Recognized as one of America’s finest classical guitarists, William Kanengiser won First Prize in the 1987Concert Artists Guild International Competition as well as major guitar competitions in Toronto (1981) and Paris (1983).  He has recorded four solo CD’s for the GSP label, ranging from classical to jazz to Caribbean to Near Eastern styles, and he recently recorded two CD’s for the Suzuki Guitar Advanced Repertoire Series. In 2005 he released a live concert DVD, “Classical Guitar and Beyond”, for Mel Bay Recordings, which also features Mr. Kanengiser’s talents as a comedian/mimic in his infamous “GFA Imitation Show”. A member of the guitar faculty at the USC Thornton School of Music since 1983, he was a recipient of the “2011 Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching”. He has given master classes around the world and produced two instructional videos, “Effortless Classical Guitar” and “Classical Guitar Mastery” for Hot Licks Video. The 2010-11 season was marked by special performances of Shingo Fujii’s “Concerto de Los Angeles” for solo guitar and guitar orchestra, which was written for Mr. Kanengiser and recorded in Kyoto in 2008. This piece was played with guitar students in seven US cities, as well as in Osaka and Shanghai. Featured recitals in 2012-13 include Spivey Hall near Atlanta and appearances with the Long Island, Philadelphia, Sacramento, Calgary and Indianapolis Guitar Socities.

As a founding member of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, Mr. Kanengiser has toured extensively throughout Asia, Europe and North America and recorded over a dozen CD’s.  LAGQ was awarded a GRAMMY® for Best Classical Crossover Recording in 2004. Their newest recording project “Interchange”, features concertos by Joaquin Rodrigo and Sergio Assad; it was released in March 2010 and received a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Classical Composition. In addition to three European tours this season, they recently completed their Australian debut tour, including three sold-out shows at the Sydney Opera House.

 

 

 

A dedicated new voice in the contemporary music world, ChromaDuo is vigorously developing and presenting some of today's most evocative, lyrical, and exhilarating music. Praised by Soundboard Magazine for their “great fluidity and technical perfection,” and “sensitive and lyrical style,” Tracy Anne Smith and Rob MacDonald unveil refreshing and innovative programs of new works by some of the most exciting composers of our time. 

ChromaDuo has commissioned works from the incomparable Parisian Roland Dyens, irreverent British powerhouse Stephen Goss, genre-bending New Yorker Benjamin Verdery, polyrhythmic mystic Dusan Bogdanovic, and emerging major American talents Christopher William Pierce and Judah Adashi. Alongside these creations, their unique concert programs occasionally feature standout pieces from the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Dedications to ChromaDuo can be found in the ChromaDuo Collectionat Productions d’Oz.

Their first recording, Hidden Waters, featuring five world-premieres by Dyens, Goss, and Pierce, was re-released by Naxos Records in July 2012. According to reviewer Simon Powis, “The debut CD of ChromaDuo is nothing short of inspirational.” Garrett Schumann of Sequenza21.com called it, “one giant, convivial, through-composed exploration of the guitar’s expressive range... [T]he restraint of the performance makes you want to lean in closer to hear the expression on every note.” Kenneth Keaton of American Record Guide called the CD “a treasure,” and said, “ChromaDuo…is simply exquisite. Their sounds are perfectly balanced, yet individual, and each has a ravishing tone with lots of range. Ensemble is perfection, even in the freest passages; and their interpretations of these pieces are convincing, even compelling. This is some of the most purely beautiful playing I’ve heard in a while.” The CD is also recommended in Enrique Robichaud’s book, The Guitar’s TOP 100.

Highlights of their concert seasons include performances in England, Canada, the USA, and Mexico.

 

 

 

 

 

Timothy Phelan is a classical guitarist, conductor, composer, arranger and educator based in Niagara. He made his CBC recording debut at the age of eighteen as concerto soloist with the Quebec City Symphony Orchestra, and he has since been heard in solo, concerto and chamber music performances over CBC Radio and Television, Radio France, Radio Caribbean, and Cuban National Television and Radio. He has performed at four of the triennial Toronto international guitar festivals, at Leo Brouwer's festivals in Havana and Martinique, and he has given world-premiere performances of several chamber works, including Alan Hirsh’s Dance Trio commissioned for Guitar ‘81 in Toronto. A highly versatile musician, Tim’s varied recent engagements include an appearance with the Niagara Symphony and Chorus Niagara (performing his own composition for guitar, 100-voice choir and symphony orchestra), a chamber music programme featuring many of his own arrangements of music by Villa-Lobos and Piazzolla, collaboration with the international award-winning Hamilton Children’s Choir, a feature solo concert at the Hamilton International Guitar Festival, and performances in Europe.

A graduate of The University of Toronto, Tim studied for a total of ten years with renowned guitar pedagogue Eli Kassner. He also studied with British guitarist John Mills, and was selected to participate in public masterclasses with many of the world’s leading concert guitarists. Tim in turn spent many years teaching classical guitar at Canada's premier guitar school, the Eli Kassner Guitar Academy of Toronto.

 

 

 

 

 

Born in Bogotá, Colombia Irene Gómez has been a pioneer of the classical guitar in her homeland. 

Raised in a family of music lovers   Irene started to play guitar  at the age of eight. 

She became the first guitarist ever graduated as a guitarist at the Conservatory of Music in Bogota, under the guidance of Ramiro Izasa, and  later in France she graduated with the Gold Medal in guitar and chamber music with Javier Quevedo at the Claude Debussy Conservatory in Saint Germain en Laye. Previoulsy, she received the “Diplome de Fin d’études” at Paris XV Conservatoire with Uruguayan guitarist Betho Davezak.  In 2012, Irene received  the Master of Music from The Juilliard School with renowned  guitarist Sharon Isbin. 

She has also enhanced her knowledge through the master classes she attended with guitarists Eduardo Fernandez, Enric Madriguera, Eliot Fisk,  and  Miguel Angel Girollet. 

With music from traditional to new composers for the guitar Irene has released the tites:   Sunset Guitar (2000), Deep in the woods (2004), Images (2006) and Estudios y  Fantasias (2010),  that have enjoyed of great comments from critics and audiences alike and that have lead to rerelease them in new editions.