March 23, 2024
I invite all guitar players and music aficionados to the 2024 PCGS Guitar Festival (April 13-14, 2024; https://www.phillyguitar.org/), the high-water mark of our annual calendar. Our exciting festival program includes performances by Grammy-award-winning guitarist David Russell and the Peter Segal winner from last year’s PSCG competition, Gwenyth Aggeler. In addition, we have a David Russell masterclass, guitar competitions, a vendor fair, student recitals, and two exciting workshops.
We have had an exceptional year at PCGS so far, my first as President. Our musical programming has been colorful and of outstanding quality. We have excellent partners, including the Settlement Music School, the Athenaeum of Philadelphia, and the German Society of Philadelphia. I also want to thank our hotel partners, The Study – University City’s boutique hotel, and the Aloft Downtown Philadelphia. The Classical Guitar Store has been our loyal PCGS “headquarters” for many years, and we thank them for their support and friendship.
I am also very excited that this year, via our Bill Viola fund, we started a community outreach program with Esperanza Academy Charter School. By donating classical guitars and providing PCGS-sponsored instruction, we serve under-resourced youth tuition-free and bring classical guitar music into the fabric of Philadelphia. We also applied and were awarded a grant from the Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, which will assist with our concerts and educational programs going forward.
We rely heavily on your donations and generosity, and I want to thank each of you for supporting our programs. With your help, we can continue bringing the absolute beauty of the classical guitar to our wonderful city.
Everyone can appreciate music; no prerequisites are necessary. “We don’t understand music; music understands us,” said philosopher Adorno. He is correct. Music gives me great hope, provides a portal for creativity, and ultimately, a realization of the truth and a life worth living.
I hope to see you at our annual classical guitar festival, which will include many beautiful moments. As Franz Schubert famously said, “The moment is supreme!”
In gratitude,
Eric Zillmer
President,
Philadelphia Classical Guitar Society
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