72 N. 5th Street, #18, San Jose, CA 95113.
http://www.sbgs.org Tom Ingalz, Office manager and Vice President
A BRIEF INTRODUCTION to the South Bay Guitar Society
The South Bay Guitar Society was founded to increase public awareness of the
arts, particularly those of the classical guitar. The Society was begun by luthier Lester DeVoe in San José in 1986 and has become one of the most active guitar societies in the U.S. The SBGS has earned a reputation for excellence with concerts featuring nationally and internationally acclaimed artists. Free monthly gatherings of Friends of SBGS bring together fans of the classical guitar and presenters who instruct and enlighten. A monthly open mic at a local café provides a friendly stage for amateur classical players. School visits round out our public events calendar. Artists go out to San Jose and other South Bay schools to provide children with an introduction to the guitar: how it works, different styles of playing, an overview of its repertoire, and how they can find out more about it. The Society's newsletter, SBGS Forum, listing our events and the Bay Area classical guitar scene, has moved from paper to online. The Society has begun a TEACHER NETWORK to increase access to local teachers.
In 1991 Lester Devoe moved to Maine and Daniel Roest took over as SBGS president. A concert series in downtown San José was started in 1994 and quickly grew in attendance and prestige. An eight member board of directors and nonprofit status was established in1996 to transform SBGS into a non-profit arts organization partly supported by local government arts grants. Concert ticket sales, member dues and concert subscriptions also serve to support our programs. For details on the Board of Directors and key personnel, see WHO'S WHO. For a complete schedule of concerts, see our CALENDAR. To get discounted admission or subscribe to the entire season, click on MEMBERSHIP.
Our activities serve the entire community of the South Bay Area. The guitar is the world's most popular instrument, and aficionados can be found in nearly every ethnic group represented in San Jose's population. We have made connections with the Latin American,Japanese-American, Persian-American (Iranian), Turkish-American and Greek-American communities through recent performances. Several of our concerts have earned prominent display in the center spreads of the entertainment sections of the San Jose Mercury News and Metro Newspapers. Our audiences continue to grow both in size and cultural diversity. The common artistic ground offered by the classical guitar offers an avenue of understanding and appreciation between members of all ethnic groups.
ARTISTS PRESENTED at a glance.
More SBGS archival links:
http://www.sbgs.org/newsletter/winter97/nlw97_chair.html
http://www.sbgs.org/newsletter/winter97/nlw97_year.html
http://www.sbgs.org/newsletter/spring97/nlsp97_instructors.html
http://www.sbgs.org/newsletter/spring97/nlsp97_overtones.html
http://www.sbgs.org/newsletter/fall97/resort_guitar.html
http://www.sbgs.org/newsletter/winter98/Winter98-1.html
http://www.sbgs.org/newsletter/fall97/history_SBGS.html
http://www.sbgs.org/newsletter/fall97/4Guitars.html
http://www.sbgs.org/newsletter/spring98/pages/Spring98-7.html
http://www.sbgs.org/newsletter/summer98/Summer98-1.html
http://www.sbgs.org/newsletter/summer98/pages/Summer98-2.html
http://www.sbgs.org/newsletter/summer98/pages/Summer98-3.html
http://www.sbgs.org/newsletter/summer98/pages/Summer98-4.html
http://www.sbgs.org/newsletter/summer98/pages/Summer98-5.html
http://www.sbgs.org/newsletter/fall98/Fall98-1.html
http://www.sbgs.org/newsletter/fall98/pages/Fall98-2.html
http://www.sbgs.org/newsletter/fall98/pages/Fall98-3.html
http://www.sbgs.org/newsletter/fall98/pages/Fall98-4.html
http://www.sbgs.org/newsletter/fall98/pages/Fall98-5.html
