John Duarte Guitar Quintet

Played Concerto Le Grazie (1997) by Gerald Garcia, English Suite No. 5 (John Duarte) and Fantasia para un Gentilhombre by Joaquin Rodrigo (1999). The quintet (Antonio De Innocentis, Claudio Cecere, Paolo Mauriello, Marcello, Parisi, Ruocco Panico) were formed in December 2004, following the sad news of Maestro John Duarte’s death. John Duarte has been one of the greatest composers the guitar has ever had and being lucky to know him personally and having the high honour to be counted amongst his friends, I thought to entitle our quintet to him, who so much loved the guitar. My friends and colleagues also got the lucky chance to meet him once just in Caserta, when Jack, in 2002, came to visit us at home.

So, I informed dear Mrs Dorothy Duarte of our wish and asking her permission too and she graciously allowed us to call ourselves the “John Duarte Guitar Quintet”, also sending her best wishes for our activity. So, we all thank her so much for that. (Reproduced with kind permission of Antonio De Innocentis)

Steve Yates

Stephen has been a regular performer at Ealing for over 10 years. He has won several awards, which include the Vicente Sanchis Guitar Challenge, and has been voted Guitarist magazine’s ‘Guitarist of the Year’. As a classical player he performs a wide-ranging repertoire from baroque through romantic to contemporary works. At the other end of the musical spectrum he also performs on the electric guitar, playing audacious and breathtaking.