next to the lodge at Angora Lakes Resort the day after my concert - I'm with Jim and Gloria Hildinger. They co-own the resort along with their son and daughter and have worked very hard to preserve its natural beauty. It has several cabins and a store in addition to the lodge, boat rentals and delicious lemonade - a welcome treat for day hikers. Both Jim and Gloria have spent much of their lives deeply involved with music and conservation. Playing at Angora was an excellent start to a series of concerts after a long time off.
IN THIS ISSUE:
Free Concert at Folsom Library Oct. 19.
Polish duo Klavitarre in Roseville Oct. 17.
Annual Lick Observatory
Concert at Angora Lakes Resort
Tapestry Arts Festival Concert in San Jose
A wedding in Carmel.. and more.
Is every concert guitarist playing October 11th???
We have received nothing but rave reviews of your performance form our guests.
They loved it. Thank you for working with me to plan our unique music choices. I only wish I could've been up there to listen to more!
The day was perfect and we truly thank you for your professionalism and amazing talent! (heart)
Erika & Tim
(Solo guitar performance September 27th, 2008 at the wedding of Erika Rominger and Tim Long at RH Phillips Winery, Esparto.
I was honored to add my name to a register of musicians dating back to 1940, some great artists, who had performed at Angora. One special aspect of playing there was the utter lack of noise from outside - no cars, planes/helicopters, phones, nothing - just peace and quiet.
As the summer wound down, my late night practice sessions
took on new focus – I had important solo concerts scheduled for August 23 at Angora Lakes Resort near Lake Tahoe, September 1st in San Jose's huge Tapestry Arts Festival, and September 6th for an annual concert at the Lick Observatory on Mt. Hamilton. continued below
My guest artist Richard Gilewitz from Florida plays at Lick Observatory
My pal Herb Tanimoto at the mixer after the afternoon soundcheck.
The artistic highlight of my year - playing the Great Guitars! show at Lick
A Concert Every Weekend continued
The Lick concert must have been a success – we sold out of CDs! The highlight of my set was the Lick premier of February 4th, my original composition dedicated to an important teacher and friend, Robert Burns. Before I could master its difficult technique, I sent the score and a midi version to the ERMMedia label's Masterworks for the New Era CD series, and it was selected from over 400 submissions for inclusion in their original works collection. That was encouraging, but getting it to work that well in actual performance was still an unknown. It went well, and I sent a recording of it to Robert, who was quite touched. It couldn't have turned out better.
The other pieces in my set were Prelude for Craig (First Step to the Sun) by Masakazu Ito, (1996) Estudios Sencillos 1, 6 & 9 by Leo Brouwer, Caçique (Tango Brasileiro) by Attilio Bernardini (1942) and Sons de Carilhoes(Sounds of Bells) by João Guimarães (1883-1947).
After my set, I introduced 6- and 12-string guitarist and humorist Richard Giliwetz, who quipped, "If Daniel were payed by the note, he'd be a rich man." Richard's set killed, as they say in show business, with both marvelous playing and delightful stories from the road. A sample: he has a little stage trick he does where he takes a stretch of toilet paper out of a pocket, uses it to cover his fretting hand and says, "I don't want Daniel to steal my licks." Then he tells of doing that the night before at a workshop in Cotati, CA. At the question-answer session after, a lady walks in just as a member of the audience asks Richard, "What brand of toilet paper do you prefer?" He also told a several trips to New Zealand and, among other oddities, unexpected encounters with miniature penguins under the stage.
We both did well in sales after the show, and he and I, and Herb Tanimoto and Olin Anderson (Muriel Andseron's brother) all enjoyed the incredible celestial viewing offered to the audience and artists after the concert. The weather was good this year, and it was a magical night. Richard and I talked until past 3 before retiring at our dorm rooms.
San Jose's annual Tapestry Arts Festival over Labor Day Weekend was the next big event in the series - this was a one hour concert at the classical stage by the South Bay Guitar Society. I was between two strong players, Richard Patterson, who runs the great Omni Foundation concert series in San Francisco and has played all around the world, and Steve Lin, a concert guitarist who recently relocated from Boston to the South Bay Area. Notice there is no microphone in front of the guitar – I plugged in. It was another chance to gear up for the Lick concert the following weekend.
Concerts, and More Concerts
With October being National Arts and Humanites Month, the classical guitar is being exceptionally well represented in our area. I will give a free concert at the Folsom Public Library and hope that all who are able will attend. Not only will you hear a solid hour of my best, but the concert is a short walk from the 16th annual Folsom Renaissance Faire - a great way to spend a day. "Hundreds of merchants, over a thousand actors, acres if entertaintainment over four stages, jousting..." I'll include Renaissance music in my set as tribute. Mind the parking time involved. My concert starts at 3pm sharp in the Library Meeting Room.
Brandon Yip will perform with the Auburn Symphony October 11th and 12th, featuring Rodrigo's famous Concierto de Aranjuez.
Matthew Grasso will play three solo concerts for extended 7-string guitar on October 16th, 18th and 26th – see my Master Calendar for details.
The Polish-American Club of Greater Sacramento will present the Polish duo Klavitarre Friday, October 17th at the Club's fine hall in Roseville. This will be a very good program of piano and guitar duets by Jolanta Ziemska and Maciej Ziemski. E-mail Anna Kornoriczak for tickets and information, or call (916)425-7894.
Gratuitous family pride item
Speaking of flutists, Alison and I are naturally pretty darn proud of our son Craig for making FIRST CHAIR in the flute section of the Folsom Middle School band, out of 13 flutists! That definitely called for some ice cream.
Easy on the eyes
Here's a shot of gorgeous Upper Angora Lake in the South Tahoe area taken from the resort the day after my concert there – just spectacular.
A man takes a stand on ocean pollution, sailing a boat made out of 15,000 discarded plastic bottles from California to Hawaii.
Fabulous wedding in Carmel
Our friends Crane and Fran Charters hosted their daughter Michelle's wedding with groom Michael Hug at Clint Eastwood's Tehama Golf Club September 13th. I played the ceremony and took Alison and Craig down for the weekend. It is an amazing property, with a beautifully preserved mile long drive to the club with abundant wildlife - just spectacular. Check this link for the story of the area. The featured solo guitar selections were Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, Canon in D, Prelude No.1 in C from the Well-Tempered Clavier and Santa Cruz.
A reading from the wedding of Michelle and Michael:
Sonnet LXIX - Pablo Naruda
Maybe nothingness is to be without your presence,
without you moving, slicing the noon
like a blue flower, without you walking
later through the fog and the cobbles
without the light you carry in your hand,
golden, which maybe others will not see,
which maybe no one knew was growing
like the red beginnings of a rose.
In short, without your presence: without your coming
suddenly, incitingly, to know my life,
gust of a rosebush, wheat of wind:
since then I am because you are,
since then you are, I am, we are,
and through love I will be, you will be, we'll be.
TEACHERS:
Take a look at my Teaching the Guitar series on teaching expressive playing at the Mel Bay online webzine, Guitar Sessions - feedback welcome!
