concert model

Cang Guang

This is Guang Cang, trying a brand new guitar. The guitar has my former rozet (concentric rings) and headstock. I especially built it for Guangs friend Christina Gai who lives in Australia.

Cang Guan studied at the Beijing Guitar Society with the legendary Prof. Chenzhi and continued his studies in the Netherlands, with Zoran Dukic and Enno Voorhorst at the Koninklijk Conservatorium in den Haag. Living in the Netherlands, Guan became a friend of the family. Yesterday he moved back to China. We will miss him, but I am sure we will stay in touch.

Niels Eikelboom

This is Niels Eikelboom playing An Malvina by Johann Kaspar Mertz. Niels came to Amsterdam because he wanted to compare his cedar guitar with a spruce top model. After a detailed comparison he concluded that each model has its quality. He decided to keep the cedar and to add a spruce to his collection as well.

Kay Yamagata

This is Kay Yamagata. She is a retired pharmacist from California. For many years now, she is a faithful student of George Sakellariou. He is the one who introduced her to my guitars of which she has two now. She is visiting Europe and came to my workshop to meet.

last weekend

Along with the series we organized a competition for guitarists under eighteen years old. First price was being the support act before the concert of Sanel Redzic. Fourteen year old Ruben Silva Kas won the competition. In this picture both players, back stage, after the concert.

ruben silva kas and sanel redzic after the concert

Paul Mok

This is Paul Mok from Hong Kong. He is a true aficionado of classical guitar and French wine. We met a long time ago in Qingdao Dao at a guitar festival where I personally handed him his pre ordered guitar. We stayed in contact ever since. Last month he happened to be in Amsterdam for business. We went out for dinner at Restaurant Bordewijk and had a very pleasant night.

Marc Sambola

This is Marc Sambola, a Catalan guitarist. I met him a couple of years ago at Casa Luthier in Barcelona where he used to work. Nowadays he is a full time musician. He works as a composer, arranger, teacher and guitarist. He writes music for theatre plays, like for instance El Projecte dels Bojos or arrangements like Le Llaman Copla. He can be listened to in Ruta D’Hivern, small concerts in private houses, every Friday in Barcelona, together with singer Mariona Castillo.

Stefan Gerritsen

This is Stefan Gerritsen. He is a left-handed guitar player and member of Verso, a very nice and successful duo with an unusual line up: pan flute and guitar. Some people think that left handed players play a ‘normal’ guitar, holding it the other way round. That is not the case. The bracing of a guitar with a bass and a treble part, the thickness of the top and the placing of the bridge are different. A left handed guitar is more or less built ‘the other way round’.

winners #2

The two young guitarists Sanel Redzic and Tariq Harb are both doing very well in the world of competitions. I wrote about them earlier and I am doing it again because they won the first and second prize at the Tokyo International Guitar Competition. Congratulations to both of them. Last September Tariq played in our series in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Coming March Sanel Redzic will give his recital. Looking forward.

results of the Tokyo International Guitar Competition 2012

Aurelién Colas

Aurélien Colas is working as a guitar professor and concert player in Normandy, France. Together with the accordion player Frédéric Baldo he forms the Duo Baldo Colas. Two weeks ago Aurélien came to Amsterdam to pick up the instrument I built for him. When he got home he sent me the following message:

Yesterday I played your guitar all the day very strong and some frequencies and harmonics appeared, giving to the guitar and different voice. Now the guitar is more powerfull, she doesn’t keep anything. Each sounds and harmonics are going outside the guitar with a incredible facility. The guitar is outstanding… and she is a dream to play. I can have a full round sound but with a superb polyphonic separation and superb colors in each notes. This is exaclty what I am looking for in a concert guitar.

Caraguatá

This is the new CD of Gustavo Pazos for which I made the 7-string guitar I wrote about in a previous post. It’s “A musical reflection on gaucho traditions such as the milonga, the estilo, the chamarrita and more urban forms like the waltz, tango and the signature sound of Montevideo, the candombe” according to his record company. Congratulations Gustavo!