Northeastern University and New England Conservatory Present Boston GuitarFest 2008

Festival to feature performances by Angel Romero, Eliot Fisk, Wu Man

Boston GuitarFest is the most exciting and innovative guitar festival to emerge in the new millennium. From June 10 – 15, 2008, the third edition of Boston GuitarFest, a joint production of New England Conservatory and Northeastern University, will feature a dazzling array of events and world renowned performers Angel Romero, Eliot Fisk, and Wu Man, to delight general audiences, amateurs and professionals alike.

GuitarFest is a concentrated guitar institute consisting of concerts, master classes, workshops, lectures, guitar competition, and a composition competition, attracting aficionados and professionals from around the world. The Festival is led by visionary guitar virtuoso and GuitarFest Artistic Director Eliot Fisk of NEC, and Administrative Director and composer Anthony Paul De Ritis, of Northeastern University.

“This festival is not just about the classical guitar, the idea is to open some windows onto some other languages of music,” states Eliot Fisk. “What I love about the guitar is that it can be so many different things. Every time I pick up the guitar, I discover some possibility I didn’t know existed… there is an infinite number of possibilities!”

“Northeastern is excited to partner with NEC on this international musical event,” said De Ritis, Chair of the Music Department at Northeastern University. “GuitarFest will give Northeastern the opportunity to showcase the strengths of its music industry and music composition programs with the same incredible energy, vision and spirit that Eliot Fisk and NEC bring to performance.”

A gala concert on Saturday, June 14, will feature celebrated guitarists Eliot Fisk and Angel Romero at NEC’s Jordan Hall. Details for all events, including information on purchasing tickets may be found at www.bostonguitarfest.org.

All concerts will be performed at New England Conservatory, including:

Tuesday, June 10, at 8:00 p.m. “Music of Spain: Past, Present, and Future” With Ricardo Gallén (Spain), Richard Savino (USA) and El Mundo (Jordan Hall)

Wednesday, June 11, at 8:00 p.m. “India and China” with Peter Row, sitar and Wu Man, Chinese pipa (Williams Hall)

Thursday, June 12, at 8:00 p.m. “North Meets South” with Adam Holzman (USA) and Luis Orlandini (Chile) (Williams Hall)

Friday, June 13, at 8:00 p.m. “Modernity Past and Present” with David Tanenbaum (USA) and John Gibbons, harpsichord (Williams Hall)

Saturday, June 14, at 8:00 p.m. “Boston Guitar Fest Featured Concert” with Angel Romero (USA/Spain) and Eliot Fisk (USA) (Jordan Hall)

Sunday, June 15, 2008 at 8:00 p.m. GuitarFest 2008 Competition Finals—featuring the winners of our week-long guitar competition (Jordan Hall)

Ticket Information

JORDAN HALL CONCERTS
$20 and $10 ($8 for students with ID)
Available at the Jordan Hall Box Office (617) 585-1260. The Box Office is located at 30 Gainsborough Street, in the lobby of Jordan Hall, and is open from 10:00 am-6:00 pm Monday-Friday, and from 12:00 pm-6:00 pm on Saturdays. The Box Office is also open 90 minutes before the start of any ticketed Jordan Hall performance for sale of that event only.

WILLIAMS HALL CONCERTS

Evening Concerts: $20/$10 (evening concerts); $8 for students with ID

Afternoon Concerts: $8

Available at the Northeastern University Box Office in advance, or at the door (cash and check only at the door). The NU Box office is located in the lobby of the Blackman Auditorium, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, or you may call 617-373-4700 or visit http://www.gonu.com/tickets/index.shtml on the web.

Both venues are handicapped accessible.

PASSES

Discounted passes to multiple events are available, ranging from $210 to audit all festival events, to day passes for $80 each. Full information is available at www.bostonguitarfest.org.

About Northeastern

Founded in 1898, Northeastern University is a private research university located in the heart of Boston. Northeastern is a leader in interdisciplinary research, urban engagement, and the integration of classroom learning with real-world experience. The university’s distinctive cooperative education program, where students alternate semesters of full-time study with semesters of paid work in fields relevant to their professional interests and major, is one of the largest and most innovative in the world. The University offers a comprehensive range of undergraduate and graduate programs leading to degrees through the doctorate in six undergraduate colleges, eight graduate schools, and two part-time divisions. For more information, please visit www.northeastern.edu.

About New England Conservatory

Recognized nationally and internationally as a leader among music schools, New England Conservatory offers rigorous training in an intimate, nurturing community to 750 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral music students from around the world. Its faculty of 225 boasts internationally esteemed artist-teachers and scholars. Its alumni go on to fill orchestra chairs, concert hall stages, jazz clubs, recording studios, and arts management positions worldwide. Nearly half of the Boston Symphony Orchestra is composed of NEC trained musicians and faculty.

The oldest independent school of music in the United States, NEC was founded in 1867 by Eben Tourjee. Its curriculum is remarkable for its wide range of styles and traditions. On the college level, it features training in classical, jazz, contemporary improvisation, world and early music. Through its Preparatory School, School of Continuing Education, and Community Collaboration Programs, it provides training and performance opportunities for children, pre-college students, adults, and seniors. Through its outreach projects, it allows young musicians to engage with non-traditional audiences in schools, hospitals, and nursing homes—thereby bringing pleasure to new listeners and enlarging the universe for classical music and jazz.

NEC presents more than 600 free concerts each year in Jordan Hall, its world-renowned, 100-year old, beautifully restored concert hall. These programs range from solo recitals to chamber music to orchestral programs to jazz and opera scenes. Every year, NEC’s opera studies department also presents two fully staged opera productions at the Cutler Majestic Theatre in Boston.