Classical Guitar Society of Nepal Kathmandu International Classical Guitar Festival 2013, (Oct 17-20) The history of guitar dates back more than 500 years. Its development can be traced to multiple nations. Guitar is blessed with a remarkable ability to adapt itself to various types of music. In India, slide guitar has been adapted to perform the intricacies of ragas, and in South America various types of guitars have been developed to meet the need of the local music. The earliest prototype of the guitar was discovered in Uzbekistan, and it was the Moors of northern Africa who introduced the guitar to Spain in 700 AD. Until the mid 20th century, guts strings were used in classical guitar, today that has been replaced by the nylon strings. The technique of playing the classical guitar differs, in that the strings are plucked with right hand fingers independently making it possible to produce polyphonic (multi layered) music. Most universities in USA, Europe and Asia offer degree programs in classical guitar performance and Nepal is yet to catch up with the outside world in that ground. This year we have invited eight world class guitarists to perform here in Kathmandu in October from 17th to 20th. The representative countries are: Japan, Thailand, USA, Liechtenstein and Nepal (profiles attached). During the festival a luthier (guitar craftsman) from Japan will showcase handcrafted guitars of the finest quality made from citrus or spruce, mahogany and rosewood. Aim of the Festival: The four day concert series will provide an opportunity to hear live classical guitar music of world standard (which is otherwise not available in Nepal). The repertoire includes pieces composed in recent time to centuries back; a historical fact that is virtually not associated with guitar music in Nepal. There is also educational side to this festival: the invited artists will conduct Master Classes for the benefit of our youth. These special classes are open to students nationwide (some students from Kathmandu, Pokhara and Jhapa have already registered for the Master Class). Japanese luthier will shed light on the types of woods, skills and artistry needed for crafting guitars of highest quality. Furthermore, the festival will help to establish contacts between the international artists and aspiring Nepali musicians at this interesting time when Nepal has just begun to indulge in music in a larger scale than ever before. Also encountering performers who have obtained music degrees can be an opportunity for our youth to learn about the music education program implemented in other parts of the world. I can almost say with certainty that guitar has the highest number of local learners in comparison to other instruments yet its repertoire and system of pedagogy remain unreachable for most Nepalis. The festival will help to bridge such gaps to an extent. After all it’s the systematic learning of an instrument that carries the potentiality to open such fields of music as the musicology and ethnomusicology (both are frontier fields for Nepal). The proposed festival is also a celebration of the fact that music can be a means to touch each other’s hearts directly despite the separation by land and culture. Daily concerts: Each evening two performers will share the stage, playing solo guitar pieces ranging from modern era to centuries back. Each performer will play for about 45 minutes. An exception is the Maria Duo from Japan, which is made of two female guitarists and they will perform together. Target Audience: The concerts are open to general public, to students of music, aficionados of serious or alternative music, diplomats and the expatriate community who may be missing concert life in Nepal. Request for Sponsorships: The concert series is organized by the members of the Classical Guitar Society, a group of people who are connected with classical music either by performing zeal or general interest. Organizing such a major event without the supports from private organizations is virtually impossible therefore we request for your kind support. The cost detail is given below for your review, should you have questions please contact us at 9813 255 9867, email: [email protected] We will gratefully acknowledge your support publicly: in prints (posters and brochure), in the Facebook, during the performances, at the press conference with the artists, in the auditorium, and at the Master Classes. Thank you Kishor Gurung Founder/President Classical Guitar Society of Nepal
Posted on: Sun, 23 Jun 2013 04:21:08 +0000
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