Boston Classical Guitar Society

Dave McLellan
2024-05-05 15:00 (America/New_York) | Portsmouth Music and Arts Center, 973 Islington Street, Portsmouth, NH, 03801, United States
Dave McLellan has been a concert and collaborative chamber music guitarist since 1976, performing throughout the U.S., South America, Great Britain, and Europe. He has appeared in Carnegie Hall (NYC) and Wigmore Hall (London). He is a Music Minus One recording artist and an NEA grant recipient.
Dave Mclellan has collaborated with Neil Anderson (Anderson-McLellan Guitar Duo), Frank Wallace, Edward Flower, and many more. He is a former faculty member of The Hartt School and the University of Connecticut and founder of Concert In Your Living Room, which provides fund-raising assistance to non-profit organizations. He is currently on the faculty of Performing Arts Center MetroWest and the Artist in Residence program in Harvard, MA. Dave is the orchestral timpanist for Lincoln-Sudbury Civic Orchestra.

Andrew York
2024-05-04 19:30 | First Lutheran Church of Boston, 299 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA, 02116, United States
Andrew York is one of today’s best loved composers for classical guitar and a performer of international stature. His compositions blend the styles of ancient eras with modern musical directions, creating music that is at once vital, multi-leveled and accessible. Andrew received a GRAMMY as a member of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet during his sixteen years with the cutting-edge ensemble. York’s compositions have been featured on GRAMMY-winning recordings by Jason Vieaux (CD “Play”, featuring Andrew’s iconic composition “Sunburst”, 2015) and Sharon Isbin (CD “Journey to the New World” featuring “Andecy”, 2010). In 2006 Andrew recorded and performed with the Atlanta Symphony for the opera “Ainadamar” by Osvaldo Golijov. The recording of “Ainadamar” (Deutsche Gramophone) won two GRAMMY awards.
“When I write I feel a connection to my spirit and the joy and sorrow of life. My entire life comes into focus and there is no separation between me as a boy, a young man and now in my later years.”
In Andrew’s concerts the theater becomes a living room, and the musical conversation begins with the first note. His authenticity has inspired a worldwide following, with his touring schedule spanning more than thirty countries. Recent concerts include Rome, Lima, Beijing, Ankara, Munich, Manhattan, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania and Andrew’s twelfth tour of Japan.
In film, Andrew performs in the live documentary “Primal Twang,” written and hosted by eminent musician and storyteller Dan Crary, with other artists Eric Johnson, Albert Lee, Doc Watson, and Mason Williams.
York’s compositions have also been recorded by guitar luminaries John Williams and Christopher Parkening, Sharon Isbin, Jason Vieaux, and Japanese pianist Mitsuko Kado. In addition, generations of younger guitarists make Andrew’s music a staple of their repertoire in their performances and studies. As a published composer, York’s works appear in print worldwide through Majian Music, Alfred Publications, Hal Leonard, Mel Bay Publications, Guitar Solo Publications, Doberman-Yppan in Canada, Ricordi in London, and Gendai in Japan.
A love of music was instilled at an early age; Andrew’s father was a guitarist and his mother a professional singer. Family reunions abounded with folk music ranging from frontier American to English and Celtic traditional songs.
Andrew crosses over stylistic boundaries with an unusual authority – besides his classical contribution, he also has an extensive background as a jazz guitarist, studying with jazz legends Joe Diorio and Lenny Breau. As a classical musician, Andrew was awarded a grant from the Del Amo Foundation for Study in Spain. Andrew received his Master of Music degree from University of Southern California, and is the only USC graduate in the school’s history to twice receive the Outstanding Alumni of the Year Award – in 1997 as a member of LAGQ and in 2003 as the sole recipient. Andrew is a member of the Triple Nine Society.

2024 BCGS Spring Festival
2024-05-04 09:00 - 21:30 | First Lutheran Church of Boston, 299 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA, 02116, United States
If you already have tickets to the Andrew York concert, you can purchase a festival-only pass, click here.

Come join the fun in a relaxed, enriching, and music filled day. Reconnect with old friends, meet new ones, share some food, and have a good time at the 2024 BCGS Spring Festival!

Not a Member? No Worries.
Please consider becoming a member or updating your membership for member benefits and to help support the BCGS and its mission to “enrich lives and build community through sharing the art of the classical guitar.”
BCGS Membership

Festival Schedule
9:00 am
Festival Welcome & Breakfast
Scones, granola, yogurt, coffee, water, juice

9:30 am
Technique for Tone
Instructor: Kim Perlak
This expressive and practical approach to warming up explores techniques required for dynamics, timbre, and envelope (sonic note shape) in ways that will spark creativity in interpretation, arranging, and composition. Bring your guitar and yourself! While reading is not required for this workshop, a notebook/pencil is suggested. All levels welcome!

10:30 am
Ear Training
Instructor: Jim Davidson
“Permutations” — a technique & musicianship warm-up class using various rhythm & articulation devices to develop technique & aural skills.

11:30 am
Classical Guitar Strings, Technologies, and Applications
Instructor: Daniel Ortega
An overview of the history and development of the classical guitar string, including production, materials, and new technologies. Broaden your knowledge so that you are equipped to choose the string that’s right for you.

12:30 pm
Lunch
Provided by Surya Indian Caterers

1:30 pm
Master Class with Andrew York
Four 30 minute master class spots are available for $75 each.
Reserve a Master Class Spot

4:00 pm
Open-mic Concert
Festival participants are invited to perform up to 10 minutes of music for the Member’s Concert. Sign up in advance by emailing Catherine O’Kelly at catherine.okelly@bostonguitar.org. Space is limited to 80 minutes of music total, so sign up soon to reserve your spot!

5:45 pm
Break for dinner (on your own)

7:30 pm
Andrew York Concert
To close out the festival, as well as this year’s Artist Series, Andrew York returns to the BCGS Stage!
Your ticket to the concert is included in your Festival pass.

Already bought tickets to see Andrew York?
If you’d like to attend the festival but already have a ticket to the Andrew York concert,
we’ve got you covered. You can purchase a festival-only pass for $40.
Purchase a Festival-Only Pass

Jim Skinger & Mariellen Sears, Guitar and Flute Duo
2024-04-28 15:00 | Hingham Public Library, 66 Leavitt Street, Hingham, MA, 02043, United States
About Jim Skinger
Jim is a guitar a teacher, performer, recording artist and composer. He taught guitar at Clark University, Worcester MA, Marywood College in Scranton,PA and at the State University of NY in both Binghamton and Oneonta.
Jim’s solo concerts and performances with classical and jazz ensembles have insured a continually busy performance schedule. His compositional output is diverse and includes his flute and guitar piece “Just For Friends” and “Suite Ibiza” for solo guitar, both published by Columbia Music Co. Editions Daminus of Germany published “When the Birds Goodbye To The Day”, as well as guitar duo, quartets and chamber music.
He has also performed at Carnegie Hall in New York, and the Royal Festival Hall, London as well as in numerous countries including Austria, Germany, Russia, Czech Republic, and Belarus.
About Mariellen Sears
A native Cape Codder, flutist Mariellen Sears has performed as a chamber and orchestral musician throughout the United States and Eastern Europe. A graduate of the University of Massachusetts/Lowell (BA and MM), her primary teachers were Virginia Sindelar (Leguia) and Iva Milch. She also studied with Martha Woodward and Eleanor Lawrence and studies Irish Traditional Flute with Shannon Heaton. Currently Ms. Sears performs with the Cape Symphony, Trio Vivo, the Scorton Chamber Ensemble and the Metropolitan Flute Orchestra and was a member of the former Simon Sinfonietta. She has also performed with the American Wind Symphony Orchestra (PA), the Manchester Philharmonic (NH) and the Plymouth Philharmonic (MA) Orchestras. She has appeared in concert with Joshua Bell, YoYo Ma, Eileen Ivers and John Pizzarelli.
Ms. Sears taught in the Nauset Public Schools for 34 years and is currently on the faculty at UMass/Dartmouth and at the Cape Conservatory (West Barnstable, MA) where she teaches both Suzuki and Traditional Flute pedagogy. She is the director of the Cape Conservatory Adult Flute Choir. Ms. Sears is a certified Suzuki Flute Instructor and a trained “Kinderflute” teacher.

Timothy Scott
2024-04-21 15:00 | Portsmouth Public Library, 175 Parrott Avenue, Portsmouth, 03801, United States
UNH Student Senior recital
Timothy Scott is a seacoast based classical guitarist and student at the University of New Hampshire. He has had the privilege of playing alongside Opera Maine and the UNH Symphony Orchestra, enriching his musical horizons during his studies. Timothy’s genuine love for the instrument has led to a repertoire that spans genres and a dedication to precise performance.

Espanoleria, a voice and guitar concert
2024-04-13 15:00 | Weymouth Tufts Public Library, 46 Broad Street, Weymouth, MA, 02188, United States
Dave McLellan, Guitar and Fanny Lora, Mezzo-soprano
About Fanny Lora
Fanny is a versatile artist and entrepreneur with a passion for classical singing, specializing in Spanish/Latino repertoire. Her genuine interpretations breathe life into the music, captivating audiences during her nationally and internationally performed recital tours.
She holds Vocal Performance and Music Education degrees from Ithaca College, and is a graduate of The Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s Alexander Technique Training Program where she now teaches.
About Dave McLellan
Dave McLellan has performed in the U.S., South America, Great Britain, and Europe since 1976, including debut and chamber appearances in Jordan Hall, Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, and Wigmore Hall (London). Beginning in 1981, he lived a double life as software engineer and concert guitarist with duo partner Neil Anderson. The Anderson-McLellan Duo gave several hundred concerts throughout the 1980’s, including two concert tours of Great Britain, and festival performances in the US and South America. Supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the D ’Addario Foundation, they gave their farewell performance in November 1989 in Merkin Hall, New York, in a program of American duo guitar music, including 3 premier performances. Mr. McLellan’s collaborators include the late guitarist/composer Frank Wallace, the Serata Quartet, soprano Rebecca Grimes, soprano Rebekah Alexander, contralto Emily Marvosh (Handel & Haydn Society, Lorelei), flutist Tracy Kraus, violinist Judith Eissenberg, and guitarist Edward Flower. Mr. McLellan has served on the faculties of The Hartt School and the University of Connecticut, where he also performed regularly with Edward Flower. He currently serves on the faculty of the Performing Arts Center – Metrowest of Framingham, MA. He is a self-taught free-lance timpanist and mallet percussionist and has appeared with community and professional orchestras in the Metrowest Boston area. He is the timpanist, publicist, and guitar soloist of the Lincoln-Sudbury Civic Orchestra, in residence at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School.

Thatcher Harrison, Classical & Jazz guitar
2024-03-24 15:00 | Portsmouth Public Library, 175 Parrott Avenue, Portsmouth, 03801, United States
Thatcher Harrison is a guitarist and a composer playing everything from classical to jazz, from fingerstyle guitar to popular/rock guitar. As a competitor, Thatcher Harrison has won 20 prizes in regional, national, and international competitions, most notably the 2020 Boston Guitarfest Competition, 1st Prize at the 2020 Atlanta Festival Guitar Competition, and a winner of the 2019 National YoungArts Foundation Competition.
He is currently studying for his Bachelor of Music degree in Classical Guitar Performance at New England Conservatory with Eliot Fisk and Jérôme Mouffe, He has also studied privately with flamenco virtuoso Grisha Goryachev and classical guitar virtuoso Scott Borg. Prior to attending NEC, Thatcher studied with William Riley.

David William Ross
2024-03-10 15:00 | Hingham Public Library, 66 Leavitt Street, Hingham, MA, 02043, United States
David William Ross is a guitarist with a wide range and unique approach to the instrument. Trained in both classical and jazz guitar, David works regularly in both genres and appears regularly throughout the United States and in Europe. An advocate of new music, he has worked closely with composers from around the world in creating new works for the guitar with premiers from Frank Wallace, Ferdinando DeSena, Peter Dayton, Pierre Schroeder, Jordan Chase, among many others. His playing appears frequently on the Ravello and Navona labels, his most recent album, a collection of new works by Swiss composer Georges Raillard, was released in 2022 by Navona.
David holds degrees in music theory, composition, and guitar and studied with Julian Gray, Manuel Barrueco, and Scott Tenant at the Peabody Conservatory and the University of Southern California. As an educator, he has taught courses at Fitchburg State University, Keene State College, and the Vermont Jazz Center in jazz improvisation, music theory, ear training, composition, and music history, as well as individual instruction in guitar and recording/mixing. He is currently the Assistant Director of Music at The Putney School in Vermont.

Michael Bester & Amanda Roeder
2024-03-09 15:00 | Weymouth Tufts Public Library, 46 Broad Street, Weymouth, MA, 02188, United States
Amanda Roeder is a multi-instrumentalist and music educator, adjudicator, and performer. Since 2014 she has directed the choral ensembles and an award-winning a cappella program at Chelmsford High School in Chelmsford, MA.
Michael Bester is an acoustic and electric guitarist, bassist, arranger, producer, and composer. In recent years, he has performed in the Bester Papineau guitar duo, as well as in pit orchestras in the greater Boston area. He holds a degree in music performance from the University of Miami.

Dinner with Laura Snowden
2024-03-03 18:00
Come celebrate with Laura Snowden while supporting the BCGS at a fundraising dinner. We will have a private room in a Spanish restaurant in Waltham, and the group size will be kept to less than 20 to allow for an intimate gathering. Get to know Laura on a personal basis and meet and greet old and new friends. We might even be able to play some guitar—informal, extemporaneous.

Secure your seat with a $100 donation to the BCGS today!
Donate Now

We’ll be in touch via email for more questions and answers. Location will be provided to attendees before the event. Guaranteed to be lots of fun!

Laura Snowden
2024-03-02 19:30 | First Lutheran Church of Boston, 299 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA, 02116, United States
Described by Classical Guitar Magazine as ‘linking guitar’s past, present and future’, Laura’s eclectic musical output has ranged from playing on Lorne Balfe’s soundtrack for Marvel film Black Widow to recording Lisa Streich’s guitar concerto Augenlider with the Deutsches Symphonie Orchester. Laura studied with Julian Bream, during which time she gave two concerts at Wigmore Hall featuring premieres of his recent commissions. This led to international recognition and festival debuts across Europe and the US, as well as concerto debuts with Norrköping Symphony Orchestra and Münchener Kammerorchester.
As a composer, Laura’s music has been commissioned by the Birmingham Symphony Hall, International Guitar Foundation, New York Guitar Festival, Rockschool syllabus and ABRSM syllabus, and broadcast on BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio Scotland and Hong Kong Radio 4. Her work has been recorded for BGS Records, Rubicon Classics and Centaur Records, and published by ABRSM, London College of Music and Hal Leonard. As a songwriter and performer with folk group Tir Eolas, following the release of their debut album Laura toured numerous UK shows and festivals including Cambridge Folk Festival, Bestival, and Shakespeare’s Globe at the invitation of John Williams. She has also created and recorded guitar arrangements for Noah and the Whale frontman Charlie Fink’s album ‘Cover My Tracks’
Laura’s international concert appearances have included the Guitar Foundation of America, New York Classical Guitar Society, Long Island Guitar Festival, Uppsala International Guitar Festival, Altamira Hong Kong International Guitar Symposium and San Francisco Performances. She has given classes at the Royal College of Music, the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Birmingham Conservatoire, Yale University, the Purcell School, Brussels Conservatoire, Arizona State University, San Francisco Conservatory, Mannes School of Music and Manhattan School of Music.
Laura Snowden Masterclass
On Sunday March 3rd from 10am–1pm, Laura will be conducting a Masterclass at the Rivers School Conservatory. If you’d like to attend, find more information on The Rivers School site.
https://riversschoolconservatory.org/guitar-weekend

The Hampton Trio
2024-02-25 16:00 | Parish Center for the Arts (PCA), 10 Lincoln Street, Westford, MA, 01886, United States
The Hampton Trio performs original music and arrangements for ensemble of mandolin, mandola, and classical guitar. Inspired by the groundbreaking work of groups such as Trio Nuovo (Japan) and Trio Chamorro (Spain), the Hampton Trio’s goal is to popularize and augment the existing repertoire for this instrumentation. The Hampton Trio has performed at the 46 Festival Internacional de Plectro de La Rioja (2018) as well as The Sunday Sounds Series sponsored by the Boston Classiacal Guitar Society, the Bread Box Theater, the Packing House and other New England venues.

Kim Perlak
2024-02-25 15:00 | Hingham Public Library, 66 Leavitt Street, Hingham, MA, 02043, United States
Kim’s approach to the guitar includes new music, education, and public service. Her performances of classical works, original pieces, and collaborations with jazz and traditional players have been featured on National Public Radio, at the Peabody Institute Fretfest, and on five recordings. Her projects combining performance, American music history, and educational outreach have been funded through grants from the Center for African American Southern Music and Yale Alumni Ventures.
At Berklee College of Music, Kim served as Assistant Chair of Guitar for five years before becoming Chair of Guitar in September 2018. As part of her curriculum development for the department, she authored the book Classical Technique for the Modern Guitarist, which was published by Berklee Press/Hal Leonard in 2016. She is the recipient of the 2016 and 2018 Berklee Chair Recording Grants. Kim is an advisor to the Berklee Career Center, and is the director of Berklee Guitar Sessions.

Peter Blanchette, Archguitar
2024-02-18 15:00 | Portsmouth Music and Arts Center, 973 Islington Street, Portsmouth, NH, 03801, United States
Peter Blanchette is known around the world as the inventor of the 11-string archguitar. He is a guitarist, composer, arranger and conductor and has released 17 albums of performance on the archguitar on the Dorian label and his own imprint, Archguitar Music. His albums receive heavy radio airplay. He performs and records in solo recital and together with Mané Lareggla (of Madrid, Spain) as Archguitar Duo. Blanchette is a veteran performer who has appeared on NPR’s “A Prairie Home Companion,” and at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts,
Peter is a recipient of the Massachusetts Council Artist Grant in Music Composition. As a composer his music has been featured in films and television for over 20 years. Credits: HBO’s Sex and the City, Cannes Palme D’Or nominated film Illuminata, (directed by John Turturro), and commissions from the Dingle Film Festival and the Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts for new scores to three of Buster Keaton’s silent masterpieces.

Ria Modak
2024-02-10 15:00 | Weymouth Tufts Public Library, 46 Broad Street, Weymouth, MA, 02188, United States
Ria Modak is a guitarist and composer from New York. She is a PhD student at Brown University, where she studies the history of jazz in India, and is a recent graduate of the dual degree program between Harvard College and the New England Conservatory, where she studied with Vijay Lyer, Esperanza Spalding, Eliot Fisk, and Jérôme Mouffe. Her playing has been recognized by the National YoungArts Foundation, the Long Island Classical Guitar Society, the New York Guitar Seminar, and Lincoln Center’s Chamber Music Society, and she appeared on NPR’s From The Top in 2018 and 2020. She has performed with Paquito D’Rivera, Ali Sethi, Claire Chase, Isheeta Chakrvarty and other musicians both in the United States and India at venues ranging from Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall to the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Mumbai. As a composer, she is inspired by her training in Hindustani music and flamenco, and has been commissioned by the Harvard Office for the Arts, the Harvard Composers’ Association, the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, and Winter JazzFest as part of Jen Shyu and Sara Serpa’s M3 Fellowship.

January 2024 Performance Party
2024-01-21 16:00 - 18:00
Dear BCGS Friends,
Don’t be left out in the cold. Join us for our January Zoom performance party.
As usual come to play, or just listen and chat. We’ll also talk more about our “BCGS On-line” community using Discord. Just click on the Zoom link on Sunday January 21st at 4:00PM. I also want to give a heads up on our February 11 live performance party at the RiverWoods Residences in Exeter NH where we will have a chance to play in front of a small and very appreciative audience. More on this soon.
Warm regards, Oscar

Dave McLellan & Fanny Lora
2024-01-21 15:00 | Hingham Public Library, 66 Leavitt Street, Hingham, MA, 02043, United States

Catherine O’Kelly
2024-01-13 15:00 | Weymouth Tufts Public Library, 46 Broad Street, Weymouth, MA, 02188, United States
Classical guitarist Catherine O’Kelly is an active performer throughout New England, both as a soloist and as a chamber musician. She performs regularly as part of the concert series for The Shirley Meeting House in Shirley, MA. In June 2020 she founded and directed the Online Guitar Festival, providing performance opportunities, master classes, composition classes, and songwriting classes to guitarists of all ages and levels.
Catherine earned her Master’s degree in guitar performance from The Hartt School in CT where she studied with Richard Provost; and a BA in music and philosophy from Vassar College. She is currently finishing her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in classical guitar performance at The Hartt School in West Hartford, CT, where she studies with Christopher Ladd. She has performed in master classes for Jason Vieaux, Odair Assad, Sergio Assad, Andrew York, Vladimir Gorbach, Antigoni Goni, Oscar Ghiglia, Eliot Fisk, and Jorge Caballero.
In addition to her performing and academic studies, Catherine teaches at The Rivers School Conservatory in Weston, MA; Dana Hall School in Wellesley, MA; Powers Music School in Belmont, MA; and at The Community School of the Arts in Storrs, CT, and is currently a board member of the Boston Classical Guitar Society.

John Muratore
2023-12-17 15:00 | Hingham Public Library, 66 Leavitt Street, Hingham, MA, 02043, United States
Highly acclaimed classical guitarist John Muratore performs regularly as a solo recitalist, concerto soloist and chamber musician. As a solo artist he has appeared extensively throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Russia. He has collaborated with numerous chamber ensembles including Emmanuel Music, the Spectrum Singers, Chorus Pro Musica, Alea III, Boston Musica Viva and Counterpoint. Recent appearances as concerto soloist have been with the Ridgefield Symphony, Vermont Symphony and Symphony by the Sea under the direction of Jonathan McPhee.
Among the composers with whom John has worked closely to produce new solo and chamber works for the guitar are Daniel Pinkham, Scott Wheeler, Larry Bell, Roger Zahab and Jon Appleton. Mr. Muratore has been the featured soloist at numerous international venues including the Academie Festival des Arcs (France), St. Petersburg (Russia) Chamber Concerts, the Atelier International Concert Series in Paris and AIMS (American Institute for Musical Studies, Graz, Austria).
The Boston Globe has described him as “a fleet-fingered and musicianly performer” and has characterized his playing as…”unleashing so many different varieties of tone and color in quick succession…a kind of aural iridescence.” John, whose live performances have often been featured on NPR, WGBH Radio’s Classical Performances has recorded for Albany, Pont Nuef and Arabesque Records. His most recent CD, Domenie, is a collaboration with accordionist Roberto Cassan. His critically-acclaimed solo CD, Shadow Box, has been hailed by Britain’s Classical Guitar magazine as “a fine recording, with serious intent”, and his most recent offering, Noël-A Classical Guitar Christmas, has been listed by CD Baby as one of the top-selling Holiday-Classical albums for 2012. Mr. Muratore is on the faculty at Boston University, Dartmouth College and is coordinator of the guitar program at the All Newton Music School.

John Muratore
2023-12-09 15:00 | Weymouth Tufts Public Library, 46 Broad Street, Weymouth, MA, 02188, United States

Catherine O’Kelly
2023-12-03 15:00 | Portsmouth Public Library, 175 Parrott Avenue, Portsmouth, 03801, United States

The Hampton Trio
2023-11-26 15:00 | Hingham Public Library, 66 Leavitt Street, Hingham, MA, 02043, United States

Jérôme Mouffe
2023-11-19 16:00 | Parish Center for the Arts (PCA), 10 Lincoln Street, Westford, MA, 01886, United States
A virtuoso guitarist from Belgium, Jérôme has dazzled international audiences with his passionate and spontaneous playing. Jérôme has toured throughout the United States and Western Europe as a soloist and chamber musician.
Recent performances include recitals for the Omni Concert Series in San Francisco, the New York Classical Guitar Society Second Sunday Series, the Guitar Society of Northeastern Pennsylvania, the MIT Little Kresge auditorium, and the International Brussels Guitar Festival, among others. In November 2009, Jerome was invited to perform at the Agustin Barrios Mangore Festival in Brussels, where he shared the stage with his mentor, Eliot Fisk. In March 2011, he performed Rodrigo’s celebrated Concierto de Aranjuez with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Sonora conducted by Hector Reyes, in Mexico. Jerome has released his debut CD—Capriccio— on the VGo Recordings label in 2009.
In May 2012, Jerome graduated with a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the New England Conservatory of Boston. His doctoral dissertation analyzes how collaboration between composer and soloist achieved an optimization of the guitar’s capabilities in Robert Beaser’s Guitar Concerto (2009). Jerome was invited to teach masterclasses or lecture at various universities including San Jose State University (CA), University of Wisconsin Milwaukee (WI), Acadia University (Canada), Dalhousie University (Canada), University of Sonora (Mexico), and Music Conservatopia.
Jerome earned his Master of Music degree at 20 at the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles, and a Postgraduate Diploma at the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg.
For more information about Jerome’s performances, research, and teaching, please visit jeromemouffe.com

Beijing Guitar Duo
2023-11-18 19:30 | First Lutheran Church of Boston, 299 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA, 02116, United States
Praised by the distinguished Classical Guitar Magazine as “having the star potential to serve as inspiration for new generations of guitarists to come,” Beijing Guitar Duo made their New York debut in Carnegie Hall in 2010 and launched their international concert career.
Guitarists Meng Su and Yameng Wang, as Beijing Guitar Duo have performed around the world in halls such as the Concertgebouw, Palau de Musica, Tchaikovsky Hall and the National Theatre in Beijing. The duo regularly collaborates with orchestras, in ensemble with flutist Marina Piccinini, guitarists Grigoryan Brothers, and with legendary guitarist Manuel Barrueco touring in Europe, Australia, Asia and the U.S.
The Beijing Guitar Duo’s performances and recordings have impressed the public with “an ability and artistry that exceeds their years.” Their debut CD Maracaípe, received a Latin-GRAMMY nomination for the titled piece, which was dedicated to them by renowned guitarist/composer Sergio Assad. Their second CD, Bach to Tan Dun, has been widely noted for the world premiere recording of Tan Dun’s Eight Memories in Watercolor, specially arranged for the duo by Manuel Barrueco. A recording in trio, China West, with Maestro Barrueco was released in May 2014.
Meng Su and Yameng Wang were born in the coastal city of Qingdao, China. They came to the partnership with exceptional credentials, including a string of competition awards. Ms. Su’s honors include victories at the Vienna Youth Guitar Competition and the Christopher Parkening Guitarist Competition, while Ms. Wang was the youngest guitarist to win the Tokyo International Guitar Competition at the age of 12, and was invited by Radio France to perform at the prestigious Paris International Guitar Art Week at age 14. Both young artists had given solo recitals in China and abroad, and had made recordings before they formed the duo.
In addition to concertizing, the duo shares a love for teaching which brings them to major conservatories worldwide for master classes and to judge competitions. The duo served as Artists-in-Residence from 2011-2015 for San Francisco Performances which brought them to the Bay Area two weeks a year for community outreach, performances, and masterclasses in public schools as well as clinics at San Francisco Conservatory.

The Hampton Trio
2023-11-18 15:00 | Weymouth Tufts Public Library, 46 Broad Street, Weymouth, MA, 02188, United States

Bokyung Byun
2023-11-03 19:00 | Portsmouth Music and Arts Center, 973 Islington Street, Portsmouth, NH, 03801, United States
Please note this is a Friday evening concert, and a free event. Reservations recommended but not required; seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Make your free reservation

Augustine Foundation Concert
Bokyung Byun enjoys a reputation as one of the most sought-after guitarists of her generation. She holds the distinction of being the first female winner of the prestigious JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition, where Falletta herself described Bokyung’s performance as “stunning, showcasing her gorgeous tone, immaculate technique, and sophisticated musicianship.”
She was the 2021 grand prize winner at the Guitar Foundation of America International Concert Artist Competition and the Montreal International Classical Guitar Competition. Bo is the recipient of the 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant
Born in Seoul, Korea, Bo began playing guitar at the age of six. At eleven, she took the stage for her first solo recital, leading to an early start in her teen years performing numerous concert tours around Korea. By her teen years she had gained national attention for first-prize finishes in three renowned Korean competitions. She soon moved to New York City where she entered The Juilliard School at the age of sixteen. She holds Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Southern California. Teachers and mentors include Scott Tennant, William Kanengiser, and Sharon Isbin.
In 2020, Bokyung co-founded Guitarlab which provides an innovative online learning platform offering cutting-edge classes designed for young professionals around the world. She is currently on the guitar faculty of University of North Texas.

Thatcher Harrison
2023-10-29 15:00 | Hingham Public Library, 66 Leavitt Street, Hingham, MA, 02043, United States
Thatcher Harrison is a guitarist and a composer. As a guitarist, he plays everything from classical guitar to jazz guitar, to fingerstyle guitar, to popular/rock guitar. As a composer, he deftly combines influences from many genres of music to create pieces that satisfy both the heart and the mind.
As a competitor, Thatcher Harrison has won 20 prizes in regional, national, and international competitions, most notably 1st Prize at the 2021 Twents Gitaarfestival International Fingerstyle Guitar Competition, 1st Prize at the 2021 Pleven Guitar Festival Fingerstyle Guitar Competition, 1st Prize at the 2020 Boston Guitarfest Competition, 1st Prize at the 2020 Atlanta Festival Guitar Competition, and a winner of the 2019 National YoungArts Foundation Competition.
As a composer, Thatcher Harrison specializes in what he calls “classical fusion” composition: pieces based in classical composition and performance techniques, but with influences from jazz music, rock music, fingerstyle guitar music, film score music, and world music. While Thatcher is best known for his compositions for solo guitar, he also loves to compose for different instruments and ensembles, and he has completed several commissions for soloists and ensembles alike.
As a performer, Thatcher Harrison chooses to perform unconventional and daring programs, oftentimes consisting primarily of his own compositions. Fresh off his concert at the 2021 Boston Guitarfest, Thatcher’s upcoming concert season will see him expand into the international scene, as he will perform concerts for the Pleven Guitar Festival in Bulgaria, the Twents Gitaarfestival in the Netherlands, and the Domaine Forget International Music Festival in Canada. In years past, Thatcher has performed at such notable concert halls as Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Jordan Hall, Symphony Hall, the Baryshnikov Arts Center, and RiverCenter for the Performing Arts. Thatcher also performed on Episode #376 of NPR’s From The Top in 2019.
Thatcher is currently studying for his Bachelor of Music degree in Classical Guitar Performance at New England Conservatory with Eliot Fisk and Jérôme Mouffe, and he also studies privately with flamenco virtuoso Grisha Goryachev and classical guitar virtuoso Scott Borg. Prior to attending NEC, Thatcher studied with William Riley.

Val Ramos, flamenco guitar
2023-10-22 15:00 | Portsmouth Public Library, 175 Parrott Avenue, Portsmouth, 03801, United States
With: Tere Luna, Bolero and Rumba Flamenca singer
Portsmouth’s Guitar Sunday Series proudly presents international Flamenco guitar master Val Ramos performing a recital of traditional and contemporary Flamenco guitar music, with a cameo performance by Rumba Flamenca singer Tere Luna.
Val Ramos is recognized internationally as one of the best Flamenco guitarists in the United States. He made his professional debut in 1985 on the Disney Channel’s “Coming On!,” a show that visited college campuses all across America to show off exceptionally talented students. He plays with his brother Jose Ramos and the Val Ramos Flamenco Ensemble. He has played and toured throughout Europe and the US, released three CDs of original Flamenco guitar compositions,and has been featured in a variety of guitar music samplers produced by the Connecticut Guitar Society.
He has been hailed as “a hidden treasure of Flamenco in the Americas. Superb musicianship” (Flamenco Connection) and “The best of classical Flamenco brought to modern standards” (Rootsworld.com).

Thatcher Harrison
2023-10-14 15:00 | Weymouth Tufts Public Library, 46 Broad Street, Weymouth, MA, 02188, United States

Lovro Peretić
2023-10-01 16:00 | First Lutheran Church of Boston, 299 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA, 02116, United States
Lovro Peretić is an internationally recognized, award-winning classical guitarist from Zagreb, Croatia. He started studying guitar at a young age with Xhevdet Sahatxhija, and later studied with Judicaël Perroy at the Haute Ecole de Musique Genève in Switzerland. Today he is regarded as one of the leading guitarists of the younger generation, regularly giving concerts and winning numerous awards at some of the most prestigious classical music competitions.
Lovro has won over 30 prizes in international competitions, including first place at the 2022 Guitar Foundation of America International Concert Artist Competition, the 2020 Eurostrings Guitar Competition, and the Changsha International Guitar Competition in China. As part of his first prize award at the GFA competition, Lovro recorded his debut album for the Naxos Laureate Series, which was released in 2023.
Lovro has given concerts throughout Europe as a soloist and as a chamber musician. He regularly performs in various chamber ensembles, most notably his guitar trio Evocación, which recently released their first album, also named Evocación. He has performed as a soloist with numerous orchestras, including the Symphony Orchestra of Croatian radio television and the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra, and has performed and given master classes in many of the world’s most prestigious guitar festivals and concert series, including the Paris International Guitar Festival and the London International Guitar Festival.
