Stephen Yates

Stephen Yates is one of Britain's few composer/guitarists. Originally an award winning classical guitarist performing standard repertoire, his experience of arranging and composing for ensembles combined with his love for a wide variety of music from around the world inevitably led him to apply himself to music for solo guitar. His music is as eclectic as can be imagined, incorporating classical European as well as Asian, African, Irish and popular influences, but rather than pastiche, he combines these elements at their core to produce a style all his own. Virtuosic and yet lyrical, his music can be seen as belonging both to the classical world as well as to the contemporary.

                                  Programme

                                   Barefoot Sundance

                                   Io Pan

                                   Summers Spent

                                   The Great Good bye

                                   Trajectory X

                                          Interval    

       

                                    Meditation on Solitude

                                    Dance of the Mayfly

                                    Mr Hyde's Hop

                                    March For a Free Man

                                    I am Pi

TenString Fever

Guitarist Terry Spooner and violinist Jane Miller formed TenStringFever in London in 2005, having met through their work teaching their respective instruments, and having collaborated in performances in other various ensembles.

Their performances feature pieces from a wide musical spectrum and their recordings also reflect this, from their first album ‘ Jigs & Jazz’  to their critically acclaimed ‘Chase the Sun’ album.

In tonight’s programme the duo will be playing guitar, violin, charango and viola featuring music from South America, Spain, England, France, Italy and Ireland.

From Argentine tangos and film music to the gypsy jazz of Django Reinhardt and their own original pieces.

Programme.

Music from South America, Spain, France, Italy, England and Ireland

Ice & Fire (Miller)/Mayan Blue (Spooner)

Sicilienne (Maria-Theresa v.Paradis)

Charango and violin

Carnavalito/Viento Azul (Venegas)

Guitar and viola

Milonga Del Angel (Piazzolla)/Painted Sky (Spooner)

Violin and guitar

Andaluza (Granados)

Another Day (Miller)/Chase the Sun (Spooner)

Oblivion/Libertango (Piazzolla)

               I N T E R V A L

Solo guitar

Verano Porteno (Piazzolla)/La Negra (Lauro)

Violin and guitar

Cinema Paradiso: Main theme/Love theme (Morricone)

Histoire du Tango:  (Piazzolla)

(Bordel 1900/Cafe 1930/Nightclub 1960)

Tears/Djangology (Reinhardt/Grappelli)

Three Celtic Pieces:

Catriona/Cry of the Celts/Lord of the Dance

Pavel Ralev

Pavel was born in 1991 in Sofia, Bulgaria and started playing the guitar at the age of ten, when he was first introduced to some basic chords by his parents. He was improving quickly and soon after he started taking classical guitar lessons when he was eleven. Very quickly he fell in love with the instrument even more and decided to become a musician. After two years of training he took guitar, aural, harmony, music history and piano examinations, and entered the National School of Music and Dance Arts in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. In 2009 he was accepted to study on a full scholarship with Michael Lewin and Timothy Walker at the Royal Academy of Music.

Pavel has participated in masterclasses with world-renowned guitarists such as Fabio Zanon, Olivier Chassain, David Russell, Edoardo Catemario, George Vassillev to name a few, and he has met and played for the legendary Julian Bream. He has won several prizes in solo and chamber music competitions in his native Bulgaria. He has performed live for the Bulgarian National Radio and Television, and in venues like the Plovdiv Philharmonic House, Bulgarian National Opera, Duke’s Hall at the RAM, and the House of Commons in the British Parliament. Pavel collaborates with brilliant young musicians like guitarist Stanislav Hvartchilkov and violinist Nazrin Rashidova, and has made recordings with sound engineer Nikolay Georgiev.

Pavel Ralev currently lives in London and teaches the guitar there. He recently took his Dip ABRSM examinations. Not long ago he got engaged to his girlfriend Alexandra.

Programme

Alonso Mudarra (c. 1510-1580)                                       Fantasia X

John Dowland (c. 1563-1626)                                           A Fancy VII

J. S. Bach (1685-1750)                                                          Prelude in D minor, BWV 999

Fernando Sor (1778-1839)                                                 Introduction and Variations on a Theme by Mozart

J. K. Mertz (1806-1856)                                                       Introduction and Rondo Brilliant

William Walton (1902-1983)                                           Five Bagatelles
             II Lento
              III Alla Cubana

INTERVAL

J. S. Bach (1685-1750)                                                          Prelude, Fugue and Allegro, BWV 998

Mauro Giuliani (1786-1829)                                             Grande Ouverture

A. Barrios-Mangore (1885-1944)                                    Una Limosnita por el Amor de Dios

H. Villa-Lobos (1887-1959)                                               Suite populaire brésilienne

                Gavotta-Choro

AUGUSTUS WOODROW-TOMIZUKA

AUGUSTUS WOODROW-TOMIZUKA was born in 1995 in Amsterdam, Holland. He began playing guitar at age seven upon being inspired by an early obsession with the Beatles, and after experimenting with various styles of music and playing extensively with an indie rock band called “Picasso’s Wall”, he discovered an affinity for the classical guitar. He already bears several notable musical achievements, including the first prizes at the 2013 Indiana International Guitar Competition senior youth division, the 2013 Appalachian State Youth Guitar Competition, and the 2014 Texas International Guitar Competition senior youth division.

In his senior year of high school, he appeared as a solo performer on NPR's From the Top radio program, where he was also interviewed about his guitaristic pursuits and his National Science Foundation research on ant behavior. As a college freshman, he was the only undergraduate to win top prizes in the 2013 Tucson Flamenco Festival Open Guitar Competition, the 2013 Thomas Beeston Guitar Competition, and the 2014 Sholin Memorial Guitar Competition. As the winner of the 13^th Annual William Wolfe Guitar Competition this past December, Gus will be the ecstatic recipient of a custom-made instrument by renowned luthier Stephan Connor.

Recently, Augustus was named one of only 160 national winners out of 11,000 applicants in the 2014 YoungArts Competition, joining other artists, filmmakers, dancers, actors, and writers in a weeklong performance project at the New World Symphony Center in Miami. On the academic front, he was awarded a prestigious Flinn Scholarship, and is currently pursuing his love of music at the University of Arizona under the guidance of Maestro Tom Patterson in the world-class Bolton Guitar Studies Program. This summer he will make his debut in Europe with solo appearances in Germany, the Netherlands and England.

In addition to his musical interests, Augustus has a passion for science, conservation, and karate, having won numerous accolades in the latter including gold medals in the U.S. Open International Tournament in Las Vegas in 2007 and 2011, and the USA NKF National Championships in Ft. Lauderdale in 2009. His volunteer work at the Reid Park Zoo led them to send him to Canada as their Arctic Ambassador to study polar bears in Churchill, Manitoba. In the coming years he intends to continue being an active advocate for environmental stewardship.

“Guitar is the Star”

BWV 998 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Prelude
Suite L’infidèle Silvius Leopold Weiss (1686-1750)
Entree
Courante
Sarabande
Menuet
Paysanne
Grande Ouverture, Op. 61 Mauro Giuliani (1781 – 1829)
Prelude No. 1 Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887 – 1959)
Etude No. 9
Etude No. 3
Etude No. 12

INTERMISSION

Soleares Joaquín Turina (1882-1949)
Sandy's Portrait Sérgio Assad (b. 1952)
Prelude
Passacaglia
Toccata
Otoño Porteño Ástor Piazzolla (1921-1992)
Primavera Porteña

Alicia Hunt & Roland Gallery

Alicia Hunt 

Alicia is a regular visitor to the recital platform as a solo and chamber musician. She has performed in Holland and Germany and has appeared widely in the UK, giving performances of the Mozart Flute Concerto in G, Concerto for Flute & Harp, the Cimarosa Concerto for two flutes and Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5.

For over twenty years Alicia has worked as part of a duo with piano, performing numerous recitals for regional music clubs and societies. She regularly performs with guitar and has given frequent chamber concerts with strings and oboe and as part of an ensemble with voice and classical accordion.

Alicia has played for several orchestras in performances at the Royal Festival Hall and the Royal Albert Hall. She has been principle flautist under the direction of Sir Simon Rattle and was piccolo soloist in Messiaen’s Turangalîla Symphony; this performance was broadcast for BBC Radio 3 in the presence of the composer.

Alicia is founder member of ‘The Musical Story Group’, an ensemble with piano and narrator, for which she composes and arranges classical music with stories for children.

Roland Gallery 

Roland is a prominent player in the field of guitar chamber music. He is leader of the English Guitar Quartet and the Segovia Trio. Roland has recorded Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Roland has played at many of London’s major concert halls. He has toured Hungary, Israel, Holland, Australia, Canada and Venezuela. He has broadcast live on Radios 2, 3 & 4, Classic FM and made several appearances on television. He has worked regularly with the Royal Ballet and appeared with them at the Royal Opera House, on tour and on film.

In 1992 Roland was appointed professor of Guitar at Trinity College of Music. Well known as an arranger, he has produced over 300 arrangements and transcriptions. In 1998 the Modern Guitar Trio was founded by Roland, with Roland Chadwick and Vincent Lindsey-Clark to showcase exclusively the three members’ original compositions. Composers who have specially written works for him include Martyn Brabbins, Tim Brady, Jim Harley, Stepan Rak, Jeffrey Sharkey, Roger Steptoe, Antonin Tucapsky, Arthur Wills and Richard Roderick Jones.

MUSICAL FRIENDS - A recital of music for flute and guitar

 

Jacques Ibert (1890 - 1962) - Entr'acte (Flute and Guitar)

Paul Farrer (b. 1973) - Elswhere (Flute and Guitar):
Three parts: Fast - Slow - Fast

Richard Roderick Jones (b. 1947) - Six Bagatelles for Guitar (2007):
1 Prelude 2 Improvisation 3 Capriccio
4 Nocturne 5 Waltz 6 Madrigal Rondo

Fernando Sor (1778 - 1839) - L’Encouragement (Flute and Guitar):
1 Andante cantabile 2 Theme and variations: Andantino 3 Ländler

INTERVAL

Richard Roderick Jones (b. 1947) - Sonata for Flute and Guitar (2011):
1 Allegro 2 Poco lento 3 Brioso

William Alwyn (1905 - 1985) Divertimento for Flute Solo (1939):
1 Introduction and Fughetta 2 Variations on a Ground
3 Gavotte and Musette 4 Finale alla Gigue

Virginia Firnberg (b. 1963) - Fluidic (Flute and Guitar)

Fernando Sor (1778 - 1839) - Fantasie, opus 54 (Flute and Guitar):
3 Finale - Allegro, dans le genre Espagnol

Benjamin Bruant

Passionate about guitar from an early age of seven, I went on to study at
the Music School of Le Havre, my home city in France.
Fifteen years later, I moved to Paris in order to improve my technique and
nourish my passion. I had the chance there to study with Pedro Ibanez,
teacher at the National Conservatory, who has brought my musicianship up
to a high level of accomplishment.
Following my three years of study in Paris, feeling that I could still learn
and improve myself, I moved to London where I studied with Michael
Lewin at the Royal Academy of Music. I have had the opportunity to meet
the best guitarists from all over the world. I have improved myself by
listening to them and have reached the highest level of playing.
Life is a continuous school and I hope to improve myself even more each
day in order to perform my music to the best that I can for my whole life.

Programme

M. Giuliani (1781 1829) - Grande Overture opus 61
A. Barrios ( 1885 1944) - La Catedral
J. Rodrigo (1901 1999) - Invocation et Dance
J.S Bach (1685 1750) - Prelude Fugue Allegro BWV 998

Interval

F. Tarrega (1852 1909) - Recuerdos de la Alhambra
F. Mompou (1893 1987) - Suite Compostelana
1. Preludio
2. Coral
3. Cuna
4. Recitativo
5. Cancion
6. Muniera
J.S.Bach (1685 1750) - Chaconne BWV 1004

John Dalton - Harper

The Panorama of the Harp

John Dalton was formerly assistant editor on Guitar magazine, interviewing the guitarists of some of the most popular bands of the 70s and 80s, including Andy Summers of the Police, Steve Howe of Yes, Steve Hackett of Genesis, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Bernie Marsden of Whitesnake, Neal Schon of Journey, Frank Zappa of Frank Zappa and the Mothers.

Today he is a musician and speaker who gives harp concerts with an astonishing variety of music, ancient and modern, including celtic, Latin American, classical, jazz and tunes from around the world. He also offers several wide-ranging talks linked with music. The topics are intended to be experiential rather than theoretical, and to show that in the 21st century we still live amidst The Mysteries.

In bardic and ancient poetic fashion they are combined with the ravishing sounds of the celtic harp, as were tales in days of yore.

Programme 
 

Epitaph of Seikilos (c.100 BC - oldest song in the world).
Ut Queant Laxis (Hymn to St John the Baptist) - Gregorian.
Ys - celtic suite to goddess Isolda and mythical Breton Celtic city Ys, swallowed by the sea.
Erev Shel Shoshanim - Jewish tune, Night of the Roses.
Angel - by Wes Montgomery.
Aranjuez, Rodrigo, slow movt, arrangement for Celtic harp.
Arran Boat Song - Scottish trad.
Dunolly Castle - Scottish trad.
Song of Tiriosko - Bulgarian folk tune.
El Vagabundo - by Ismael Ledesma (Paraguayan tune).
Llanos - by Afredo Ortiz (Venezuelan tune).
Danza de Huyancayu - Peruvian folk tune.
She Moved The Fair - Irish song.
Greensleeves - well known love song by harper H. VIII.
March of Brian Boru - Irish trad.
Aquatintes - Bernard Andre.
Je Te Veux - Erik Satie.
Raga and Oriental scales.
Dodi Li - Jewish tune (Nicholas Chen).
Harp Blues variations.
Aire Cuan (Quiet Air) - Irish trad.
Chegada - Paraguayan trad.

Jeff Rodriguez

Combined with his career as a concert recitalist in possession of a repertoire spanning five centuries - from the Renaissance through to the 20th century - Jeff also enjoys the reputation of being a fine flamenco and jazz guitarist making him without doubt one of the most versatile guitarists in the UK.  

In addition to his solo activity, Jeff performs actively in a variety of classical and jazz settings. As a flamenco guitarist, he has a number of original flamenco compositions to his name. He is also passionate about early music and plays vihuela de mano.

Jeff has recorded two CDs to date. His first, “20th Century Guitar” (2005) was received to high acclaim and features some of the finest repertoire of the 20th century. His second solo release ´Iberian & Latin American Guitar Music´ was released in 2008.

As well as being regularly invited to perform at various venues and festivals throughout the UK, he has also performed in Canada, Portugal, Spain and Italy.
A sought after teacher, he runs a busy teaching schedule, and taught at the renowned Spanish Guitar Centre in London for many years.

Based in London since 1998, Jeff received his Bachelor of Music from the University of Toronto, where he studied with Norbert Kraft and Jeffrey McFadden. He studied jazz improvisation with Rob Bulger and flamenco guitar with Pepe Haro. He also holds an FRSM in Performance.

PROGRAMME

Homanaje a Toulouse - Lautrec                Eduardo Sainz de la Maza

Partita no. 2 BWV 1004                           J.S Bach
1)Alemanda
2)Corrente
3)Sarabanda
4)Giga
5)Ciaccona

intermission

Etudes pour la Guitare (1928 Manuscript)    Heitor Villa-Lobos
1 - Anime (Prelude)
2 – Tres Anime
3 – Un peu anime
4 – Un peu modere
5 – Andantino
6 – Un peu anime
7 -Tres anime
8 – Modere
9 – Un peu Anime
10 – Anime
11 – Lent;Anime
12 - Anime

Martin Byatt

Martin Byatt is a Scottish exile who has made London his home, having taught and performed in the capital since 1980.

He has been the founder member of various ensembles, most notably The Janimar Trio ( Guitar/Flute/Mandolin ) and Zaramba  ( two Guitars and Percussion ).

In 1996 he arranged and performed the music for the prize-winning Radio 3 production of “The Sea Urchins” by Sharman MacDonald ( mother of Keira Knightley ).

He was deputy for two of the guitarists in the hit musical Zorro at the Garrick Theatre.

His new solo CD  -“The Way It Was”  - comprises material arrangements of classic rock and pop tunes by Steely Dan, Focus, Leonard Cohen, Beatles and others.

He will be performing tracks from his new CD as well as his own compositions.

Programme

House of the King / Sylvia                Focus

Norwegian Wood                              Lennon/MacCartney

Out of Towner                                   Byatt

Take Five                                           Paul Desmond

Haitian Divorce                                 Steely Dan

Desperado                                          Eagles

Rikki Don’t Lose That Number        Steely Dan

Foxy Laddie                                      Byatt

Little Martha                                      Duane Allman

Back In The USSR                            Lennon/MacCartney

Interval 

Silent Rag(e)                                        Byatt 

Classical Gas                                      Mason Williams

Theme from Taxi                                 Bob James

Acquiescence                                       Byatt

Reelin’ In The Years                            Steely Dan   

Hallelujah                                            Leonard Cohen

Street Life                                            Crusaders

Will You Still Love Me                       Carole King

The Way It Is                                       Bruce Hornsby

Birdland                                               Weather Report

Miguel Clavijo

Miguel Clavijo is a versatile artist developing a reputation across Europe as a truly exciting guitar player.

In 1999 by personal invitation of the artistic director, Miguel Clavijo became laureate of the "Fete de la Musique" International Music Festival in Caracas-Venezuela. Since then, Miguel has performed extensively in Venezuela, and, later on, Miguel was invited to play in New York, Paris and London; including concerts at The London National Gallery, Royal College of Music, St James's Piccadilly, Victoria & Albert Museum, O2 Arena, Landmark Series etc. After moving to Europe in 2006, Miguel appeared in various venues across Spain, France and UK.

Miguel was a finalist at the Antonio Lauro Guitar Competition and has shared the platform with guitar virtuoso Nirse Gonzalez (winner of Francisco Tarrega Guitar Competition, 2006) and has collaborated with outstanding violin player Paula Martinez (London Philharmonic Orchestra). In 2009 Miguel was invited to play for the exhibition opening "Picasso: Challenging The Past" at the National Gallery.

Miguel started in music at an early age, playing the venezuelan national instrument: el cuatro. He began studying in Caracas at the L. Gallardo Music School and the J. M. Olivares Music School with J. G. Guanchez (Antonio Lauro's student) and later in Washington D.C. at Levine School of Music with Franco Platino (Barrueco's assistent).

Following a whirlwind rise learning in Venezuela, and with just three years playing the classical guitar, Miguel traveled to Baltimore to enrol on a GPD program at the prestigious Peabody Conservatory of the John Hopkins University, made possible by a full scholarship from the institute (award rarely given to a musician with so little experience), Mabelle Antoinette del mar and The Cape Foundation.

A musician of wide ranging interest and abilities, Miguel has conducted choirs and lead workshops, particularly in New York. He has received awards for excellence in teaching and has taught over a thousand students. He is very fortunate to play a Boguslaw Teryks 2004. 

Programme:

Koyunbaba Suite Op.19 - Carlo Domeniconi

Chaconne in D minor - JS Bach

Interval 

Romance - anon.

Un Día de Noviembre - Leo Brouwer

Asturias - Isaac Albeniz

Recuerdos de la Alhambra - Francisco Tarrega

La Rossiniana No 1 Op. 119 - Mauro Giuliani

Morgan Szymanski

Playing on the 1st of September 2013 Morgan Szymanski has been described as ‘a player destined for future glories’ (Classical Guitar Magazine). He has been highlighted as ‘One to Watch’ by both Gramophone Magazine and the BBC Music Magazine. A featured artist on the cover of Classical Guitar Magazine. Morgan Szymanski was recently selected as a finalist for the ‘Outstanding Young Artist Award’ by MIDEM Classique/IAMA.

Antonio de Innocentis

Antonio was born in Naples in 1961. In 1985 he was awarded ‘Summa cum Laude’ at the D. Cimarosa Conservatory in Avellino, Italy. From 1983 to 1990 he attended Master Classes by Eliot Fisk in Florence, at the Vienna Conservatory and at the Salzburg Mozarteum. He gave his first concert in 1980 and apart from playing all over Europe, since 2000 he has been regularly holding tours in the USA. He has won first prize in several guitar competitions including Pesaro (2^nd National Contest, 1981), Bardolino (4^th International Contest, 1981) and Genoa (4^th National Contest ‘P. Taraffo’, 1984). He was the first guitarist in the world to have performed the entire ‘24 Caprices’ by N. Paganini in one single concert (Avellino, Italy, 1992).

Amy Welsman-McCann

Amy Welsman-McCann was born in Toronto Ontario.  She was born into a musical family, with her great grandfather being Frank S Welsman, the first Founder and conductor of the Toronto Symphony. Amy began her musical studies at age 6 on the classical violin, her first teacher being John Montague of the Toronto Symphony. Under Mr. Montague's tutelage, Amy progressed through the grades of the Royal Conservatory for classical violin to high grade.

Sergio Franqueira

Sergio Franqueira was born in Ordes, a little town in the province of A Coruña in 1981, and started to play guitar at 11, by his parent’s initiative at the local Conservatory in Carballo, with a old guitar of his father, and a little later, started to play Trombone in the local Wind Band. In the middle of some other activities, like painting or swimming, the guitar started to take an important part of his life little by little, but it was not until he moved to La Coruña at the age of 18 when he decided to study music as a career, after finally attend for very first time to real recitals and masterclasses at the Conservatory.

An Interview with William Starling – the Biographer of John Williams

‘Strings Attached – The Life and Music of John Williams’, is the newly published and authorised biography of one of the greatest guitarists ever. Astonishingly, coming in John’s seventy-second year, it is also the first ever biography. The book tells the fascinating story of John’s extraordinary life as a musician but also reveals a great deal about the man and his making. It is an intimate portrait of one of the most important musicians of his time, informed by privileged access to John’s family, friends, colleagues and, of course, with the full support of the man himself.

Dan Evans

Dan plays finger-style mountain dulcimer with precision and delicacy and he is a highly accomplished and stylish acoustic guitarist, specialising in Open C tuning. He adopts a unique approach to British folk melodies, sometimes in medieval modes, often with jazzy chords and rhythms. On a specially tailored guitar with two pickups, Dan has developed a unique palette of sounds using digital effects and sampling to produce an electro-acoustic sounds full of imagination and atmosphere.

With 4 CD albums and 14 international tours under his belt, Dan has won the respect of the world’s leading dulcimer players and won the hearts of audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. For this, his thirteenth appearance at Ealing Guitar Society, Dan’s concert will include a beautiful selection of traditional folk melodies, some fun original pieces and a few popular classics played on dulcimer, acoustic and electro-acoustic guitars.

‘a highly individual and stylish guitarist ~ your performance was very enthusiastically received and attracted a good-sized audience" - Barbican Centre, London 

‘a stylish blend of medieval folk and contemporary jazz guitar idioms’ -  The Independent (newspaper)

Carlos Bonell

Carlos Bonell has been described by the Classical Guitar Magazine, UK as "one of the great communicators of the guitar world". He has recorded more than twenty albums and played in forty countries, with concert appearances ranging from intimate recitals to concertos with symphony orchestras.

His latest album Magical Mystery Guitar Tour, inspired by his association with Sir Paul McCartney is dedicated to the music of the Beatles in Carlos' own arrangements for solo guitar. It went to number one on the UK iTunes classical album charts in May 2012.

Carlos was born in London of Spanish parents in 1949. He started to play at the age of five, learning to play Spanish folk music from his father who was a keen amateur guitarist. He completed his studies at the Royal College of Music with John Williams, where he was appointed the youngest ever professor at the age of 22.

After Carlos' New York début in 1978, the New York Times described him as an artist of "superb poetic gifts".Appearances followed at many international Festivals followed including The City of London, Aldeburgh, Helsinki, Israel, Tanglewood, Sydney, Istanbul, and Hong Kong.

In 1981 Carlos made the first of his three recordings of Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez. Recorded in Canada with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and Charles Dutoit for the Decca label, it was the first-ever digital recording of the concerto and was hailed as "a magnificent triumph" by the Classical Music magazine. It was awarded a coveted rosette by the Penguin CD Guide and has been frequently singled out ever since as the finest version available.

In 1995 Carlos gave a landmark benefit concert at the Wigmore Hall, London with John Williams to raise awareness of the plight of children around the world caught in acts of war. All proceeds were donated to the organisation War Child. This was one of many appearances with John Williams during a lifetime's association.

2005 saw the first London International Guitar Festival, of which Carlos was founder and artistic director. The festival has remained to this day the largest guitar festival ever presented in London with events in five major halls.

In 2006 Carlos began to help Sir Paul McCartney who is composing a concerto for guitar and orchestra. Over many meetings he has notated and recorded drafts of the guitar part. The work was featured in a June 2007 cover article by The New Yorker magazine.

Carlos' interest in bringing the classical guitar into the mainstream led in 2008 to his album release Queen Guitar Rhapsodies, in concerto-style arrangements of music by the group Queen for solo guitar and symphony orchestra. It was widely praised, including by Queen's Brian May.

During 2013 Carlos is presenting Magical Mystery Guitar Tour in concert. As well as going to number one on the UK classical iTunes charts, the album also entered the top ten in the overall UK iTunes charts.

Richard Clark and Steve Dell

Richard Clark

Richard was born in Liverpool in 1959, had classical guitar lessons in his teens, and obtained an ALCM diploma. Since that time he continued practising and learning and has been a member of the EGS for about 20 years. He has performed at the EGS a number of times and at charity events, including an annual appearance at mental health charity MIND’s festival in Kingston. In addition to his classical work he has worked with singer David Jennings and Australian composer and producer Cliff Bradley to write and record songs. He loves the sound and versatility of the classical guitar and will present a programme of music ranging from renaissance to romantic music.

Steve Dell

Steve has been playing the guitar since his eighth birthday, inspired by his father Chris, who wrote many tutor books for the guitar, piano, descant and treble recorders. Chris attended the earliest concerts at the Ealing Guitar Society from 1970-1973, which inspired him to form the Old Malthouse Music Society in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire in 1975, which he chaired until 2002.

During this Golden Age of the Guitar, Steve attended all the OMMS concerts and workshops until his late teens, picking up tips and tricks from some of the finest teachers of their day, including Terry Spooner, John Duarte, John Mills, Cheryl Grice, David Russell, Graham Wade, Chris Kilvington, Neil Smith.

Steve is primarily a guitar teacher, who enjoys accepting the opportunity of playing live from time to time.

Adam Brown

London-based guitarist Adam Brown has performed throughout Europe, the United States and South America.  Among his many concert appearances are recitals at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall and the 92nd St.Y-Tisch Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, and at London’s Wigmore Hall and Southbank Centre.  He has also performed at such renowned music festivals as Aspen (USA), Spoleto (Italy), Accademia Chigiana (Italy), Amsterdam International Guitar Festival (The Netherlands), Bath International Guitar Festival (England) and the Musica y Danza Festival (Peru).

Performances in 2011 included solo recitals at the Purcell Room at London’s Southbank Centre, the Bath, Bermuda, Bolivar Hall-London Guitar Festival, and Cheltenham International Guitar Festivals, the Edinburgh International Fringe Festival and the International Guitar Festival at Kings Place in London.

The Rebels Within, Adam Brown’s first commercial solo album, released in 2009 features works by Benjamin Britten, Frank Martin, Nuccio D'Angelo and Lennox Berkeley.  Gladios, his recently released second album, showcases works by prominent Latin American composers, including Lauro, Montes, Chavez, Piazzolla, Brouwer and Barrios.  Adam’s current recording project, Without Limits-An American Century of Music for Guitar, will highlight the eclectic characteristics of contemporary music in the United States.

Born in Edinburgh, Adam Brown studied with Carlos Bonell as a Foundation Scholar at the Royal College of Music in London, where he earned his Bachelor of Music degree with HHonours and received several prestigious awards.  He continued his studies with Sharon Isbin at the Juilliard School in New York City, completing the Masters of Music degree and subsequently becoming the first guitarist to obtain Julliard's distinguished Artist Diploma degree.  He went on to earn a performance-based Doctorate in Musical Arts at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where he studied with the celebrated guitarists William Kanengiser and Pepe Romero. 

More information on the artist, including audio and video performances, can be found at www.adambrownguitar.com.

Stephen Yates

Stephen Yates is one of the few composer/guitarists in the UK. He began playing the guitar aged 13 after hearing a recording of Andres Segovia on the radio. He then studied in London with Douglas Rogers and performed widely both as a classical guitarist, winning several competitions including "Guitarist" magazine's "Guitarist Of The Year" and also as an electric guitarist with the band "Scat Opera". He now lives in Devon.

Stephen will perform a programme of his own works as well as works from the classical guitar repertoire including Jorge Morel's exciting arrangement of "West Side Story".