James Edwards Concert and Masterclass

November 18, 2005
Master Class: November 19, 2005

Classical guitarist James Edwards has been a performer, teacher, and recording artist for over 25 years. James’ performance credits include: the 1999 and 2005 La Guitarra California Festival, soloist with the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, the Santa Barbara Arts Festival, Richard Schneiders’ Lost Mountain Guitar Festival and many collaborations with theatre and dance companies. Mr. Edwards’ many compact disc recordings feature his arrangements of American, Spanish, and European classics. Mel Bay Publications has published many of these in several books currently available. In addition to the traditional classical guitar repertoire, James performs his own vibrant arrangements of Handel, Mozart, Puccini, Debussy, Brahms, and many other works by the great composers. He also has created a unique American repertoire with treatments of well known works by Gershwin, Rodgers, Joplin, etc., along with his original compositions; blending his classical background with his earlier influences of folk and jazz.

“A wide-ranging choice of repertoire performed with taste and flair. All together a fine program.”

-Frederick Noad

“Very entertaining selections, imaginatively arranged, and charmingly played…
sparkling new arrangements of cherished masterpieces.”

-Ronald Fernandez

“How well you played and how well you made my guitar sound.”

-Richard Schneider, luthier

Jason Vieaux in Concert and Masterclass

Concert: Friday, March 11, 2005
Masterclass: Saturday, March 12, 2005

Click here to visit Mr. Vieaux’s Website

Jason Vieaux is one of the most highly acclaimed and sought after guitarists of his generation. His virtuosity, expressive music-making and exciting concert programs continue to earn him an active schedule of solo, chamber and concerto appearances around the US and abroad. Recent highlights include a tour of Taiwan and Japan, a return engagement with the Auckland Philharmonia, and performances at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, Spivey Hall in Atlanta and New York’s Merkin Hall. Traveling across North America, Jason Vieaux’s 2004-05 season includes return engagements with the Philadelphia Chamber Music Series and Santa Fe Symphony, as well as a series of solo recitals in Toronto, Miami, Kansas City, Cleveland, Columbus, Richmond, Norfolk, Buffalo and the Grand Teton Music Festival.

Jason Vieaux has seven recordings to his credit and many more to come with his multi-record deal with Azica Records. Vieaux’s CDs have attracted worldwide critical acclaim in newspapers and magazines around the world. His latest Azica release, “Sevilla: The Music of Isaac Albeniz,” reached #2 on the Amazon.com Classical Bestseller List last summer, and was rated one of the Top Ten Classical CDs of 2003 by The Philadelphia Inquirer and Cleveland’s Plain Dealer. Vieaux’s Azica Records disc of Manuel Ponce sonatas was described by American Record Guide as “…a stunning reading…beautifully restrained…a marvelous release.” Vieaux recorded his first CD when he was just 19; two years later this was followed by Laureate Series Guitar Recital on Naxos, which went on to sell over 30,000 copies internationally. An active chamber player, Mr. Vieaux also has two duo CDs with flutist Gary Schocker, including the October 2004 release “Arioso,” featuring music of Bach, Vivaldi and LeClair.

Mr. Vieaux’s recordings and live performances are broadcast nationally on the radio and worldwide via the Internet. Since NPR’s “Performance Today” program selected him as a 2002 Young Artist-in-Residence, Vieaux has been regularly aired on the top-rated show. He has also appeared on other NPR programs across the country, including “All Things Considered” and “Morning Edition”.

Jason Vieaux began guitar studies at age eight in Buffalo, New York. He first gained international recognition in 1992 when he became the youngest First Prize winner in the history of the prestigious Guitar Foundation of America International Competition. This culminated with a 53-city solo tour throughout the U.S. with numerous return invitations. He is a Naumburg International Guitar Competition prizewinner and a recipient of The Cleveland Institute of Music’s Alumni Achievement Award. In 1995, Mr. Vieaux was honored as an Artistic Ambassador of the United States to Southeast Asia, concertizing in Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar (Burma). He has also toured Spain, France, Mexico, Canada and New Zealand.

Mr. Vieaux is a regularly featured guest artist with orchestras across the United States. He has performed concertos with the Cleveland Orchestra, Cleveland Pops, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Auckland Philharmonia, the Ars Nova Chamber Orchestra and Orchestra 2001. He has worked with conductors Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Luis Biava, Jahja Ling, Rossen Milanov, Gareth Morrell, Steven Smith and Carl Topilow. As a passionate advocate of new music, Vieaux has premièred works by José Luis Merlin, Eric Sessler, Arthur Hernandez and Fazil Say, and has performed concertos by Allen Krantz, Augusta Read-Thomas and John Corigliano.

Aside from his duties as a performer, Mr. Vieaux is highly dedicated to the art of teaching. He currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio, where he is Head of the Cleveland Institute of Music Guitar Department, making him the youngest Department Head to serve at the prestigious conservatory. He has also been affiliated with Philadelphia-based Astral Artistic Services since 1996.

Martha Masters in Concert and Masterclass

Concert: Friday, January 14, 2005
Masterclass: Saturday, January 15, 2005

Click here to visit Ms. Masters Website

The Jefferson Classical Guitar Society is proud to present the critically acclaimed international concert guitarist, Martha Masters. Ms. Masters will perform on Friday evening, January 14th, 2005, at the First Methodist Church, 165 N. Main Street, in Ashland. Concert time is 8:00pm. Tickets are $15 general admission, $5 for students and free for children 12 years old and under. Advanced tickets can be purchased at CD or Not CD in Ashland or at Central Art Supply in Medford. Tickets will also be available at the door on the evening of the performance. The Southern Oregon University music department will host the artist in a master class the next day, Saturday, January 15th from 10:00am-noon in the Recital Hall of the music building. The class will be open to the public. Auditing fees are $10.00 general and $5.00 students.

Martha Masters is quickly becoming one of the most sought-after guitarists of her generation, being described as “artful, virtuosic and sophisticated,” (Palos Verdes Peninsula News) with “poise, maturity and clean technique” (San Antonio Express-News). In October of 2000 Martha won first prize in the Guitar Foundation of America (GFA) International Solo Competition, including a recording contract with Naxos, a concert video with Mel Bay, and an extensive North American concert tour. In November of 2000, she also won the Andrés Segovia International Guitar Competition in Linares, Spain and was a finalist in the Alexandre Tansman International Competition of Musical Personalities in Lodz, Poland. Prior to 2000, Martha was a prizewinner or finalist in numerous other international competitions, including the 1999 International Guitar Competition “Paco Santiago Marín” in Granada, Spain, the 1998 Tokyo International Guitar Competition and the 1997 GFA International Solo Competition.

Currently, Martha is on the guitar faculty at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. She received both the Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Peabody Conservatory, where she studied with Manuel Barrueco, and completed the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Southern California as a student of Scott Tennant.

Critical Acclaim

“[Masters] is the winner of last year’s Guitar Foundation of America Solo Guitar Competition. That honor, combined with movie-star looks and a natural showman’s charisma, puts Masters at the forefront of her generation of guitarists.”
– Fort Worth Star-Telegram

“Elements in her performance style, a relatively short few years off the launching pad as classical careers go, suggest Masters is on a swift and certain trajectory to star territory.”
– Illinois Times

“Poise, maturity and clean technique Masters put her ample dexterity to good use Her control of instrumental color was exemplary.”
– San Antonio Express-News