Monthly Meeting Recap and News for July 2024

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Greetings guitar fans,

Welcome to this month’s newsletter. Read below for a recap of our last meeting and upcoming guitar events coming this month! There’s also a special report on Grant’s visit to the Guitar Foundation of America conference this year.

The Monthly Meeting

There was a hot time in the ol’ town on Thursday night! The packed tasting room was warm and full of good music.

PROGRAM

Trillium (Francie Buckley, Judy Trautman, Kristi Schoenbachler) + 1 (Grant Ruz) – Dacw ‘Nghariad (trad. Welsh), Passacaglia by Lou Warde

Matt Bock – La Vals Espanole by Jose Ferrer, La Folia Variations by R. de Vidali (arr. Frank Longay)

Bob Bath – Europa by Carlos Santana

John Swinnerton – Introspection (original)

Mystic Bard (Francesco Bard, Heather Hutton) – Escape from the 12th House, Piscean Revelation (originals)

Brian Parris – Someone I Used to Know by Jack Clement, Long Long Time by Gary White

Mark Turnbull – Dogs, This Mortal Coil (originals)

Matt Dorris – Milonga by Jorge Cardoso

~ Intermission ~

Cameron O’Connor from Corvallis then took the stage and played a wonderful set, receiving a standing ovation and playing an encore for us.

All in Twilight (1st mvt) by Tori Takemitsu
Theme, Variations, and Finale by Manuel Ponce 
Farewell by John Dowland
Land of Enchantment by Michael Chapdelaine
Toodle-oo, Winter Waltz by Cameron
Granada by Isaac Albéniz (arr. Segovia/O’Connor)
Homenaje by Manuel de Falla
Cádiz by Albéniz (arr. Bream/O’Connor)

Outreach Corner

Grant Ruiz will play a set of Flamenco and Latin American music at the Jacksonville Library on Saturday, July 20, 2024 from 2pm to 3pm. This event is sponsored by the GSSO.

Announcements

On Sunday, August 4, Mystic Bard will play at Paschal Winery from 3:30 to 5:30pm.

For those of you interested in other guitar events, Hawaiian slack key guitarist Stephen Ingliss will play with pedal steel guitarist Barry Sless (who has played with Bobby Weir and Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead) at Weisinger Family Winery on Friday, July 19 at 7pm. You can get more information here.

We’re thinking of starting a “classifieds” section of this newsletter, helping to connect people who are selling and looking for guitars. Watch this space!  If you have a guitar for sale or are looking for one, please write to grantruiz@ashlandhome.net.

Please consider becoming a member of the guitar society! Annual dues are $25 for individuals and $40 for a family membership (2 or more people) and help pay for logistical costs. They are good for the calendar year, January through December. Performers, teachers, luthiers, and repair people will have the added benefit of being included in the upcoming Resource page of our website, plus the Society will help announce your services.

Grant’s GFA trip report

Hi, this is Grant, GSSO’s field reporter (for now). I went to the Guitar Foundation of America conference from Monday, June 17 to Saturday, June 22 at Cal State Fullerton. I attended the preliminaries, semifinals, and finals of the international competition. Dragos Ilie, who played a wonderful concert for us in May, made it all the way to the final four out of forty! He mysteriously ended up finishing third. Dragos recently posted on Facebook saying that some people disagreed with his choice to end his set with A Night in Tunisia by Dizzy Gillespie, which he played for us as an encore in May. You can catch his complete performance in the finals here. All of the finalists were stunning players and worth checking out: 

1. Leonela Alejandro (Puerto Rico)
2. Hao Yang (China)
3. Dragos Ilie (Romania)
4. Francisco Luis (Portugal)

During the conference I got to hear some wonderful concerts, including by Patterson & Sutton (cello and guitar), Duo Mantar (mandolin and guitar with Adam Levin), Petra Polackova, Andras Csaki, the Canadian Guitar Quartet, the Kupinski Duo, and Paul Galbraith, who was inducted into the GFA Hall of Fame at the end of the week. Check these people out as well if you love the classical guitar. Listening to such extraordinary guitar music was uniquely inspirational.

I also attended lectures on arranging pop tunes for the guitar, the origins of the guitar quartet, guitar education, and guitars as a energy transference devices. At the last lecture I got to play a guitar with no back. It sounded just as bad as you might imagine.

Probably the most fun was hanging out with and talking to other guitarists like Elina Chekan (who concertized here with her husband René Izquierdo in November ’23), Bill Kanengiser of the LAGQ, Meng Su, Andy Levin, Adam del Monte, Martha Masters (Director of the GFA), Michael Partington, Paul Galbraith, and composer Steven Goss. Adam, Martha, Michael, and Paul have all played for the guitar society, and all had fond memories of being here. (Michael and Martha were our first guitar series artists back in 2004!). I also got to spend time with luthiers Greg Byers, Jennifer Trowbridge, and Jack Sanders. Jack was the guitar instructor at my alma mater, Pomona College.

If you ever want to seriously geek out on classical guitar, the GFAs are a great place to be. Next year they will be in Louisville, Kentucky.

Monthly Meeting Recap and News for June 2024

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Greetings guitar fans,

Welcome to this month’s newsletter. Read below for a recap of our last meeting, the Guitar Society’s latest events, and announcements and upcoming guitar events coming this month, including tonight!

The Monthly Meeting

Last Thursday we had a sweet evening of music and camaraderie, as well as performances by folks who played at our meeting for the first time.

Program

KGTR Guitar Ensemble (Judy Trautman, Kristi Schoenbachler, Francie Buckley, Peter Jespersen) – All in a Garden Green (anonymous, arranged by Andrew Forest), Pavane Vous Qui Voulez by Claude Gervaise

Randall Walker – Leader of the Band by Dan Fogelberg, Crazy as a Loon by John Prine

John Swinnerton – Paschal Boogie (original); Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring by J.S. Bach (arranged by John)

Neil Holland – Paschal Boogie, Martinique (originals)

Peter Bland – Wichita Lineman by Jimmy Webb, See What 60 Brings (original)

Francesco Palmer – 1913, Father’s Day (originals), Fragile by Sting

~ Intermission ~

Brian Parris – New Kid in Town by J.D. Souther and the Eagles, Lone Star by Norah Jones

Matt Dorris – La Catedral by Agustín Barrios

Grant Ruiz – Brazilian Dance by Jorge Morel, Sons de Carrilhões by João Pernambuco

Grant Ruiz and Dan Fellman – Manhã de Carnaval by Luis Bonfá, Claire de Lune by Joseph Cosma, Ritmo Suave by Grant

Outreach corner

On June 7, a number of GSSO members performed for an appreciative gathering of guests at Rogue Retreat, a local organization that helps the homeless restore their lives Grant Ruiz and Dan Fellman played toe-tapping music from around the word.

Announcements

Brian Parris will perform at the Oxenfrē Public House Public House in Brookings on Tuesday, June 18 starting at 8pm, and at the Chetco Brewing Company in Brookings the next night, June 19, at 5pm.

Grant Ruiz and Dan Fellman will play guitar duets at Tap & Vine at 559 at the Medford Center on Wednesday, June 26 at 5pm. They will also play at the Lithia Artisans Market on Friday, July 5 at 2pm.

Corvallis-based classical guitarist extraordinaire Cameron O’Connor will be our featured artist for our next monthly meeting on July 11. Cameron is an active performer and currently serves on the faculty of Oregon State University. He will play during the second half of the meeting. We’ll tailor the performances by local guitarists to give them as much time as possible to play.

The Folias Duo had an extraordinary house concert on May 22 in Ashland. The setting and acoustics were splendid, and the duo called it the best house concert of their tour. (They also rated the Ashland Food Co-op as their favorite store on tour!) Although this was not a GSSO-sponsored event, our members may be interested in signing up for the email list of this sweet venue. The owner, Cory Ross, asked that folks email her at 32paint@gmail.com with the subject line “House concerts”, and she will add you.

Please consider becoming a member of the guitar society! Annual dues are $25 for individuals and $40 for a family membership (2 or more people) and help pay for logistical costs. They are good for the calendar year, January through December. Performers, teachers, luthiers, and repair people will have the added benefit of being included in the upcoming Resource page of our website, plus the Society will help announce your services

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.