The 2016 Melbourne International Guitar Festival, held over Sept 23-25 at the prestigious Melba Hall, Melbourne University, will see a culmination of the world’s biggest international stars for concerts, workshops, classes and a performance competition.
Young Melbourne Entrepreneurs and current classical guitar M.Mus(Performance) students from the Melbourne Conservatorium, Michael MacManus and Evan Hopkins, banded together in late 2014 to establish the Melbourne Guitar Foundation.
Their mission is to promote and cultivate the classical guitar in Australia. With a vision of an engaged local community of guitarists contributing towards a culture of learning, support and sharing of ideas to create the best musical and artistic environment in Australia.
Building from the inaugural 2015 Melbourne International Guitar Festival, the Melbourne Guitar Foundation is making 2016 a year to remember.
This year’s festival will see some of the world’s biggest international stars converge over a three-day festival of concerts, workshops, presentations, classes and a performance competition.
“A large aim of ours is building community involvement, and making the classical guitar accessible to the general public,” festival co-director Michael MacManus says.
You won’t find steel strings at this festival, as it focuses on the dolce tones of the nylon classical guitar. The performances on show will demonstrate popular Spanish masterpieces, edgy Brazilian rhythms, Irish folk music, European works and a number of world and Australian premieres.
The artists include two of Australia’s most respected instrumentalists, Tim Kain (guitar) and Virginia Taylor (flute), Italian Adriano del Sal, Brazilian Chrystian Dozza, Canberra based Brew Guitar Duo (Matt Withers and Bradley Kunda), and the Victorian Guitar Orchestra.
The performance competition ranges from beginner to the highly competitive Open category. First prize includes $1000 cash and an eight-concert Australian tour. There have been entries from across all of Australia and even as far away as Italy! It promises to be a remarkable showcase of virtuoso talent.
To view the full festival schedule please visit melbourneguitarfoundation.com/2016–festival–competition–schedule/
Concert 1:
Tim Kain (guitar) and Virginia Taylor (flute)
Sept 23, 7pm, Melba Hall, Melbourne University
Timothy Kain and Virginia Taylor are two of Australia’s leading instrumentalists. Along with their many and varied individual musical activities they have enjoyed a long and very successful collaboration as a flute and guitar duo. They take special pleasure in exploring the many riches on offer in the flute and guitar repertoire – music which reaches from the jungle and plains of South America to the beauty of European Art music, from the folk and contemporary music of Ireland to newly commissioned works by some of Australia’s leading composers.
Concert 2:
Chrystian Dozza
Sept 24, 1pm, Melba Hall, Melbourne University
Born in Machado (MG), Brazil, Chrystian Dozza is one of the most exciting Brazilian/Classical players on the international scene! Winner of several first prizes in performance competitions, Chrystian is also an equally talented composer. Chrystian’s CD Despertar feature his stunning compositions which reflect Brazilian, popular and folk influence. Chrystian majored in classical guitar at the Santa Barcelona College in São Paulo, and his performances infuse a refined classical technique while maintaining the raw edge and emotion of his Brazilian roots.
Concert 3:
Adriano Del Sal
Sept 24, 7pm, Melba Hall, Melbourne University
Adriano Del Sal is one of the most significant young performers of the latest years. The extraordinary musical talent and the profound artistic sensibility, as his total technical control of the instrument, make his performances unforgettable. Born in 1977, he began studying the guitar with Stefano Viola at the J.Tomadini conservatory of Udine where he graduated in 1999 with Guido Fichtner. At the same time he attended lessons at F.Tarrega academy of Pordenone improving himself with Stefano Viola and Paolo Pegoraro. Adriano impressed the juries of important national and international contests winning 12 first prizes. Thanks to the winning of the international competition Julian Arcas of Almeria (Spain), he recorded his first solo CD for the Radio Nacional de Espana. In 2003 he received the La chitarra d’oro recognition at the international meeting of Alessandria as best young concert artist of the year at international level. In 2004 he won the first prize at the prestigious international competition Città di Alessandria. Adriano is the winner of the historic Certamen F.Tarrega Benicassim, Spain in 2009. Currently he teaches at the Guitar Academy Segovia in Pordenone, and from 2015 he is a new Professor at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien.
Concert 4:
Brew Guitar Duo (with special guests The Victorian Guitar Orchestra)
Sept 25, 3pm, Melba Hall, Melbourne University
Recognised as one of Australia’s leading guitar ensembles, the Brew Guitar Duo plays with a refreshing blend of humour, imagination, and technical mastery. The musicians’ boundless repertoire encompasses everything from much-loved Spanish masterpieces, to brilliant new Australian compositions, to re-imagined popular music favourites. The Brew Guitar Duo has firmly established its place in the Australian music scene over the past 10 years, through countless performances for major international music festivals and music societies in nearly every capital city, as well as a host of regional centres. The duo has given a number of live broadcasts on ABC Classic FM, where their recordings are frequently aired. Strongly dedicated to the future of Australian music, the Brew Guitar Duo is reviving the duet repertoire with exciting and imaginative new works from leading and emerging Australian composers. The duo has commissioned and premiered new music from composers including Richard Charlton and Robert Davidson, as well as its own in-house composer-member Bradley Kunda. The duo’s members, Bradley Kunda and Matt Withers, are constantly engaged in a wealth of musical activities. Each are respected soloists in their own right, and have performed throughout the world in countries such as China, Spain, Italy and Montenegro. Bradley and Matt also comprise one-half of Australia’s premier guitar quartet Guitar Trek, which has for the past 25 years pioneered new repertoire for the guitar family under the leadership of the duo’s mentor Timothy Kain.
The Victorian Guitar Orchestra Conducted by Ben Dix (member of the Melbourne Guitar Quartet): This orchestra sees a diverse mix of guitarists, young and old, combine to create a full and lustrous sound. Nothing is more beautiful than a guitar, save perhaps two. – Fredric Chopin. With 25 guitarists, the dynamic and colour range available to this orchestra is a unique experience. Come along and listen to this orchestra rehearse a piece by local composer Shaun Rigney, which they will perform later in the Brew Duo concert. Applications to play with the orchestra have closed, but if you like what you see and hear we would love you to participate next year! Sept 25, 9am-11am, Melba Hall
MASTERCLASSES
Tim Kain
One of Australia’s most acclaimed concert artists and leading pedagogues, Tim Kain. Performers: Christian Ewings, Deniz Dena Kaplan, Thomas Nheu, Julia Bakowski.
Sept 24, 10am-12pm, Heinze Room (upstairs)
Chrystian Dozza
Brazilian virtuoso, Chrystian Dozza. Performers: Nydia Toy, Geordie Panousis, Immanuel Creagh, Sophie Marcheff.
Sept 24, 3pm-5pm, Heinze Room (upstairs)
Adriano Del Sal
One of the most sought after concert artists and teachers in the world, Adriano is currently Professor of guitar at Vienna University. Performers: Clancy McLeod, William Archibald, Dennis Van Rooyen, Miles Johnston.
Sept 25, 10am-12pm, Heinze Room (upstairs)
PRESENTATIONS
Australian Tone Woods
Presentation by master luthier Chris Wynne from Thomas Lloyd Guitars (TLG), Montsalvat, about the use of Australian tonewoods for guitar construction. Chris will also give information about his guitar building school in Montsalvat where you can learn to build your very own acoustic guitar!
Melbourne Conservatorium of Music Guitar Department
The MCM guitar area is rapidly building an international reputation. Dr Ken Murray and Mx Tonié Field cultivate a supportive, motivating and allembracing outlook to learning the guitar while providing an environment to explore and deepen your love and appreciation of music.
Sept 24, 5:00pm-5:40pm, Melba Hall
More information on the festival can be found at melbourneguitarfoundation.com.
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