Joseph Hagedorn   September 20, 1991, Chrysler Museum Theater, Norfolk; September 21, 1991, Williamsurg Regional Library Theater

Joseph Hagedorn's performances and recordings of many of the masterworks of the guitar repertoire have established him as a solo and ensemble player of the highest caliber. As the first prize winner of the 1990 Guitar Foundation of America's International competition, a winner of the Schubert Club competition and a top prize winner in the Augusta Symphony competition, his reputation continues to grow. He has presented numerous recitals throughout the Midwest, including performances on public radio.

This season, Mr. Hagedorn will perform over fifty solo recitals throughout the United States and Canada. His busy schedule will also include a performance of the Schönberg Serenade with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, an appearance at the Crested Butte Chamber Orchestra and numerous concerts with the Minneapolis Guitar Quartet.

Joseph Hagedorn earned his Bachelor of Music degree at Cornell College and completed his Masters Degree at the University of Minnesota, where he studied with Jeffrey Van. His recent solo recording XXth Century Music for Guitar features works by Alberto Ginastera and William Walton. Mr. Hagedorn is currently the guitar instructor at the University of Wisconsin, River Falls, and at the Rymer School of Music in St. Paul.

The Virginia Gazette wrote of this concert, "This year's [GFA] medalist is outstanding, the best I have heard so far. If the recital he gave here is a fair sample, he's a young Julian Bream, who, like that British artist, is equally virtuosic with the lute and the Spanish guitar."

Liona Boyd   September 26, 1991, Virginia Beach Center for the Arts

Liona Boyd was born in England, but has called Canada home for many years. A student of Eli Kassner, Julian Bream and Alexandre Lagoya, she is acknowledged as one of the world's leading classical guitarists. Her innovative work crosses barriers to reach diverse audiences everywhere. She performs classical, pop, latin and rock - a unique artist and an international celebrity who has won Guitar Player Magazine's annual poll for four consecutive years.

From her debut album "The Guitar" to her 15th record "Encore!" in 1989, Liona's recording career has been varied, eclectic and prolific. Several of her recordings have achieved Gold or Platinum status. One year, she joined country star Chet Atkins on "The First Nashville Guitar Quartet" and later that year released a Baroque record with Andrew Davis and the English Chamber Orchestra. Her two holiday albums, "A Guitar for Christmas" and "Christmas Dreams", became instant best sellers, and her pop/new age project "Persona" teamed her talents with those of Eric Clapton, David Gilmour and Yo Yo Ma.

Unfortunately, two things conspired to make this a very poorly attended concert: 1), through a curious quirk of (?not) planning, we wound up with three concerts in ten days this year, which is more than the traffic can really bear; and 2) her old acquaintance Chet Atkins was playing just across the expressway that same evening and turned out to be a bigger draw. On the plus side, the two of them got together to recall old times before the evening was over.

Patrick Mason & David Starobin   September 28, 1991, Chrysler Museum Theater

The duo of Patrick Mason, baritone and David Starobin, guitar, celebrated its 20th anniversary during the 1989-90 season. Acclaimed for their virtuosity and broad ranging programs, the duo maintains an active schedule of touring and recording. During the upcoming season they will perform in the US and Europe.

Baritone Patrick Mason has embraced a broad range of musical styles. He has been a frequent soloist with such groups as the Waverly Consort, the Ensemble for Early Music, and the medieval chant ensemble, Schola Antigua. In an ongoing commitment to the music of our times, Mr. Mason has premiered numerous works and has recorded with composers Stephen Sondheim, Tod Machover and Elliott Carter. His performance in the leading role of the opera VALICE was named as "best recording of 1989" by the New York Times. Mr Mason is currently on the faculty of the State University of New York at Fredonia.

David Starobin has been recognized as an important force in the expansion of the guitar's repertoire and its acceptance into the musical mainstream. More than 200 new works have been written specifically for him. Mr. Starobin is a member of the new musical ensemble Speculum Musicae, which he serves both as guitarist and conductor. He has been honored with prizes from Harvard University's Fromm Foundation and Lincoln Center's 1988 Avery Fisher Career Award, the only guitarist to have ever received this prize. Since 1977 Mr. Starobin has headed the guitar program at the State University of New York at Purchase, and teaches at the Mannes College of Music and the Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music.

Adam Holtzman   November 1, 1991, Chrysler Muserm Theater

Adam Holzman, aptly described by the New York Times as ". . . polished and quite dazzling", has moved to the forefront of today's guitarists. His awards include prizes in 5 major competitions: First Prize at the Concours Internacional de Guitare at the Guitar Quebec '83 Festival, top prize at the 9th Concorso Internazionale di Interpretazione di Gargnano, Italy and the Bronze Medal at the III Toronto International Guitar Festival, Toronto, Canada.

His active career includes concerts on such distinguished series as The D'addario Foundation for the Performing Arts at Merkin Hall, Augustine's Classic Guitar at the 92nd Street Y, the Second American Classical Guitar Congress, the Guitar Foundation of America Festivals and - most recently - the Boston Conservatory's Guitar-Fest '89. He has performed extensively throughout Italy and Latin America, as well as in the United States and Canada. Adam has given numerous premiers, including works by such notable composers as Robert Helps, Stephen Funk Pearson and Roland Dyens.

The Virginia Gazette wrote, "He displayed a highly polished technique on his instrument and an easy stage manner". I quite agree, and would like to mention that his concert was followed by a much appreciated master class on Sunday afternoon at Norfolk State University.

The Members' Concert   January 18, 1992, St. Andrews Episcopal Church, Norfolk

Well, once again I call on those others who were there to refresh my memory. It was over eight years ago and the program insists I was there, but I can't tell you much more. A guitar ensemble has been a feature of the members' concerts since the beginning. Originally, everyone played standard guitars, the the group members were whoever could make a few rehearsals prior to the show. Now, of course, the Guitar Orchestra fills in for this slot - and very admirably. No pictures seem to exist for this occasion, nor are any audio tapes at hand. Just know that once again a good time was had by one and all. Or - at the least - no bad memories remain :-)

The Falla Guitar Trio   February 7, 1992, Williamsurg Regional LIbrary Theater; February 8, 1992, Chrysler Museum Theater, Norfolk

The Falla Guitar Trio - Terry Graves, Kenton Youngstrom and Dusan Bogdanovich, combine the appeal of the classical guitar with the excitement of a virtuoso ensemble. These dynamic artists have received world-wide recognition for their superb performances of classical repertoire, their sizzling renditions of jazz and for their innovative programs, ranging from Bach to Bernstein to the blues.

Terry Graves has been a featured soloist with the Midwest Chamber Orchestra, the Los Angeles Promenade Orchestra and numerous instrumental and vocal ensembles. Mr. Graves has the distinction of receiving the first Bachelor of Music degree in classical guitar from Indiana University. In 1979, he received a master's degree from the University of Southern California, and subsequently became a founding member of the Falla guitar Trio. In addition to performing, arranging and recording, he chairs the Guitar Department at the University of Redlands. He has also recently accepted the directorship of the University's Community School of Music and the Arts.

Kenton Youngstrom is one of Southern California's most versatile guitarists, and - as such - is in demand to perform a wide range of musical styles, including the latest in contemporary classical, jazz and rock. He was awarded First Prize in a competition sponsored by the American String Teachers Association (1978), and holds a master's degree from the University of Southern California. Mr. Youngstrom has been on the faculty of the R.D. Colburn School of Performing Arts since 1979, and is currently Professor of jazz studies at the University of Redlands. Kenton also holds a position as staff accompanist at the Grove School of Music. While at USC, Kenton studied film scoring with David Raskin, and composition with Lee Ritenour and Donald Crockett. His compositions and arrangements have been featured on television, and have been recorded and published. Kenton is a guest contributor to Frets magazine and the Hot Licks series from GPI publications.

Dusan Bogdanovich was born in Yugoslavia in 1955. He completed his studies of guitar, orchestration and composition at the Geneva Conservatory in Switzerland. Among his many awards, Mr Bogdanovic received the only first prize at the esteemed International Competition of Geneva in 1975 and gave a highly acclaimed debut recital at Carnegie Hall in 1977. A richly gifted composer and improviser, as well as guitarist, Mr. Bogdanovic has explored musical languages which are reflected in his playing today, a unique synthesis of classical, jazz and ethnic styles. His career as a solo performer, as a composer and as a member of the Falla Guitar Trio has taken him to numerous national and international musical festivals and concert tours throughout Europe, Asia and the United States. Mr. Bogdanovic's music is published by Berben Editions of Italy. His recording credits include nine albums (including Bach trio sonatas with harpsichord), original contemporary works and a Billboard top ten New Age record. Nominated professor at Geneva Conservatory while in his early twenties, Mr. Bogdanovic later taught at the Belgrade Academy and at the University of Southern California. Presently engaged by the San Francisco Conservatory, Dusan divides his time between teaching, composing and performing.

Benjamin Verdery   April 24, 1992, Williamsurg Regional LIbrary Theater; April 25, 1992, Chrysler Museum Theater, Norfolk

Guitarist Benjamin Verdery has performed extensively throughout the United States, Canada and Europe, appearing at major festivals and universities, conducting master classes, workshops and residencies, and performing on radio and television. A pioneer in promoting new music for the guitar, Benjamin Verdery has commissioned and performed works by Anthony Newman, Alvin Brehm, David Leisner, Frederic Hand, Roberto Sierra and Daniel Asia, as well as performing and publishing his own compositions. Mr Verdery has performed with such distinguished artists as Anthony Newman, John Williams and Paco Peña, appearing at the South Bank Festival, London, the Madeira Bach Festival, Cordoba, the Theater Carré, Amsterdam; American Fingerstyle Guitar Festival and the Charles Ives Festival. In addition to his touring schedules, Mr. Verdery is on the faculties of Yale University and the Wisconsin Conservatory, is the Artistic Director of the D'Addario foundation for the Performing Arts and is a columnist for Guitar Player magazine.

In January, 1991, Newport Classic released Benjamin Verdery's solo recording of American music, Ride the Wind Horse. Newport Classic will also release Some Towns and Cities, composed by Mr. Verdery, that includes solos, guitar duets with John Williams, Paco Peña, Frederic Hand and Leo Kottke, as well as ensemble pieces. Other recordings include: Reverie: French Music for Flute & Guitar (Newport Classic), Bach: Two Generations - Concerti for Guitar Chamber Orchestra (Musical Heritage Society), Anthony Newman's Variations and Grand Contrapunctus (Cambridge Records) and Bach Transcriptions for Guitar (Sine Qua Non). In addition, Mr. Verdery has recorded two albums (LIfestyle Records) with synthesis/vibraphonist Craig Peyton under the name Latitude. Sona Gala (Narada Records) has also released Emotional Velocity by Craig Peyton and Benjamin Verdery, their first for this label. A second recording by Peyton and Verdery is due in 1992.

The acclaim Verdery has received was validated during his performance for the TCGS. The Virginia Gazette wrote, "He doesn't just play the guitar, he makes it sing ... The Bach unaccompanied suites can too easily be reduced to technical exercises. ... Verdery's [rendition] was among the finest I've ever encountered."

David Tanenbaum   May 22, 1992, Chrysler Museum Theater, Norfolk

Guitarist David Tanenbaum made his debut at the age of sixteen and has since performed in recitals, masterclasses and with orchestras throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, the Soviet Union and China. He has been guest soloist with the Kronos Quartet and Steve Reich and Musicians, and has been a featured soloist at numerous festivals, including those of Bath, Luzern and Frankfurt.

Mr. Tanenbaum has recorded the complete Royal Winter Music for Audiofon Records; Lute Masterworks, a guitar recording of Bach, Dowland and Milano, on Innova Digital Archive; Estudios, a double CD of studies by Sor, Carcassi and Brouwer, on GSP; Henze's An Eine Aolsharfe on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi and the recently released and critically acclaimed Acoustic Counterpoint on New Albion Records. He can also be heard on Green Linnett and Rhino Records.

Known for the diversity of his repertoire, David Tanenbaum has published numerous transcriptions of early music with Guitar Solo Publications, and has other editions published by Schott, Chester, Berben and the ACA. A recipient of grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Martha Baird Rockefeller Fund and the California Arts Council, Mr. Tanenbaum was an Affiliate Artist from 1983-1988. Much in demand for masterclasses, he is currently chairman of the Guitar Department at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, as well as Artist-in-Residence at the Manhattan School of Music. In 1989, he served as President of the highly successful Second American Classical Guitar Congress, held at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. For that congress, he commissioned five new scores, including a work for 100 guitars by Henry Brant.