Classical guitars to play at WSU with ‘unique, gentle’ sound
Todd Woodbury will conduct a concert by the Weber State University Guitar Ensemble on April 25 at the Ogden university.
OGDEN — There will be no electricity and no acoustics during this year’s Guitar Ensemble concert at Weber State University — just good old-fashioned nylon-string guitars being stroked to the tunes of famous classical composers.
Todd Woodbury, adjunct professor of classical guitar at Weber State and the University of Utah, will be directing the ensemble that includes six Weber State music students. The Monday, April 25, program, which has been an annual event for more than 20 years, will run a little over an hour.
“We’re going to be playing classical music from the renaissance, romantic and baroque era to contemporary Brazilian music,” Woodbury said. “We will have guitar duets, guitar quartets and guitar solos.”
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Woodbury said he became interested in the guitar when The Beatles became famous.
“I’m of the generation when The Beatles first appeared on ’The Ed Sullivan show,’ ” he said. “So I started to play the guitar and I played rock ‘n’ roll for awhile, but then I reached a point to where I wanted to do more and that’s when I started playing classical guitar.”
PREVIEW
• WHAT: Guitar Ensemble
• WHEN: 7:30 p.m. April 25
• WHERE: Garrison Choral Room, Browning Center, WSU, 3848 Harrison Blvd., Ogden
• ADMISSION: Free.
Classical guitar uses strings made of nylon, Woodbury said. They are different from electric and acoustic guitars, not only because the strings are made of different material, but the musician has to use both hands to play.
“With an electric guitar, you’ll see people using a pick instead of their fingers,” Woodbury said. “Most younger kids are familiar with folk and rock guitar and sometimes they aren’t introduced to the classical guitar, but most people, when they hear it, and if it’s good, they really like it.”
The program will include pieces from composers Francisco Tárrega, Johann Sebastian Bach, Claude Gagnon and Michael Praetorius. Students performing are Joseph Kingston, Kim Murphy, Brian Nielsen, Garrett Olsen, Brandon Whitehead and Ted Rogers.
The performance will also include guest artist Mark Maxson, an adjunct guitar instructor at Weber State and technical specialist in the music department.
“We’re doing four quartets and it’s really a nice sound,” Maxson said. “With classical guitar you have complete control. It’s a unique, gentle sound and doesn’t put out a whole lot of volume. I just bought a new guitar in December and I’m really loving playing it so this is a great opportunity for me. It was nice to be asked to join in. I think the audience will enjoy the show.”