Pop-up Flamenco concert Monday, April 13th with special Spanish guest!

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Greetings, guitar fans!

As you know, we use this email list for monthly announcements, but I have to tell you about something very rare and special happening Monday, April 13 at 7:30pm in Ashland.

A renowned flamenco singer from Spain, Ezequiel Benitez, is passing through on his way from Portland to San Francisco while on tour. He’s agreed to stop here to give a concert! He’ll be accompanied by guitarist Jesse Torres. I understand there may be a guest singer and dancer as well.

The concert will take place on Monday at 7:30pm at the Oak Street Dance Studio located at 1287 Oak Street in Ashland. Doors will open at 7:15pm. Advanced reservations are highly recommended.

You can order tickets here. This link will take you to PayPal, but don’t worry if you don’t have a PayPal account. You can still pay with debit or credit card.

If you want more information, please email dancer Lourdes Rodriguez, who is organizing the event, or you can call her at (279) 842-2058‬. Just to be clear, this isn’t a GSSO event, but we’re glad to tell you about it.

Ezequiel was born in Jerez de la Frontera, one of the cradles of flamenco. He is one of the most singular and profound voices in contemporary flamenco. His cante (singing) is characterized by a strong artistic personality that naturally blends the purest tradition with a contemporary perspective. He is particularly known for his ability to stir emotions and communicate from a place of truth and deep roots.

Here’s a fun video of Ezequiel in action.

Respectfully submitted,
Grant Ruiz
Secretary, GSSO

Monthly Meeting Recap and News for January 2026

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Greetings guitar fans,

Happy New Year to all! We look forward to the year, when we will celebrate our 25th anniversary in October 2026.

Welcome to this month’s newsletter. Read below for a recap of our last meeting, upcoming guitar-related events, and an extraordinary guitar for sale.
 The Monthly Meeting

PROGRAM

John Swinnerton – Solitude and Paschal (originals)

Brian Parris – Calling Me Home (traditional), Who’ll Stop the Rain by John Fogerty, I’m Not Over You by Carl Jackson, Cowboy Sweetheart by Patsy Montana, Gypsy Soul by Van Morrison, Blackeyed Cajun Woman by the Doobie Brothers

Arturo Ville – Moscow Lights (original), Venezuelan folk medley (traditional)

Neil Holland – Keep Opening Dawes (original)

Matt Dorris – Levantine Suite by Dusan Bogdanovic

Mark Turnbull – Love is in Charge, Emerson’s Song, What Does Love Say? (originals)
 
AnnouncementsGrant Ruiz will play solo guitar at Paschal Winery for their happy hour this Sunday, January 18, from 3:30 to 5:30 PM. He’ll also play at Belle Fiore’s wine club release party on Sunday, February 1, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM and at Trium Wines in Talent on Friday, February 6, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM.

Mark Turnbull will play at La Baguette Music Cafe (340 A St.) in Ashland on Saturday, January 24, from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM.

Canto Sol (Dan Fellman and Grant) will play for a salsa dance party at Cedarwood Barn (7912 Wagner Creek Rd.) in Talent the evening of Wednesday, January 28.Guitar for saleFrom Dan Mish, danmish51@gmail.com:

1975 Hermanos Conde Flamenco Guitar 
This guitar is a Gravina model made by Faustino Conde.
It is the same model played by Paco de Lucia.
The guitar is extremely rare in that it has a French polish.
It has been appraised twice at $14,000.
I am selling it locally for $10,000, so as to not deal with shipping. GUITAR SOCIETY OF SOUTHERN OREGONThe GSSO is grateful to receive support from the following organizations:ShareTweetForward

Monthly Meeting Recap and News for January 2025

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Greetings guitar fans,

Welcome to the New Year and this month’s newsletter. Read below for a recap of our last meeting and upcoming guitar-related events.


 


The Monthly Meeting

We had a very full evening of music and camaraderie with about 40 folks in attendance.

PROGRAM

John Swinnerton – Phoenix Rising (original)

DJ the Troubadour – Crazy (Willie Nelson)

Francesco Bard – C’est La Vie, The Sage (Greg Lake)
 
Randall Walker – Dangling Conversation, April (Paul Simon)

Brian Parris – The Heart That You Own (Dwight Yoakum), Tenderly Calling (John Denver), Into The Mystic (Van Morrison)

Mark Turnbull – The Good Sport, Ask (originals)

Matt Dorris – Elegy (J.K. Mertz)

~ Intermission ~

Aaron Haas (pictured above), our featured performer from Seattle, played a set of beautiful music:

Improvisation

Passacaille by Alexandre Tansman

Suite of Aaron’s arrangements of Yumi Kimura’s music from movies by Hayao Miyazaki:
• One Summer’s Day from Spirited Away
• The Legend of Ashitaka from Princess Mononoke
• Princess Mononoke’s Theme from Princess Mononoke
• Merry-Go-Round of Life from Howl’s Moving Castle

Prelude, Fugue, and Allegro by J.S. Bach, BWV 998
 


Announcements

Gypsy jazz guitarist Jimmy Grant and violin virtuoso Tim Kliphuis will play a small, intimate concert sponsored by the guitar society at Paschal Winery on Friday, February 28 at 7 P.M. Tickets and information will be available soon, with guitar society members (see below under “Membership News”) getting first access to tickets. They last time they played a house concert in Ashland to 60 people, the concert sold out in about 10 days!

Grant Ruiz and Dan Fellman (Canto Sol) play Sunday, January 19 from 3:30-5:30 P.M. at Paschal Winery, and on Sunday, January 26 from 5-7 P.M. at Belle Fiore Winery in Ashland. They will also play on Friday, February 14 (Valentines Day) from 7-9 P.M. at Liquid Lounge in Ashland.

Membership News

Thanks to a number of very generous donors, we raised $1,365 during our first fundraising drive, as well as $1,000 matched by the board! This will go a long way in helping the guitar society continue its mission

Since we are in a new year, it’s time to renew your membership or become a new member. Dues are the same as last year ($25 for a single membership, $40 for a family), but we’ve added some benefits. Click the button below to sign up and read more:

Become a member

We are now looking for new board members to help guide the guitar society through another exciting year of performances and community outreach activities.

Please respond to this message if you’re interested.

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A follow-up to last month’s PSA

Last month Grant described a potential scam that he experienced. It turns out that Matt Dorris, Jimmy Grant, and Bob Bath were also targeted by the scammer in the same way. Fortunately, everybody at some point became wary and backed away. Grant also learned that the scammer managed to procure legitimate paper stock used to print cashiers checks, which show the word void when scanned (above).