LMU | LA - Loyola Marymount University

Guitar Concert & Masterclass Series
2012-2013 Season

Tickets available through the Central Ticket Agency at (310) 338-7588.
More Information: (310) 338-5158 

Odair Assad

Saturday, October 6                                  
8:00 p.m. (Concert)
Murphy Recital Hall                            

Tickets       
$30 general admission, $20 students 

For more than forty years Brazilian guitarist Odair Assad has been concertizing worldwide with his brother Sergio, forming an exceptional guitar duo. 

In 1998, Odair first began to play alone and has now finally made a recording and decided to play this and other material live on stage.  It is of little surprise that he is a sublime guitarist in this setting. The reviewer, Colin Cooper said this about Malcolm Arnold’s short Serenade for guitar and strings as recorded with Leo Brouwer conducting the Orquesta de Cordoba (GHA  Records).  “Odair Assad reveals himself to be a soloist of awesome talents, which is no less than observation has always suggested.”

One year later  the same reviewer says this about the album Fuga y misterio, ”Odair Assad has one of the most fluent left hands (he has) seen in a guitarist : seemingly attached to the fingerboard, it performs its function without obvious effort and to the maximum musical effect.  This CD gives him the chance to shine in solo splendour.”

The brilliant Cuban composer Leo Brouwer wrote the piece “Sonata del Caminante” for him at that time, followed quickly by Egberto Gismonti who wrote “Memoria e Fado” and, of course, Sergio Assad created “Brevidades’ to create a program of new and extraordinary repertoire that Odair was able to premiere and record. Leo Brouwer said of his new work, that it contained  “impossible challenges for any guitar virtuoso, but common hurdles for Odair.”  In the Spring of 2010, Odair’s first recording “El Caminante” was released on the GHA label.

Odair’s first North American concert tour began in February 2011, and featured concerts in Montreal and at the Metropolitan Museum in New York.  Odair continues to enjoy playing with his brother Sergio, who has been nominated for two more Latin Grammy’s for Best Contemporay Classical Composition in 2010.  They will take to the road with Yo-Yo Ma and pianist Kathryn Stott in April 2012.

Nigel North 

Saturday, February 9                                          
8:00 p.m. (Concert)

Sunday, February 10                                          
10:00 a.m. (Masterclass)

Murphy Recital Hall                           

Tickets       
$25 general admission, $15 students, Masterclass free to auditors 

Nigel North is considered one of the most influential plucked-string specialists of our time. He was initially inspired into music, at age 7, by the early 60's instrumental pop group "The Shadows". Nigel studied classical music through the violin and guitar, eventually discovering his real path in life, the lute, when he was 15. Basically self taught on the lute, he has (for over 30 years) developed a unique musical life which embraces activities as a teacher, accompanist, soloist, director and writer.

Some "mile stones" on the way have included the publication of a continuo tutor (Faber 1987)- representing his work and passion for this subject. The music of J.S.Bach has been another passion, and the 4 Volume CD collection "Bach on the Lute" was recorded on the Linn Records label (1994-1997), now available as a 4 disc box set.

The ensemble Romanesca was formed by Nigel, together with Andrew Manze (violin) and John Toll (harpsichord & organ). For ten years (1988-1998) they explored, performed and recorded 17th century chamber music winning several international awards for their recordings.

Nigel North enjoys accompanying singers and is also an enthusiastic teacher. For over 20 years he was Professor of Lute at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, in London; from 1993-1999 he was Professor at the Hochschule der Künste, Berlin; 2005-2207 he was Lute Professor at the Royal Conservatory in Den Haag , Netherlands, and since January 1999 Nigel North has been Professor of Lute at the Early Music Institute,  Indiana University, Bloomington in the USA.

Recent recording projects have included, Robert Dowland’s “A Musical Banquet” with soprano, Monika Mauch, for ECM (2008) , Lute Songs with tenor Charles Daniels for ATMA (2007) and the Lute Music of Robert Johnson for Naxos (2010).

The 9^th Annual LMU Guitar Festival
(March 22 -24)

Tickets available through the Central Ticket Agency at (310) 338-7588. 
All concerts will be held in Murphy Recital Hall.

Vendor’s and Luthier’s Fair all weekend long

Concert Tickets     
$25 general admission, $15 students

Festival Passes     
$65 general admission, $45 students

Advance Tickets     (310) 338-7588
More Information   (310) 338-5158

Jose Antonio Escobar

Friday, March 22                                       
8:00 p.m. (Concert)

Saturday, March 23                                            
9:00 a.m. (Masterclass)

Murphy Recital Hall 

José Antonio Escobar (b. 1973) is one of the most distinguished and versatile classical guitar soloists of his generation worldwide, drawing attention through a perfect balance between his intense musical expression and his vast knowledge of the various musical styles and periods. He was born in Santiago de Chile where he studied at the Conservatory of Music-University of Chile under Ernesto Quezada, graduating with Top Honors (Summa cum Laude). He later received his graduate degree  (Meisterklassendiplom), after obtaining a scholarship from the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Chile to study under Franz Halasz, at the Hochschule für Musik in Augsburg,  Germany, where he also worked as an assistant professor. In order to complement his studies he took courses and master classes in ancient music with renowned lutenists such as Hopkinson Smith, Eduardo Egüez and Juan Carlos Rivera. 

He has been awarded more than ten international guitar prizes, including first prizes He has performed in more than 30 countries in almost all of Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Asia. He has also performed as a soloist with notable orchestras in Europe and South America, as well as at major concert venues. He has recorded several times for the well-known Naxos label, and also for RTVE (Spanish Radio and Television), and he has produced several independent recordings as well. Currently, he is frequently invited to perform and give master classes at major festivals, music seminars and at prestigious universities worldwide.

Young Artists Showcase Concert

Saturday, March 23                                                          
11:00 a.m.

Ensemble Coaching

Saturday, March 23                                                          
2:00 p.m.

Juan Carlos Laguna                                                           

Saturday, March 23                                            
8:00 p.m. (Concert)

Sunday, March 24                                     
10:00 a.m. (Masterclass)

Murphy Recital Hall                   

Juan Carlos Laguna, an exclusive artist for Urtext Digital Classics, is considered by international critics to be one of the most important guitarists in his country, both for his virtuous technique and extraordinary interpreting capacity.

Born in Mexico City, he studied at the UNAM´s National Music School, graduating with full honors of the highest level, receiving a “Gabino Barreda Award” and the “ Mexico’s Best Student Award”.

He won, unanimously, the Tokyo International Guitar Contest (1991) and was distinguished with a Diploma of Merit from the Japanese Ministry of Culture. Previously, he was awarded first place in the UAM’s National Guitar Contest,  Paracho Guitar Contest and the International Guitar Contest in Puerto Rico. He has been a soloist for both the principal orchestras en Mexico and foreign. 

Has given performances on numerous occasions at some of the most important music halls in America, Asia, Europe and Africa. He has given masterclasses in most music schools in Mexico and in other countries. He has been invited on numerous occasions to participate as a member of the jury in International Guitar Festivals. In 1997 and 2012 UNAM awarded him the Distinguished Young Scholars National University and National University Scholar Award, respectively Nowadays he has a very intense schedule as a performer and soloist.  Distinguished composers from many countries have dedicated works to him besides permanently giving premiere performances of  compositions.

In teaching, he has formed an important generation of young guitarists in Mexico. His pupils have obtained prestigious National and International Awards.He forms part of the group of concert performers named, “Concertistas de Bellas Artes” from the INBA’s National  Music Coordination in Mexico, he is a career professor at the UNAM’s National School of Music. He is also the general Coordinator of the International Guitar Week of UNAM and Artistic Director of the International Guitar Festival of Taxco.

András Csáki

Sunday, March 24                                     
2:00 p.m. (Concert)

Murphy Recital Hall            

András Csáki was born in Budapest 1981, and began to play the guitar at the age of 11. In 1996 he was admitted to the Béla Bartók Conservatory of Music, and in the year of 2002 he continued his studies at Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in Budapest, where he graduated with honor in 2007. In 2012 he started his postgraduate studies at the University of Southern California as a student of Scott Tennant. He has been awarded the prestigious "Junior Prima Prize" in 2009. 

He was taught by the best Hungarian guitar professors, such as József Eötvös, Ede Roth and Sándor Szilvágyi. Since 1995 András has been a regular participant of international master classes all over the world, including master classes held by Odair Assad, Manuel Barrueco, Leo Brouwer, Abel Carlevaro, Costas Cotsiolis, Aniello Desiderio, Zoran Dukic, Pablo Marquez, Thomas Müller-Pering, Judicaël Perroy, Angel Romero, David Russell, Kováts Barna and Vásáry Tamás.

András's international career started in 1999 after winning the XXVI. “Dr. Luis Sigall” International Music Competition in Chile. This prestigious contest brought him a large number of concert opportunities, he played recitals in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Chile, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Poland, Germany, Japan, Norway, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Spain, Venezuela and the United States. Since that time he has taken part in numerous international competitions. Until the year of 2011 he received 24 prizes, among others he was awarded with the first prize in the 51st Tokyo International Guitar Competition in 2008, and in the 42nd “Michele Pittaluga” Guitar Competition in Alessandria, Italy 2009.

Besides solo recitals, he is also devoted to chamber music. As András is one of the most active players of his generation, he is often asked by various violinists, singers and cellists to take part in different chamber music performances. He has also had several opportunities to play guitar concertos with symphonic orchestras in Hungary and abroad.

His first CD, “My Favorite Pieces” is released in 2009 containing compositions by Bach, Giuliani, Barrios, Morel, Ferenc Farkas and Castelnuovo-Tedesco. His second CD is released in Canada, by Naxos in 2010.

András began to teach in 2005. Since September of the same year, he has been a guitar teacher at Béla Bartók Conservatory of Music, and in September 2009 he was appointed assistant professor at Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in Budapest. He gave his first master classes in Dallas (USA) in 2005, since that time he has frequently been asked to give master classes in various countries, such as Estonia, France, Greece, Romania, United Kingdom and his native Hungary.