Otto Vowinkel

Guitar maker Amsterdam

blog

Sanel Redzic Trio plays Lau Euskal Abesti

Sanel Redzic, the young, successfull guitarist I have written about earlier, invested a lot of time and effort in making high quality recordings. It pays off as one can see on his YouTube channel where he releases new videos on a regular basis.

Recently he released an original quarantine video: Lau Euskal Abesti, four Basque songs by composer Jesus Guridi. It was written for guitar trio and Sanel Redzic takes care of all three parts.

Last year Sanel also released a new cd called Journey with music by Aguado, Tarrega, de Falla and Bach.

Sanel Redzic_CD_Journey
Sanel Redzic Journey-booklet

In the video and on the cd Sanel playes two different concert guitars. The one on the cd was built in 2004. The one in the video in 2019. For more info about Sanel and his cds, please check out his website.

Benjamin Verdery – Scenes from Ellis Island

I wrote an email to New Yorker Benjamin Verdery. To check out how he is doing in these horrible Corona Times.

” Aloha Ester and Otto!!!!
… These are simply unprecedented times. I have not been out for 5 days and will finally today. We are being very vigilant and wearing masks and gloves and wiping everything!! We both have been doing on line teaching and I have been chatting and writing to friends around the world like you guys.”

It can’t be underestimated that this is a kind of war. Amsterdam ave is the main street to a hospital so we hear sirens frequently which is a reminder of all those in pain.

Every evening at 7:00 we go out on our little balcony ( we are so lucky to have that) and cheer the health care workers, doctors, nurses and delivery people and all on the front line. It’s very moving.

Benjamin also told me about his latest CD, Scenes from Ellis Island which was released with New Focus Recordings on February 14. The pictures below show the front and back. The latter taken in the great hall on Ellis Island.

“I can guarantee that very few guitars have been played in that hall. It’s not of course a concert hall but the hall where so many were examined before being allowed to go to land. It’s maybe appropriate that it be Dutch guitar there as you were the first Europeans to come to this Island and come on, I live on Amsterdam ave!!!! So it was meant to be.”

“It will be some time before we are allowed to send things from the post so please find the booklet . At the back of it is the photo of me and your insanely great baritone! “


Scenes from Ellis Island can be found on
Spotify | Amazon | YouTube | Website Benjamin Verdery

Nina Fourie Gouws

This is Nina Fourie Gouws, AKA Nina_Guitar. I wrote about her earlier.
Nina is a South-African guitarist. Active as a concert player as well as a guitar lecturer at Stellenbosch Konservatorium where she teaches pre-undergraduate and undergraduate practical music studies, accompaniment, repertoire studies and teaching methodology.

Nina plays a cedar top concert guitar with, as you can see in the picture above, a beautiful back.

Nina is very active on Instagram where I found all photos in this post – taken by Marnhe Grové. Among other things, she uses Instagram to keep herself motivated and to share her ideas about practising .

Last year she challenged herself with a so-called # 100daysofpractice in which she posted a video of her progress every day. This year she is doing something similar but reduced the challenge to # 40daysofpractice. Below you can watch day 32: a short video from Asturias, recorded by candlelight due to a power outage.

Keep it up Nina, only 8 more days to go!

Summer School PrSt

These are Valentina Krempatic, Emil Hadziefendic and Hanna Jakac at the Summer School with the unpronouncable name PrSt.

This summer, invited by Sanel Redžić and Predrag Stanković, I visited the beautiful Eco Zone Zlača, one hour drive from Tuzla in Bosnia Herzegovina, where since 2016, the Tuzla Youth Arts Center organizes an annual summer camp for young guitarists.

In a beautiful setting, the students follow classes by four, top of the bill guitar teachers and at the same time, celebrate their holidays, because next to attending individual, group and ensemble lessons, there is plenty of time for hiking, swimming or just being lazy.

This Summer camp is a unique opportunity for young guitarists to be taught by Predrag Stanković, Denis Azabagić, Sanel Redžić and Boris Tešić as well as meeting other guitar enthusiasts. I totally recommend all youngsters to take a closer look at the site of Ljetna Skola guitare PrSt.

In the video below I uploaded a rehearsal of a guitar ensemble and pictures I made or found on Facebook. Just to give you an impression.

José Antonio López

This José Antonio López, a classical guitarist from Puerto Rico. Every year he travels through Europe, accompanying his students from the Universidad de Puerto Rico where he teaches at the Department of Humanities. Last year he paid me a visit.

This year he came to collect his guitar and to celebrate we went out for dinner. José Antonio is very active man. Performing, teaching, composing and traveling. He does it all and all with great dedication.

Check out his instagram account where he posted a lot of pictures and video’s of his new instrument: a concert guitar with maple back and sides and a spruce top. I herewith forward one which shows the beautiful bear claw spruce.

Bear claw _Spruce Guitar