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2008 CSU Guitar Symposium Artists
 Guitarist/composer
Andrew Zohn has been hailed as “one of the finest guitarists of his generation”
(internationally- syndicated radio program Classical Guitar Alive). His
ability on the instrument has earned prizes in five international competitions
including the Guitar Foundation of America and the Stotsenberg International.
In addition to concertizing throughout North America and in Europe as a soloist,
Andrew Zohn is active as a chamber musician, orchestral soloist, and as a part
of Duo Spiritoso with acclaimed Canadian guitarist and Naxos recording
artist Jeffrey McFadden. Recent performances include venues in Honolulu,
Chicago, Seattle, Portland, Italy, Slovenia, Montreal, New York City, Boston,
Philadelphia, Toronto, and Ottawa. He has been featured on radio and
television broadcasts throughout North America and Europe. In 2007, Zohn will
make his South American debut with multiple concerts in Buenos Aires.
Andrew Zohn holds a doctorate of music degree
from Florida State University, a master of music from the University of Texas,
and a bachelor’s degree from the North Carolina School of the Arts. Since 1999,
Zohn has served on the faculty of Columbus State University, where he founded
and directs the annual CSU Guitar Symposium and Competition. He also currently
serves on the faculty of the Guitar on the Mediterranean Festival in
Cervo, Italy, and the Guitare Lachine festival in Canada, each summer.
Dr. Zohn is a frequently invited guest artist, lecturer, and clinician at music
festivals, seminars, and universities throughout North America. Students of
Andrew Zohn have won prizes in several international competitions, and have been
featured on the American national radio program From the Top.
Beginning a career in composing in 1998, Zohn
has already received commissions for new works from, among others, La Flame
Records, Canada, the Campbell University Foundation for the Arts, and the East
Carolina New Music Festival. In 2004 and 2005, Zohn was selected as a recipient
of a Plus Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and
Publishers (ASCAP) in recognition of his compositions. Classical Guitar
Magazine (UK) has hailed Zohn as “…a gifted composer with something unique
and interesting to say.” Original compositions and transcriptions by Andrew
Zohn are published through Les Productions d’Oz, Canada, Tuscany publications
(Theodore Presser), and FJH Publications. His latest recording, Music of
Piazzolla, Debussy, Gershwin, and Zohn, is now available through Centaur
Records.
“Zohn showed full control
of all aspects of his art. This assured and confident performance brought the
potential of the guitar to new heights of excellence, allowing the audience to
experience a mature artist at work.” –GuitArt Magazine
“His sensitive touch and
tasteful musicality shaped each phrase in a way that was easy to understand and
enjoy. Both the aficionado and the concert performer would be moved by Zohn’s
obvious command of the instrument and repertoire…A stellar performer!” -Washington
D.C. Society Newsletter.
“With a sophisticated use
of harmony and an inventive use of melodic and rhythmic motifs, these [Zohn’s
solo compositions] will surely find there way into concert programs and perhaps
a set piece in future competitions.” –GuitArt Magazine.
“A talented new composer
[whose] compositions deserve to be heard.” “Charming and entirely convincing…
More of the same please!” -Classical Guitar Magazine (London).
“The same rhythmic
sensitivity as Leonhardt,” and the “intensity usually associated with Assad
recordings.” -Guitarra Magazine (review of Zohn’s debut recording A
Guitar Recital).
 Matteo Mela and
Lorenzo Micheli - two among the most active and famous Italian guitarists - met
in Texas, far away from native Italy, in Autumn 2000. Since then, they have
shared a number of ideas, musical projects, and travels all over the world.
In 2002, with
violinist Ivan Rabaglia and cellist Enrico Bronzi, they created a chamber music
group devoted to the discovery of unknown works from the XIX Century repertoire.
A year later, in 2003, they formed a duo that has already performed throughout
Europe and North America, and has been acclaimed everywhere as one of the best
ensembles ever heard.
Matteo and
Lorenzo have recorded François de Fossa's Three Quartets, op. 19, Antoine de Lhoyer's Music for two
Guitars, and a selections of Masterworks of the 20th Century
(forthcoming), as well as half a dozen solo recordings on the labels Naxos,
Kookaburra, Stradivarius, Brilliant Records and Mel Bay.
Matteo Mela
was born in Imperia in 1971. A
student of Renzo Doria Miglietta in his hometown, he moved to Cremona to pursue
his studies of musicology at the University. In Cremona he met Giovanni Puddu,
who played a major role in his musical education; at the same time, he had the
chance to attend the classes of Angelo Gilardino, Alirio Diaz, Oscar Ghiglia,
David Russell, the Assad brothers. Moreover, he studied chamber music at the
Accademia Pianistica di Imola with Dario De Rosa, Alexander Lonquich, and Pier
Narciso Masi.
As a member of the
Mela-Bandini duo Matteo won – between 1991 and 1998 – the first prize in several
prestigious chamber music competitions, such as the Aram (Rome) 1992, the F.
Cilea Competition in 1993, the GMI in 1994, the Città di Gubbio, Città di
Caltanissetta and Perugia Classico Competitions in 1995. Recently he has been
enjoying regular collaboration with Lorenzo Micheli in a number of projects.
Matteo also regularly
gives recitals and makes tv and radio appearances across Europe and North
America (recent engagements have included performances in Rome, Milan, Bologna,
Turin, Naples, Paris, Hamburg, Cologne, Warsaw, Oslo, Cincinnati, Phoenix,
Dallas, Houston).
A teacher at the
Accademia di Perfezionamento “G. Caccini” in Montopoli Val d’Arno and at the
Accademia Musicale Tema in Milan, Matteo has released a CD of Latin American
Dances (Quadrivium, with G. Bandini) and the solo CD Italian virtuosos of the
nineteenth century (Kookaburra), as well as the Three Quartets, op. 19, by
french composer François de Fossa (CD Stradivarius). His forthcoming new CD
includes Astor Piazzolla’s complete guitar music, featuring Ivan Rabaglia
(violin), Lorenzo Micheli (guitar), Per Arne Glorvigen (bandoneon) and the
Piazzolla String Ensemble.
Hailed by the musical
critics as “virtuoso extraordinaire” (Nice Matin, France), “absolutely
astonishing” (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, USA), “prodigious talent” (Soundboard,
USA), “the prince of the guitar” (Suonare, Italy), Lorenzo Micheli is
today one of the most important and active Italian guitarists in the world. A
student of Paola Coppi in Milan, Frédéric Zigante in Lausanne and Oscar Ghiglia
in Siena and Basel, he graduated with full marks from both the Conservatory of
Trieste and the Musik-Akademie of Basel.
Since winning the
first prize in some of the most important guitar competitions in the world
(Gargnano, 1996; Alessandria, 1997; ARAM, Rome 1999; Mauro Giuliani, 1999;
Guitar Foundation of America, 1999), Lorenzo Micheli has taken up a busy concert
career throughout the world, performing regularly—both as a soloist and with
orchestra—in many European countries (Italy, Switzerland, Greece, Spain,
Austria, Ireland, Germany, the UK, France, Croatia, Finland, Turkey, Poland,
Slovenia) and all over the US and Canada, as well as in Africa and Latin
America. He gives masterclasses at universities and music festivals throughout
North America and Europe, and he has made recordings for radio and TV in three
continents. As years go by, he is more and more involved in chamber music
projects with friends Matteo Mela (guitar), Ivan Rabaglia (violin) and Enrico
Bronzi (cello).
His several
recordings, reflecting his leaning towards works written originally for the
guitar, include the music of Dionisio Aguado (Stradivarius)a selection of
guitar works by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (Naxos), the Three Quartets, op. 19,
by the French composer François de Fossa with Matteo Mela and the members of the
Parma String Trio (Stradivarius), the complete works for solo guitar by Miguel
Llobet (Naxos), the complete guitar Concertos by Castelnuovo-Tedesco
(Brilliant) as well as the live video Live at Texas Tech University (Mel
Bay).
 With
the passion, style, and musical sophistication borrowing from the best
chamber music and string quartet traditions, the Minneapolis Guitar Quartet
has successfully made its case as one of the world's leading guitar
ensembles since its founding in 1986. "Flawless, musical and witty"
(Classical Guitar Magazine, England), the MGQ has performed throughout the
United States both in recital and concerto appearances, balancing a dizzying
array of first-rate repertoire ranging from Renaissance and Baroque to
Spanish, Latin American, and Romantic, to highly imaginative existing and
commissioned contemporary works. In 2007, the quartet began a fascinating
new concert collaboration with Flamenco dancer Colette Illarde, featuring an
original production of Six Pieces on Spanish Folksongs by the great
Spanish composer Enrique Granados. With music arranged by the MGQ, the
choreography by Ms. Illarde reflects the extraordinary vitality of Spanish
culture and includes Spanish regional and folk dancing, classical ballet and
flamenco.Cutting-edge
composer/performer Daniel Bernard Roumain, one of more than 20 composers
commissioned by the MGQ, calls the group "more than a guitar quartet, more
than superb musicians, and more than a great chamber group. They are
ambassadors of sound, style, and substance."
The Minneapolis Guitar Quartet
tours regularly throughout the United States in works with full orchestra
such as Joaquin Rodrigo's Concierto Andaluz and Ian Krouse's
Cantiga Variations; and with string orchestra in David Hahn's
Concerto alla Barocco and a new arrangement of Antonio Vivaldi's
Concerto in C. In recital, the Quartet can be heard from Seattle,
Washington to Westport, Connecticut and most everywhere in between. Its
concerts may feature as wide a range of repertoire as Bach, Piazzolla, Peter
Maxwell Davies, Ginastera, Purcell, Boccherini, Stravinsky, many new works
by commissioned composers, and an exceptional arrangement of Mussorgsky's
Pictures at an Exhibition. The web magazine minor7th.com called it "the
best arrangement of these 16 movements (Pictures at an Exhibition) I
have heard...While staying true to the original sense of the pieces, the
Quartet brings fresh colors and lyricism."
Concerto appearances include
the Austin Symphony (Peter Bay), St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Britt Festival
Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra and the Columbus (GA) Symphony, among others.
In recital, the MGQ appears in such cities as Seattle, Chicago, New Orleans,
Los Angeles, Williamstown (MA), and has been selected to perform in several
juried showcases at presenters conferences across the country. Other
highlights include Princeton University, the Il Encuentro Internacional de
Guitarra at the National Arts Center in Mexico City, the Omni Foundation
Dynamite Guitar series in San Francisco, the Stetson International Guitar
Workshop in Florida, and the Guitar Foundation of America Festival.
Through its call for proposals
from emerging composers residing in the United States and a grant from the
Jerome Foundation, three composers were recently chosen and commissioned to
create works for the MGQ. Recipients included notable Chinese-American
composer Huang Ruo (Four Visions) who recently was recorded by NAXOS,
the internationally performed Cuban-American Ileana Perez Velazquez (Beguiling
Breezes) and the award-winning Anthony Gatto (Unbreak My Heart).
These works are now in the Quartet's standard repertoire.
The MGQ has been heard on the
nationally syndicated Saint Paul Sunday, and on National Public
Radio's Performance Today. The group's first three CDs on the Albany
and GSP labels — New Works for Guitar Quartet, Over Land and Sea and
Pictures at an Exhibition — garnered unanimous international
critical acclaim. "With (Over Land and Sea)," said Soundboard
Magazine, "the MGQ demonstrates that it is one of the major guitar ensembles
in the world."
 George
Del Gobbo is in his 21st season as the
Columbus Symphony Orchestra's Music
Director and Conductor. During this time the orchestra has demonstrated
unprecedented artistic growth.
Del
Gobbo began his musical education on the violin at age 12. An interest in
conducting soon followed and he pursued both disciplines throughout his training
at the Eastman School of Music and the Catholic University of America. The most
profound influence on his musical thinking came during the time he spent as a
student of Maestro Franco Ferrara at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in
Rome and the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, Italy.
Prior to his tenure in Columbus, Del Gobbo served as the Associate Conductor of
the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and has appeared as guest conductor with
orchestras around the country and in South America including the Orquesta
Classica de Santiago and the Orquesta Sinfonica de Concepcion both in Chile.
Del Gobbo is also the Conductor of Orchestral Activities at Columbus State
University at the Schwob School of Music.
Jeffrey McFadden has been acknowledged as one of the finest guitarists of his
generation. Over the past years, concert engagements have taken him throughout
Canada and the United States and into Europe. He has given World Premieres of
works by numerous composers and has been a featured performer at several
international music festivals, including "Guitar '87" and GuitarFest '91 in
Toronto , Gitarren-Symposium Iserlohn, Lachine International Guitar Festival,
the Columbus State Guitar Symposium, The Niagara International Chambre Music
Festival, the National Flute Association (USA) Convention and many others.
In 1992, Jeffery McFadden was awarded a Silver Medal in the prestigious
Guitar Foundation of America Competition and was also a prize-winner in the 1993
Great Lakes Guitar Competition. His debut recording was the first in the
"Laureate Series" on the Naxos label and was released world-wide. Since it's
release, this recording has sold in the thousands of copies. His playing has
received enthusiastic critical acclaim; the "Daily Telegraph" of London (UK)
exclaimed "McFadden's ability to make the guitar sing is second to none", and
"Classic CD" has described his playing as "major artistry". His latest solo
release features the complete didactic works by the 19th century composer
Napoleon Coste. "ClassicsToday.com" raved about this disc saying, "Jeffrey
McFadden is not only an extraordinary guitarist -- he's also an inspired
musician."
Many noteworthy events marked this recent season in Jeffrey McFadden's
career. Naxos released his new CD with flutist Alexandra Hawley. It is a survey
of some of the finest American new music for flute and guitar and features the
fascinating Cantos Desiertos by Terry Riley. McFadden also had the opportunity
to work under the great Pierre Boulez in a performance celebrating the awarding
of the Glenn Gould prize to Boulez. This was also the first season of the
Toronto Guitar Symposium organised by McFadden, Michael Bracken and the Toronto
Guitar Society and finally, McFadden was counted among the most important
guitarists of his day by his inclusion in the Maurice Summerfield lexicon, The
Classical Guitar, Its History and Players.
Jeffrey McFadden has collaborated with Canada's most prominent musicians
and composers including Norbert Kraft, Robert Aitken, Ann Monoyios, John
Beckwith and R. Murray Shafer. He is frequently heard on CBC radio and NPR in
the United States both as soloist and ensemble player.
Jeffrey has given masterclasses and seminars at some of North America's
most prestigious institutions including the Université de Montréal,
Conservatoire de Music à Hull/Gatineau, University of British Colombia, Michigan
State University and the Oberlin College Conservatory. He is adjunct professor
of guitar at the University of Toronto.
 The
duo of Pasquale Rucco and Douglas James specializes in the guitar
literature of the early 19th century performed on authentic instruments of the
period. The two first met and became friends at guitar festivals in northern
Italy during the early 1990's. They have now been performing together for over
ten years, charming audiences with their interpretations of music from the first
true "golden age" of the guitar.
The duo’s repertoire
features some of the most famous of the early 19th century guitar duo
masterpeices as well as newly discovered gems. Their concert programs
frequently include works by the more familiar composers such as Carulli,
Giuliani and Sor combined with their lesser known contemporaries including
Filipo Gragnani, François de Fossa, Antoine Baron de Barcó, Frederic Spina, and
Antoine de Lloyer. Their debut CD featured works by Gragnani, Fossa and Barcó as
well as Giuliani’s arrangements of Rossini’s popular overtures to Il Barbiere
di Siviglia and La Gazza Ladra. This critically acclaimed disc was
recently followed by A Night at the Opera, an all-Rossini recording
featuring 19th century arrangements of popular opera overtures and
the famous La Danza tarantella.
Rucco and James are
internationally recognized authorities in the early Romantic style. Combining an
historically informed approach with world-class musicianship, they play
exclusively on authentic 19th century guitars. Recent seasons have
included concerts throughout the United States, Italy, and Austria. Rucco and
James have performed for such prestigious venues as the Oberlin Conservatory,
the Cleveland Institute of Music, Early Music Houston, and the Stetson
International Guitar Summer Workshop. In the U.S. they have also presented
concerts and masterclasses for universities and guitar societies in Georgia,
Florida, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, Mississippi, New Mexico, Ohio, and North
and South Carolina.
“Thinking to Presti-Lagoya
duo, Abreu duo and Assad duo, we think that the inseparable Italian/American
pair will be successful on the same line as this important progeny, becoming
their philological equivalent.” Musica magazine
"The Duo is adept at delivering these large-scale works
with apparent ease - though it can't be easy - and creating contrasts, multiple
voicing, shimmering scales, and the grand landscape of symphonic music in a most
convincing way. . . . I have said before, there is an apparent dichotomy between
the presentation of these seemingly light and soft instruments when matched with
large-scale orchestral writing. Odd that it seems to work perfectly - on purpose
- and as though you couldn't imagine it any other way! On second thought, maybe
these guys are just good." Roger Cope, Classical Voice of North Carolina
". . . precise, well-ballanced
ensemble . . . charming and discriminating . . . " Charleston Post and
Courier
“Every phrase was well balanced and each nuance was
precise and lovely.” Oberlin Review
The Italian guitarist
Pasquale Rucco is the winner of several European guitar competitions,
including the 1989 Arturo Toscannini Solo Guitar Competition for the
performance of 19thc. music. Since then he has performed regularly in Europe
and the United States, both as a soloist and chamber musician specializing in
the 19thc. literature played on period instruments. Pasquale Rucco is also the
founding director of “A.C.I.F.”, a consortium of music academies
operating in the greater Naples region.
The American guitarist
Douglas James has received numerous prizes and awards, including two
National Endowment for the Arts Solo Recitalist Fellowships. He performs
frequently throughout the United States and in Europe, and has been featured on
major classical radio broadcasts including NPR’s Performance Today.
Douglas James is Director of Guitar Studies and Appalachian GuitarFest
at Appalachian State University. James holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree
from the University of Arizona, where he studied guitar with Thomas Patterson.
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