Monthly Meeting Recap – November 2023

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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

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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

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