Monthly Meeting Recap – January 2023

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Dear Guitar Fans:

We had a wonderful gathering Thursday, January 12 Paschal Winery in Talent, with 35 people in attendance.


PROGRAM

Bob Bath – Nocturno #9 by F. Chopin
John Swinnerton – Untitled & Staffordshire (originals)
Dan Mish – A Tale of Two Cities (original)
Francesco Palmer – Capricho Arabe by F. Tarrega, Cavatina by S. Myers
Mark Turnbull – Bless the Blues, Every Sinner Has A Future (originals)

Intermission

Steve Berman – Prelude from Suite in D minor by R. de Visee, Canarios by G. Sanz
Mary La & Grant Ruiz (LaRui Duo) – Wicked Game by Chris Isaak, Falling Slowly by Hansard/Irglová (arr. Grant Ruiz)
Grant – Adagio in G minor by Albinoni/Giazotto, Sambalamento by Luis Bonfá
Grant & Mark Everson – Yo Soy del Sur (trad. Sevillanas)
Mark Everson – Bulerías (trad. flamenco), Dreams of a Sentimental Fool (original)
Matt Dorris – Variations on a Theme by Mozart by F. Sor


ANNOUNCEMENTS

Tickets are now on sale for our March 3 concert featuring Jâca at Grizzly Peak. Jâca is an exciting clarinet and classical guitar duo who will also be participating in a Britt Education residency to visit local schools March 1-3. The guitarist is Ashland’s own Jaxon Williams, who was initially trained by Joe Thompson and has become an international performer. This concert is highly recommended, so please tell (and bring) friends! Tickets are available at our website, guitarsocietyso.org.

Jiji Kim, who performed for us in November of 2021, is holding a free, virtual master class on January 28 as part of the Aaron Shearer Foundation. You can get more information here.

Kent Jensen in Salem is selling a 1972, hand-crafted 12-string guitar made by Ashland luthier W. B. Windt. Windt was hired by Angus Bowmer, OSF’s founder, to be the theater company’s music director in 1953, a job he held until about 1972 (per this Mail Tribune article from 2011). The asking price for this collector’s item is $13,000. Please contact kentknail@gmail.com for photos and more information if you’re interested.


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

Monthly Meeting Recap – December 2022

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Greetings Guitar Fans,

We had a wonderful night of guitar music at our final 2022 monthly GSSO meeting last night at Paschal Winery in Talent.  We had approximately 25 people in attendance enjoying wine and festivities of the season (Paschal was beautifully decorated for the holidays).

PROGRAM:

  1. John Swinnerton, GS # 8 – original composition, Jazz Night – original composition
  2. Steve Bismarck, Christmas Time Is Here – Vince Guaraldi, El Noi de la Mare – Traditional, arranged by Llobet
  3. Francesco Palmer, Piscian Revelations – personal composition, Neptunian Visions – personal composition 
  4. Peter Jespersen, Two Etudes from Landscape – Gulli Bjorson (Iceland) 

Intermission

  1. Brian Parris Please Come Home for Christmas – Charles Brown, Who Will Watch the Home Place – Kate Long, Laurie Lewis 
  2. Arturo Ville Melody of Christmas Carols (plus bonus encore!)

ANNOUNCEMENTS/BUSINESS:

Jennifer Babineaux announced our next concert, Jâca, a clarinet and classical guitar duo who will be in town for a Britt Education residency to visit local schools March 1st, 2nd and 3rd, and performing a concert for GSSO at Grizzly Peak Winery on Friday, March 3rd.  Tickets will go on sale in January and may sell out.  Check out Jâca at www.jacamusic.com

We held our annual board elections.  In addition to the 4 current board members (Matt Dorris, Grant Ruiz, Jennifer Babineaux and Ryan Alexander) the GSSO membership unanimously elected Peter Jespersen to the GSSO Board.

Arturo Ville announced that the fundraiser for the new classical guitar class at Grants Pass High School had been successful, and he had raised enough money to purchase 10 guitars, as well as receiving 6 donated guitars. Arturo handed thank you cards to three GSSO members that had donated guitars to the program:  Steve Bismark, Peter Jespersen and Jennifer Babineaux.  

The meeting adjourned at 8:30 pm.  The next meeting will be January 12th.  

Cheerfully submitted,  
Jennifer Babineaux
Veterinarian by day, amateur classical guitar player by night
Treasurer, GSSO

Guitar Society of Southern Oregon is Awarded Two Grants!

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GSSO is one of 106 arts organizations in the State of Oregon to receive an operating grant of $2,261 from the Oregon Arts Commission. Eligibility is limited to organizations who have operated as an IRS recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit for a minimum of two years and provide ongoing, sustained artistic programming and outreach programs. Small Operating Grants are designed to provide support to arts organizations with budgets under $150,000. GSSO is one of only 6 small arts organizations to be awarded a grant in Southern Oregon.

GSSO has also been awarded a TourWest grant of $750, which is supported by WESTAF (Western States Arts Federation) and the National Endowment for the Arts. The TourWest grant focuses on underrepresented and rural communities and strives to connect and to inspire artists, leaders, and communities, and to strengthen the arts field by catalyzing change and building a more inclusive arts and culture sector. The TourWest grant will be applied to our November 2022 concert.