Paul Galbraith   September 29, 2000, Chrysler Museum Theater

Paul Galbraith made his New York debut at the Frick Collection, receiving a rave review in the New York Times. A subsequent NY engagement on Lincoln Center's "Great Performances" series was sold out. He was later featured at the Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Denver and Carmel Bach Festivals, and performed in Washington, DC, Cleveland, Portland, Seattle, Miami, Baltimore and Milwaukee.

Upcoming appearances in the U.S. include concertos with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Santa Rosa Symphony, Pro-Musica Chamber Orchestra and many others; recital invitations will bring him to Norfolk, New York City, Boston, Cincinnati, Buffalo and Boulder. In addition, tours of Great Britain, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands will be among Mr. Galbraith's activities in 2000-2001. He also tours extensively with the Brazilian Guitar Quartet, of which he is a founding member. Together with the St. Petersburg String Quartet, he has commissioned a guitar quintet by the acclaimed Georgian composer Zurab Nadarejshvili, which will receive its world premiere in 2001-2002. He performs as guest artist with the Shanghai String Quartet in summer 2000.

Galbraith's most recent CDs on Delos are the Bach Lute Suites and Paul Galbraith Plays Haydn (featuring Galbraith's arrangements of four keyboard sonatas). Forthcoming in 2000 is a CD of Bach concertos with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra. This evening's performance was an all-Bach program which was roundly enjoyed by one and all.

Adam Holzman   October 27, 2000, Contemporary Art Center of Virginia; October 28, 2000, Williamsburg Regional Library

Adam Holzman, winner of a number of prestigious competitions, is a sought after recitalist. Internationally hailed as one of America's finest guitarists, Holzman has earned the accolades of press and public alike. From New York's Carnegie Hall to Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, he continues to grace distinguished concert series around the world, and leaves no one doubting his acumen.

Having premiered works by notable composers such as Robert Helps, Steven Funk Pearson and Roland Dyens, Holzman also contributes to existing guitar repertoire by means of transcription. His distinctive and evocative transcription of Bach's Third Cello Suite caused the Toronto Star to applaud it as ". . .so idiomatic to the guitar that the Holzman version might better be called a recreation."

In addition to his solo recital, chamber music and orchestral appearances, Holzman is founder and head of the Guitar Department at the University of Texas at Austin. Recently he was appointed as "Maestro Extraordinario" by the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon of Monterrey, Mexico.

Adam Holzman's performance studies were with Bruce Holzman at Florida State University, Albert Valdes Blain, Eliot Fisk and Oscar Ghiglia. He was twice chosen to perform in the historic master classes of the legendary Andrés Segovia.

Chvatal/Kritzer Duo   January 26, 2001, Contemporary Art Center of Virginia; January 27, 2001, Williamsburg Regional Library

Since their successful Kennedy Center debut in 1996, Janet Chvatal and Scott Kritzer have been capturing the hearts of audiences across two continents, by carving out a brand new niche in the chamber music scene. Stepping away from the traditional "art song" pairing of voice and piano, they are offering their audiences a fresh alternative: the more immediate and approachable sound of the guitar, coupled with a pure, transparent almost folk-like voice. Originally brought together by their passion to share the intimacy and beauty of romantic music, their concerts are being hailed as "the NEW chamber music", combining a repertoire of new and unique voice and guitar arrangements, with an inviting and casual performance style.

After three successful years touring the United States and Canada, the Duo released their debut CD in 1998, "Songs of the Americas". Since then, their popularity has extended to Europe, with their most recent European performances including two events to celebrate the new Millenium, with stars from the Cirque du Soleil and the Tony award-winning musical, Riverdance. The concerts were enthusiastically received by audiences of over 8000 in the 'Festhalle' in Frankfurt and the Rheingoldhalle in Mainz, Germany.

Their appearance here in Williamsburg proved a memorable experience for those who were there. Janet is an attractive, but tiny woman. The quality and volume of her voice is difficult to believe from such a diminutive frame. At times, it might have been preferable to have a piano to counterbalance her volume. But Scott provided a very capable accompaniment. Perhaps he just needs to find a louder guitar :-)

American and English Folk Songs	Anonymous
T'is a Gift to be Simple	(arr. Kent Sidon)
The Water is Wide	(Arr. Kent Sidon)
The Soldier and the Sailor	(arr. Benjamin Britten
Come All Ye Fair and Tender Maidens	(arr. Kent Sidon)
Sevilla - for Solo Guitar	Isaac Albéniz
Bachianas Brasilieras NO. 5	Heitor Villa-Lobos
I. Aria Cantilena
Selections from the Twelve Seguidillas	Fernando Sor
Muchacha y la Verguenza
De Amor en las Prisiones

INTERMISSION

Theme and variations from	Fernando Sor
Mozart's The Magic Flute
In the Blue Hour - Opera Arias
Deh Vieni, non Tardar* from The Marriage of Figaro	W.A. Mozart
When I Have Often Heard from The Fairy Queen	Henry Purcell
O Mio Babbino Caro* from Gianni Schicchi	Giacomo Puccini
Summertime* from Porgy and Bess	George Gerschwin
Habañera* from Carmen	Georges Bizet

*arranged by Scott Kritzer and Janet Chvatal

Ignacio Rodes   February 24, 2001, American Theater, Hampton

First Prize winner of five international competitions, including the prestigious 'Andrés Segovia', 'Francisco Tárrega' and 'José Ramirez', Ignacio Rodes is internationally considered to be one of the best guitarists of his generation.

He made his debut at the Wigmore Hall (London) in 1986. Since then, Rodes has been very successful playing in concert halls such as Alte Oper (Frankfurt), Alice Tully Hall-Lincoln Center (New York), Chopin's Museum (Warsaw), Palau de la Música (Barcelona), Auditorio Nacional (Madrid), Sala Nezahualcoyotl (México), Opera Theatre of Cairo, etc. He has been invited to perform at international festivals in most of the European countries, United States and South America, as well as to conduct master classes at Conservatories such as the Manhattan School of Music (New York), Guildhall School of Music (London), Bloomington School of Music (Indiana University, USA) and University of Washington (Seattle, USA). Ignacio Rodes has broadcast on many European and American television and radio stations.

This was Rodes' second appearance in Hampton Roads. He has been highly praised elsewhere in the world and was equally well received here, at the TCGS' first concert in the new American Theater. The acoustics of the theater also brought praise and we will surely present other concerts there in the future.

Suite Popular Brasileña	Heitor Villalobos (1887-1959
Mazurca-Chõro
Schottish-Chõro
Valsa-Chõro
Gavotta-Chõro
Mazurca apasionata	Agustin Barrios (1884-1944)
Aire de Zamba
Vals no.3 in re menor
Danza paraguaya

INTERMISSION

Por los campos de España	Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999)
En los trigales
Entre olivares
Dos piezas íntimas	Vicente Asencio (1903-1979)
Tango de la casada infiel
Danza del cañamelar
Tríptico	Salvador Bacarisse (1898-1963)
Balada
Intermezzo
Passepied
Preludio y Danza	Julián Bautista (1901-1961)
Violin Sonata No. 3 (Encore #1)	J. S. Bach
Tango (Encore #2)	Francisco Tárrega

Lorenzo Micheli   March 2, 2001, Contemporary Art Center of Virginia; March 3, 2001, Williamsburg Regional Library

Born in 1975, Lorenzo Micheli studied in Milan with Paola Coppi and graduated with full marks "cum laude" at the G. Tartini Conservatory, Trieste, in 1996.

He was a pupil of Frédéric Zigante at the Fondation Mozart in Lausanne, and studied with Oscar Ghiglia at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena and at the Musik-Akademie der Stadt Basel.

His merits have been acknowledged by the juries of several international competitions: Second prize at the I International Competition "De Bonis", Cosenza; in 1996 he won the first prize at the T.I.M in Rome and achieved the first prize and the special prize "R. Chiesa" at the XXI Gargnano International Competition; the following year he was awarded the second prize at the XLIII International Competition "Maria Canals" in Barcelona, and the first prize at the XXX International Competition "Città di Alessandria – M. Pittaluga".

His performance for the TCGS was - if anything - even better than we have come to expect of the annual GFA competition winners. If you missed this performance, you have my sympathy.

The Not for Members' Only Concert   April 7, 2001, The Women's Club of Norfolk