by rick grant rickgrant01@comcast.net
What: Great Guitar Gathering
Where: Douglas Anderson School of the Arts
When: Friday, February 23, 2007 at 7:30 pm
My friend and guitar avatar, Don Casper, is presenting his fabulous Great Guitar Gathering at Douglas Anderson School of The Arts (DASOTA) again this year. This hip happening has always been one of my favorite events. The guitar love-fest draws a sell-out crowd. In fact, the DAKOTA auditorium has become too small. Don is planning to move the show to the Florida Theater in the future.
Don, who is director of DASOTA’s guitar department, debuted this guitar festival in 1994. Over the years, Don has brought in famous guitar icons from various genres. Most of the artists who have performed at the GGG are elite musician’s musicians and are well-known among serious guitar students for their playing wizardry and/or composing talent. These artists serve as inspiration for Don’s guitar students. Seeing them perform in person greatly enhances the student/mentor relationship.
Among the famous guitarists who have performed at the GGG include a who’s-who of top-tier musicians including Roland Dyens, Michael Chapdelaine, Laurence Juber, Doyle Dykes, Gene Bertoncini, Murial Anderson (she put a spell on me), Alex DeGrassi, Stephen Robinson, and many others. Of course only a few of these players are household names, but aspiring guitar students know them well.
For this GGG show, Don has scored another coup by booking Grammy winning guitarist/composer Andrew York as well as international award-winning classical artist, Dusan Bogdanovic.
“I’m very excited about booking these two giants of guitar for this year’s GGG. My students flipped out when I told them that Dusan Bogdanovic was performing. They study his compositions and he is regarded as the top classical guitar composer/ performer in the world. He is to guitar as YoYo Ma is to cello.”
“I was lucky to get Andrew York, a big time Grammy award-winning composer/ performer, who is well known to my students. York was a member of the Grammy winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet (LAGQ). His discography includes California Breeze, which is a new CD for Sony-Japan. He also has three solo CDs out and 10 CDs with LAGQ. York left the LAGQ to pursue his solo career and to devote more time to composing.“
“Yugoslavian born Bogdanovic’s style incorporates classical, jazz, and ethnic music. He has toured extensively throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States, having published more than 50 compositions and 20 CDs. In a review in the New York Times, he was called ‘a highly accomplished performer with a flair for dramatic music.’” Don said in a telephone interview.
Opening the show is Don’s guitar orchestra, which is comprised of students ranging from the 9th through the 12th grades. The GGG was created as a fundraiser for DAKOTA’s guitar department, but has grown into a major community event, drawing guitar enthusiasts from all over the region.
General admission is $15.00 per ticket and may be purchased in advance or at the door. If one plans on purchasing tickets at the door, come early. The event always sells out quickly. Show starts at 7:30 pm inside the DAKOTA theater at 2445 San Diego Road which is off Spring Glen Road. Call DASOTA 346-5620 for further information.
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