The semifinal round was held on Friday morning, and the finals round was an open concert on Friday evening. Before the finals round, the competitors met for dinner. It was nice to be in the company of such amazing musicians!
After dinner, we made our way to the Clark Center for the finals and a special preconcert performance by the Radiant Ensemble, a community guitar ensemble I work with.
Throughout the festival, my good friend Aaron Ringo of Wood Ring Guitars had his fine handmade instruments on display. I met Aaron when I first started my guitar studies. He's a talented player and an incredible luthier. He's definitely a name to watch in guitar building. I'm hoping to buy one of his doubletop concert guitars in the near future.
On Saturday morning, I had the honor of playing a lute masterclass with Michael Craddock. We worked on some John Dowland, and he gave me a lot of suggestions to improve my playing. This was the first time I have ever seen two renaissance lutes in the same room!
I'm also very proud as a teacher. I've worked hard to give my students the kinds of opportunities that are unfortunately very rare for pre-collegiate guitarists. One of my students competed in the Youth Division I Competition. I was allowed to go in and listen when he competed. He played very well! This was his second year competing, and he took on a challenging program of John Dowland and J. K. Mertz. He rose to that challenge and did a wonderful job of capturing the contrasting styles. In just a few years, he'll be a seasoned pro!
After dinner, we made our way to the Clark Center for the finals and a special preconcert performance by the Radiant Ensemble, a community guitar ensemble I work with.
Throughout the festival, my good friend Aaron Ringo of Wood Ring Guitars had his fine handmade instruments on display. I met Aaron when I first started my guitar studies. He's a talented player and an incredible luthier. He's definitely a name to watch in guitar building. I'm hoping to buy one of his doubletop concert guitars in the near future.
On Saturday morning, I had the honor of playing a lute masterclass with Michael Craddock. We worked on some John Dowland, and he gave me a lot of suggestions to improve my playing. This was the first time I have ever seen two renaissance lutes in the same room!
I'm also very proud as a teacher. I've worked hard to give my students the kinds of opportunities that are unfortunately very rare for pre-collegiate guitarists. One of my students competed in the Youth Division I Competition. I was allowed to go in and listen when he competed. He played very well! This was his second year competing, and he took on a challenging program of John Dowland and J. K. Mertz. He rose to that challenge and did a wonderful job of capturing the contrasting styles. In just a few years, he'll be a seasoned pro!