Here just a few of the many notable classical guitar concerts coming up in the next few weeks:
On Saturday, February 13, the St. Louis Classical Guitar Society is presenting Xuefei Yang at the Ethical Society. She’ll be performing works by Albeniz, Debussy, Granados, de Falla, Villa-Lobos, Jobim, Chen Yi, and traditional Chinese pieces. More info
That same night—February 13—Grammy-winning guitarist Jason Vieaux will be in the Northern California town of Livermore, at the Bankhead Theater. He’ll be performing pieces by a typically eclectic group of composers, including Giuliani, Bach, Albeniz, Metheny, Ellington, Jobim, and Henze. More
The Guitar Society of Toronto, which is celebrating its 60th season, has a pair of great concerts coming up at Haliconian Hall in that dynamic Canadian city: On Saturday, February 20, Pavel Steidl holds court; on Saturday, March 12, it’s Johannes Moller. Also coming to the city is Toronto Guitar Weekend, April 15-17 at Victoria Chapel in Victoria College at the University of Toronto. Performers include Carlo Barbosa Lima, Celso Machado, and competition winner Steve Cowan, but there is also a luthier’s fair, lectures, master classes and more. Details
Iranian guitarist Lily Afshar, who penned a fascinating article for the Spring 2016 issue of Classical Guitar (out now), is playing at the Milford (Connecticut) Center for the Arts on March 12, a concert sponsored by the New England Guitar Society. Earlier in the day, Afshar will be offering a master class. Info
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Manuel Barrueco will be playing at the beautiful renovated Herbst Theater in San Francisco on Sunday March 13, as part of the Omni Foundation for the Performing Arts’ Dynamite Guitars series (which includes both steel string masters—such as the magnificent Leo Kottke, playing at the Herbst on Thursday, February 18—and the best from the classical guitar world). Omni Concerts
Looking for an escape from winter weather blues? Consider bopping down to Miami, Florida February 24-28 for the Miami International GuitART Festival and Composition Competition. Held at Florida International University’s School of Music, MIGF features performances, master classes, lectures, a luthier’s expo, composer’s panel, and, most intriguing, a composer’s competition. Concert participants include Benjamin Verdery, Robert Trent, Stephen Aron, John Schneider, Turkey’s Trio Anka, the Cuban Duo Con-Trastes, Miami Guitar Trio, festival founder and artistic director Mesut Ozgen, and others. Festival info
Jumping across the Atlantic, on Friday, March 11, at St. Anne’s Church, Limehouse, London (UK), Cuban guitarist Ahmed Dickinson Cárdenas will be fronting the acclaimed Docklands Sinfonia on Rodrigo’ Concierto de Aranjuez, part of a program that also includes the Sinfonia on Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capricio Espagnol (a nice lead in to the Aranjuez) and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 in B Minor “Pathetique.” Ticket info
Miloš Karadaglic, on tour promoting his excellent new album of Beatles songs, Blackbird, (though also drawing from a broad classical repertoire, of course) is going to be all over the place the next couple of months. Among the more notable dates are Jordan Hall in Boston, Massachusetts, February 21; the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City on February 24; the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis, Minnesota, February 28; Birmingham (UK) Town Hall March 4; the Capitol Theatre in Horsham, UK, March 2; the Musis Sacrum in Arnhem, Netherlands, March 7; the Bilbao (Spain) Philharmonic Society, March 9; and Barcelona, Spain’s Palau de la Musica March 11. Here are the February through April dates, with links.