Those Mysterious Existences

Art, science, lutherie, and the classical guitar

A luthier and physics professor teams up with a classical guitarist and music professor to demonstrate the links between science, craft, and art in the creation and playing of the classical guitar. This multimedia presentation explores the continuum of phenomena from the instrument’s wood to the human perception of sound.

To palpably illustrate the craft, physics, and physiology the presenters will use live vibrational equipment, audio instrumentation, pre-assembly guitar parts, animated slides, videos, and performances on a variety of unique custom instruments.

This presentation has evolved and been refined over the last decade, as class curricula and for presentations at various universities, guitar festivals, community centers, and conventions of the Guild of American Luthiers, the Guitar Foundation of America, Acoustical Society of America, the Martin Guitar factory, and others.

Juan Oscar Azaret

Oscar currently keeps busy as a luthier, physics and engineering professor, and Executive Director of the Boston Classical Guitar Society. A native of Cienfuegos Cuba, Oscar has also lived in Miami, East Tennessee, California, and Massachusetts. He holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University and a BSEE from the University of Tennessee. He is a contributing author to the Guild of American Luthiers and active member of the Acoustical Society of America.

Oscar worked for over 3 decades in the Boston area for Bell Laboratories, and subsequent spin-offs in the fields of communication systems and semiconductors. During this time, he also studied and honed the craft of lutherie, built his workshop and collected wood. Passionate for the sound, aesthetics, and science of the classical guitar, Oscar strives to go beyond the craft and explore the underlying physics and physiology which endow the classical guitar with its enduring human appeal. He has lectured extensively and published articles on these topics at various universities, conventions, and institutions.

Robert J. Ward, MA

A native of California, Robert Ward holds a Bachelor of Music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and Master of Arts from the University of California San Diego.  In California Mr. Ward studied with the legendary Romero Family – Angel, Pepe, and Celin Romero.  He has also studied with Michael Lorimer, Lee Ryan, George Sakellariou, Laurette Goldberg, and has performed in master classes with Pepe Romero, Abel Carlevaro, Jose Tomas, Jordi Savall, and Jurgen Huesbscher.

An active teacher and concertizer, Mr. Ward holds faculty positions at Northeastern University and the Brookline School of Music.  He has concertized extensively throughout the world as a solo artist as well as with orchestras and ensembles.  His performances have spanned the globe taking him to such locations as China, Greece, Cuba, Hawaii, Texas, California, Canada, Boston, New York, and others.  He has been the featured soloist with the New England Philharmonic, the Harvard Mozart Society Orchestra, the Belmont Symphony Orchestra, the Newton Symphony Orchestra, the Harvard Group for new Music, and the Bridgewater Sinfonia.

Mr. Ward has been a featured artist on National Public Radio “Morning Pro Musica, Classics in the Morning, Off the Record, Chamberworks, and A Note to You.”  Mr. Ward has recorded for Centaur Records and served for two years as the Artistic Director of the Boston Classical Guitar Society.