Harp Guitar Concert

7:30 pm Saturday, Oct 24, 2015

as part of the 13th Harp Guitar Gathering®

Tickets coming soon

Note: Most of Saturday evening's performers will play a shorter segment in Sunday afternoon's Harp Guitar Recital, along with a dozen other players.


Featured Performer: Phil deGruy

  

After falling under the spell of Chet Atkins, deGruy, a native New Orleanian, began his tenure with jazz great Lenny Breau in 1976. By the early '80s deGruy began plucking an electric guitar behind its bridge and was compelled to incorporate that sound into his music. Hank Mackie, Phil's extraordinary teacher, suggested fashioning harp strings to sit on the guitar's body where the pick guard would be located, thereby extending chord voicings in one motion and evoking the illusion of a "limitless" guitar.   Thus the guitarp was born a marriage between 7-string guitar (high A) and 10 short “super-treble” harp strings.  Phil commissioned Jimmy Foster of New Orleans to build the first guitarp in 1983.  In 1997, West Coast luthier Ralph Novak redesigned and built deGruy's present guitarp employing Novak's fanned-fret system.

"Phil's approach to the guitar sounds like John Coltrane meets Mel Brooks at a party for Salvador Dali." Steve Vai


Featured Performer: The Zingaresca Duo

Zingaresca (an Italian word for “in a Gypsy style”) consists of Oleg Timofeyev, the leading pioneer in the revival of the Russian seven-string guitar, and the celebrated Russian-Roma Gypsy virtuoso Vadim Kolpakov, whose many credits include bandmember of Madonna’s 2008 "Sticky & Sweet" world tour.  Their music interweaves the written Russian guitar heritage with the best traditions of the Russian Gypsies, thus blending the sophistication of classical music with the fiery vitality of folk musical expression.  Oleg and Vadim use a great range of musical resources including rare guitar publications of Mikhail Vysotsky (1791-1837), virtuoso arrangements of Sergei Orekhov (1936-1998), and the original compositions of Vadim’s celebrated uncle Alexander Kolpakov. But since the ensemble’s goal is to bridge an array of different musical styles, their success mostly depends on their own imagination as music arrangers and performers. At times, it takes a sensitive ear to distill and exaggerate the Gypsy element from otherwise classical musical fabric. Alternatively, Vadim and Oleg are incorporating folk tunes into classical structures, creating a colorful and enjoyable experience.


Don Alder

From Canada, winner of the Winfield, Kansas 2007 International Fingerstyle Championship (among many other awards), Don's chops are second to none, but it is his feel and the music that takes precedence.  He describes his playing style as a “mutated Clawhammer technique.”  A quick listen will reveal that as only a part of the Alder “wall of sound.”  Don's musicianship is superb, and the entire harp guitar community is thrilled that he continues to expand his harp guitar repertoire.

Muriel Anderson

There are comparatively few female guitarists in the world, and even fewer women harp guitarists so Muriel is a rarity indeed.  A virtuoso 6-string player of the Chet Atkins school, she has long been playing harp guitar for a portion of her busy performances.  Muriel won the National (USA) Fingerpicking Championship in 1989, founded the Music For Life Alliance and is host and founder of the "Muriel Andersons All Star Guitar Night" concert series.

Drew Baldwin

Drew goes by the stage name Bad Drew Baldwin, which is occasionally at odds with the humor, grace, and musicality expressed with his voice and antique harp guitar.  With well over 3 decades performance experience, Drew has developed a unique approach to the instrument based in blues and other traditional American musical forms, and his original works fit seamlessly alongside interpretations of classic Americana .

Stephen Bennett

Stephen should need little introduction, as enamored audiences everywhere are well familiar with his mastery of the harp guitar, exceptional compositional skills and musical sensitivity.  He is a past National (USA) Flatpicking Champion and National Fingerpicking Champion.  The warm and witty performer also just happens to be the founder of the Harp Guitar Gathering, which takes place all weekend long.

Andy Wahlberg

A performer at every Harp Guitar Gathering for the past twelve years, Andy remains one of our most crowd-pleasing performers, whether doing his inimitable musical comedy or playing his own amazing instrumental compositions.  It helps that he's been playing the harp guitar pretty much exclusively since 1970 longer than anyone alive today!

Musically Yours

The Musically Yours trio is made up of three professional musicians with years of performance and wedding experience.  Randall Sprinkle (this year's host of the Harp Guitar Gathering) plays the harp guitar accompanied by his wife, Jayne Sprinkle on harp.  Diane Cox joins the pair, providing resonant melodies on her cello, the three instruments creating a unique and beautiful sound.

The Powell Brothers

Fresh from their triumphant success as hosts of last year's Harp Guitar Gathering, Dave and Anthony Powell bring their popular vocals, mandolin and harp guitar act, along with their own Tonedevil instruments to North Carolina.  We're glad to have them back!

Want more harp guitar?  
Register for the whole weekend!

Come join us in Mooresville, North Carolina (near Charlotte, NC) on Oct 23-25, 2015

Hosted by harp guitarist Randall Sprinkle, as part of the popular 
Solas Leighis Concert Series
in Saint Patrick’s Episcopal Church.


 

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