Festive Fizz – WYGF’s first recording

Helen — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:15:04 +0000

WYGF’s first recording

Before WYGF’s conception, Artistic Directors Mark Eden and Christopher Stell, Eden Stell Guitar Duo, had recently returned from performing in Australia where they met John Casey, Musical Director of the extraordinary youth guitar ensemble from Perth, Guitarstrophe! The ensemble had made quite an impression on the duo previously, winning the Calderdale Guitar Ensemble Competition which the duo had adjudicated.

Whilst in Australia the duo performed Richard Charlton’s ‘Rhapsody’ for two guitars and guitar ensemble at the Sydney Guitar Summer School which had been originally written for Guitarstrophe! and the ZOO Duo. Mark and Chris felt that this piece could provide the perfect collaboration between them and Guitarstrophe! and so, when plans for WYGF 2007 got underway, Guitarstrophe! were invited over as special guests.

Not ones to do anything by halves, Mark and Chris soon expanded this invitation to include making a CD recording after the festival and to compliment Guitarstrophe! WYGF invited some of the UK’s finest home-grown talent in the shape of the National Youth Guitar Ensemble (NYGE) to perform and record with them. NYGE’s musical director Gerald Garcia had written ‘Lorca Concerto’ for the Eden Stell Duo some years before, performing it at the Penzance International Guitar Festival and the Iserlohn Guitar Symposium in Germany, and this was the perfect opportunity to record Gerald’s piece.

The ensembles also recorded other works (see list below) culminating into a wonderful mix of styles. Don’t believe us? Then have a listen to the mp3 samples below and judge for yourself.

National Youth Guitar Ensemble (UK)

‘Roundelay’ for cello and guitar ensemble (solo: Victoria Walker) by Stephen Dodgson / ‘Llanura’ by Alfonso Montes / ‘Lorca Concerto’ (Eden Stell) by Gerald Garcia.

Download audio file (WYGF_NYGE_promo2.mp3)

Guitarstrophe! (Aus)

‘Rhapsody’ (Eden Stell) by Richard Charlton / ‘Trouble in the Ribcage’ by Timothy Hansen / ‘Festive Fizz’ by Richard Lenz.

Download audio file (WYGF_Guitarstrophe!_promo2.mp3)

Buy Festive Fizz

If you are interested in buying ‘Festive Fizz’ please contact NYGE’s co-ordinator Liz Larner or Guitarstrophe! directly.

WYGF is committed to supporting youth guitar ensembles and all money raised from the sale of this CD goes directly to each ensemble to help them to continue to grow and fund future projects and developments.

Future WYGF CD series

Although this project began life as a one-off event, WYGF were so impressed by the success of the venture that we intend to offer two ensembles the chance to have the experience of making a professionally recorded CD at every WYGF. Would your ensemble like to apply to become WYGF09′s recording artists? If so, drop us a line, via our contact page, telling us a little more about your group.

National Youth Guitar Ensemble at WYGF09

Helen — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 07:12:33 +0000

Here at WYGF headquarters we are thrilled to see so many of our 2007 groups returning for WYGF09 … I just hope that we’ll have enough room for all the new guitarists too! We are already taking bookings so please do let us know if you are planning to come, either as part of a group, or as an individual.

One of the ensembles coming back for more are the rather wonderful National Youth Guitar Ensemble. Led by artistic director, Gerald Garcia they joined forces with the Australian super-ensemble Guitarstrophe! to record a CD directly after the main festival last year. The CD Festive Fizz was launched earlier this year at the Winchester Guitar Festival (WGF) and we shall be featuring the CD on this site soon.

Playing in NYGE is a fabulous experience for young guitarists and their new coordinator, Liz Larner, recently got in touch to tell us more about the group.

Liz writes, “Last year the National Youth Guitar Ensemble attended an inspirational and entertaining summer course at WYGF ‘07. After the success of the festival including the NYGE concert and their recording session for the ‘Festive Fizz’ CD, the ensemble is pleased to announce their welcomed return to WYGF ’09.

NYGE offers the highest standard of ensemble training in the U.K for young aspiring guitarists and is currently looking for enthusiastic and talented musicians to join them for their two annual courses. Applicants should be between the ages of 13 – 18 and the equivalent standard of Grade 5 distinction and above (the ensemble averages at Grade 7/8). Successful applicants will be asked to attend two residential courses in 2009 which will be at Quorn on 9^th – 14^th April ’09 and at WYGF on 11^th – 14^th April ‘09.

Applications are now being accepted and the NYGE 2009 auditions will be held on the 11^th January ’09 at Chethams School of Music and 18^th January ’09 at The Royal Academy of Music.

If you are a young aspiring guitarist who enjoys interacting and performing with others and has a thirst for fun then NYGE is the ensemble for you! Interested guitarists are invited to send in an application form along with the audition fee of £15 (cheque payable to EGTA, UK) to the NYGE Coordinator by the 23d December ’08. Application forms can be downloaded from the European Guitar Teachers’ Association website.

For more information on NYGE please visit the EGTA site or contact NYGE coordinator Liz Larner. Information on course fees and bursaries will be available on the EGTA website soon.”

World Youth Guitar Festival 2011 » mp3