley and providing outreach programs for children and under served members of the community, please consider joining us! There will be follow-up emails in the future with particulars. For now, please consult our Mission and Vision statements at guitarsocietyso.org/pages/about-us/. If you know now that you’d like to be on the ballot (no campaigning necessary!), please let us know by using the “Contact Us” link or by emailing guitarsocietyofso@gmail.com.

Monthly Meeting Recap – October 2023

/in , , /by

Dear Guitar Fans:

Last night, October 12, we had a full, fun evening of guitar music at Paschal Winery.

PROGRAM

John Swinnerton – Untitled (original)
Milton & Laurel Bloombaum – I’m Sticking with the Union by Acie Cargill, Solidarity Forever by Ralph Chaplin
Brian Parris – Mexico by Toy Caldwell, Travelers by Tim O’Brien/Alessandro Massa Untu
Elizabeth & Neil Holland – Bluesy, Diamonds, John Prines Last Dance (originals)

~ Intermission ~

Francesco Palmer – Ode to Autumn (original), Koyunbaba by Carlo Domeniconi
Grant Ruiz – ¿Dónde Estás Corazon? by Luis Serrano, Solamente una Vez by Agustín Lara
Grant and Mark Everson – La Feria de Granada by Enrique Montoya, Bulerías in A (trad. flamenco)
Mark Everson – Bulerías based on Hava Nagila
Mark Turnbull – Frame of Reference, Simple Trust, The Olde Fam’ly (originals)


ANNOUNCEMENTS

The GSSO, in conjunction with the Britt Education, is hosting Cuban-born guitarist René Izquierdo at the SOU Recital Hall on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 7:30pm. Tickets are available at guitarsocietyso.org. We’ll send out separate email reminders with more details about the concert. This project is supported in part by a grant from the Jackson County Cultural Coalition funded by the Oregon Cultural Trust, investing in Oregon’s arts, humanities and heritage.

Elections for the Board of Directors will be held during our December gathering. There will be 3 slots available to fill. We’ll send out more information in a future email, so please keep an eye out for that.

Mark Turnbull will play at Bloomsbury Blends Café in Ashland on First Friday, November 3 from 5-7pm.

Grant Ruiz will play duets with Dan Fellman at the Rogue Valley Manor on Thursday, Oct. 19 at 7pm; at Belle Fiore Winery on Saturday, Oct. 21 from 5:30 to 7:30pm; and at First Friday at Gallerie Karon in Ashland from 5-8pm (come see us after you hear Mark play!).

Grant will also play solo guitar at Paschal Winery’s happy hour on Sunday, Oct. 22 from 3:30 to 5:30pm. His music will also be featured in the Collaborative Theater Project’s children’s play Yo Recuerdo Abuelito (I Remember Grandpa), a Día de los Muertos story, on Sunday and Monday, Oct. 29 at 30. You can get more information at ctpmedford.org/ctp-kids-schedule/.

For anybody interested in the OLLI program, a meeting attendee mentioned that OLLI is staging a musical Nov. 1-5. See sou.edu/olli-abroad/ for more information.


Respectfully submitted,
Grant Ruiz
Flamenco and classical guitarist
Secretary, GSSO
flamencopacifico.com
duoflamenco.com
541-261-3811