2023 Philadelphia Classical
Guitar Festival

April 22-23, 2023 (Sat.-Sun.)

SATURDAY APRIL 22, 2023 –

Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral

SUNDAY April 22, 2023

FESTIVAL DAY

from 9 am to 5 pm –

Settlement Music School – Mary Louise Curtis Branch

416 Queen St. – Philadelphia PA

THE FESTIVAL PASS GIVE ACCESS TO ALL THE ACTIVITIES BELOW

• PCGS Classical Guitar Competion (Junior and Adult ties)
• PCGS Guitar Ensemble concert (program below)
• Students Recitals
• Workshops (descriptions below)
• Jason Vieaux Masterclass
• Alan Liu closing concert

Vendor Fair

Sunday, April 23, 8:30am-3:30pm @ Settlement Music School, Upper Lobby

Vendors: The Classical Guitar Store (Philadelphia), Bruce Thompson (Luthier), Pizzicato Players Ensemble

PCGS Competition Finals

Sunday, April 23, 9:00am (Junior) & 11:15am (Adult) @ Settlement Music School, Presser Hall

See the culmination of our competition as the finalists in two categories vie for their place in history.

Competition Organizer: Ross Mann
Final Round Jurors – Jason Vieaux, Ross Mann, Behdad Moghadassi, Emiliano Pardo Tristan, Lenny Ranallo

Student Recitals

Sunday, April 23, 10:00pm & 12:00pm @ Settlement Music School, Field Hall

Come see PCGS guitarists perform as well as students of PCGS professional members.

Programs can be found at Field Hall for these events. We would like to thank George Attisano, James McKay, and Marlis Kraft for organizing these recitals.

 

Flamenco Workshop

Sunday, April 23, 10:45am @ Settlement Music School, 2nd floor, room 46

Add new music and style to your repertoire in this hands-on flamenco guitar workshop that will introduce attendees to falsetas Solea and Tangos as well as accompanying Palmas (rhythmic clapping). All participants are welcome to observe or perform. Bring your guitar and participate in a group performance at the end of the session!

Pat D’Aprile

Guitarist Pat D’Aprile has studied in Madrid at the conservatory Amor De Dios, Cordoba at the International Festival of Guitar and Dance, Jerez at the Antonio El Pipa and Maria del Mar Moreno summer workshops and in San Lucar de Barrameda with Gerardo Nunez / Carmen Cortes’ Arte Danza Institute.

Pat has a BA in Music Education from Rutgers University. He has also studied jazz guitar with Joe Federico and classical guitar with Joe Mayes.

Technique Workshop

Sunday, April 23, 2:15pm @ Settlement Music School, 2nd floor, room 46

Technique Workshop This workshop will give players of all levels strategies to organize their warm-up and technical practice.

Topics will include: 
fundamentals of guitar technique 
customizing the routine to your level and schedule 
tailoring exercises to your current repertoire

Works referenced will include: 
Classical Guitar Technique: from Foundation to Virtuosity By Stanley Yates 
Kitharalogus by Ricardo Iznaola 
The Bible of Classical Guitar Technique by Hubert Kappel.

Lenny Ranallo

Drawing inspiration from Bach to Coltrane and beyond, American Guitarist Leonard Ranallo seeks to blur the line between composer, performer, and improviser. Equally comfortable in the concert hall or a local club, Ranallo brings a unique vitality to every performance. His fluency in both classical and electric guitar has resulted in performances across the United States and Europe. As a performer, he’s been featured at festivals in Italy, Scotland, and the US, and has won prizes in the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra’s Young Musicians Competition, the Philadelphia Classical Guitar Society Competition, and the James Stroud Competition. In 2012, Ranallo made his professional orchestral debut as a concerto soloist performing with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. As a composer, he works to incorporate new and expressive sounds and techniques into the guitar vocabulary. Ranallo is also a strong promoter of new music, collaborating with composers from the US and UK on new works for classical and electric guitar. 

Ranallo completed his Master’s Degree at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow studying under Matthew McAllister and Professor Allan Neave and his Bachelor of Music at Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio under Stephen Aron. He is currently on faculty at the Peabody Preparatory in Baltimore and maintains a private teaching studio in Philadelphia.

PCGS Concert Ensemble Performance

Sunday, April 23, 10:15-11am @ Settlement Music School, Presser Hall

Director: Lenny Ranallo (biography above)

Members:

George Attisano
Matthew Kuplack 
Thom Shedlock 
Shriya Prakash 
Eva Nam 
Gigi Zhang 
Christopher Murray 
Sara Sablosky 
Chris Hanlon 
Bob Christman 
Rupesh Jeyaram

PROGRAM:

Les Saisons Japonaises – Takashi Ogawa (b. 1960)

• Javier
• Avril
• Mai
• Juillet
• Août

Estampas – Federico Moreno-Torroba (1891-1982)

• Remanso
• La Siega
• Amanecer
• Camino Del Molino

Jason Vieaux Masterclass

Sunday, April 23, 12:45pm @ Settlement Music School, Presser Hall

Programs will be at the main desk on the day of the festival.

Alan Liu – Festival closing concert

Sunday, April 23, 3:30pm @ Settlement Music School, Presser Hall

“Just wow.” – CBC

Chinese-Canadian guitarist Alan Liu is the winner of the 2021 Philadelphia Classical Guitar Competition. He received first prizes in numerous international competitions, including the Mercatali Gorizia, Josefina P. Tuason, Indiana, and Houston International Classical Guitar Competitions, and also won fourth prize in the prestigious Guitar Foundation of America International Concert Artist Competition.

Beginning his musical journey at five, Liu received his first national prize at seven. From 2014 to 2016, he earned several awards in North America and Europe, including first prizes in the Guitar Foundation of America International Youth Competition, Guitare Montreal International Youth Competition, Northwest International Artist Competition, and Federation of Canadian Music Festivals Guitar Competition, as well as additional prizes in the Parkening International Youth Guitarist Competition and Michele Pittaluga Junior Guitar Competition.

Liu is the first and youngest classical guitarist featured in CBC’s “30 Hot Classical Musicians Under 30.” In addition to concerti performances with the Vancouver Symphony, Prince George Symphony, and Juilliard Chamber Orchestra, he has played in the Seattle, Toronto, and Vancouver classical guitar societies’ concert series. Additionally, he has been a featured artist at the Crown International Guitar Festival, Montreal International Guitar Festival, and QinLing International Guitar Festival.

Liu studies with Sharon Isbin at the Juilliard School, receiving the Augustine Fellowship, McCabe Guitar Fellowship, and C. & H. Lewine Scholarship. Liu received his Bachelor’s at the Curtis Institute of Music, studying with David Starobin and Jason Vieaux. He is also an alumnus of the Aspen Music Festival.

Alan plays on Augustine Strings and uses instruments made by Martin Blackwell and Altamira Guitars. March

VIDEO – XuKun (Alan) Liu — 2021 ICAC Semi-Final Round

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PROGRAM

Prelude -Très Viste, BWV 995 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

Sonata in D minor, K.1 Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)

Variations on a Theme by Scriabin Alexander Tansman (1897-1986)

Capriccio Diabolico, Op.85 Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968)

Intermission

Un Sueño En La Floresta Agustín Barrios Mangoré (1885-1944)

Cataluña, Op.47 Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909)

Shard Elliott Carter (1908-2012)

Thème varié et Finale Manuel Maria Ponce (1882-1948)

Le départ, Op.31 Napoléon Coste (1805-1883)

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Registration for Jason Vieaux Live Concert and Rebroadcast