I first started playing the guitar when I was 7 years old, learning to play everything by ear. One day I heard a recording by John Williams and I've been in love with the classical guitar ever since. I realized that it would be very difficult to play complicated pieces of music without taking lessons so in 1990 I began my formal training. I now teach at a local music school. In 1995 I founded the Edmonton Classical Guitar society with the hope of bringing a few other guitar players together. We are now a society with over 50 members and promote a number of high quality concerts and other events each year.
I enjoy contemporary repitoire. One of my most memorable moments was introducing a piece of music by Carlo Domeniconi called "Koyunbaba" to Christopher Parkening at his 1994 master class. Since then, he has played and recorded the piece.
Following is some of my educational history:
01/96 - Master Class with Rachael Gauk, Alberta College Conservatory of Music, Edmonton, Alberta.
09/95 - Master class with William Kanengiser and the Calgary Classical Guitar Society, Calgary, Alberta.
08/94 - Accepted as a student/performer in the 20th annual Christopher Parkening master class at Montana State University in Bozeman, MT, USA. Participated in a number of seminars and studied with Christopher Parkening, David Brandon and John Sutherland.
03/94 - Private lessons with John Sutherland, professor of guitar at the University of Georgia and Georgia State University, Lithonia, Georgia, USA.
03/93 - Private lessons with William Kanengiser, professor of guitar at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA. Mr. Kanengiser is also a member of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet and has studied with Pepe Romero.
90-92 - Private lessons at Alberta College Conservatory of Music, Edmonton, Alberta, CANADA.
William Kanengiser and I in Los Angeles
Copyright © 2007, Edmonton Classical Guitar Society.