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Vol. 6, No. 2 - October 6, 2006
| Classical Guitarist Jason Vieaux Returns to Skidmore Prize-winning classical guitarist Jason Vieaux will perform a solo recital at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19, at Skidmore's Filene Recital Hall, opening the college's Sterne Virtuoso series for the academic year. The event is open to the public, and general admission is $5, or $2 for students and senior citizens. Vieaux will present a program by a widely varied group of composers including J.S. Bach, Isaac Albéniz, and Pat Metheny, and including several of his own arrangements. A top-rated recording artist and acclaimed performer, Vieaux will be in residence at Skidmore for three days, coaching the college's guitar ensemble, interacting with students and music faculty, and presenting a master class. Originally from Buffalo, Vieaux began studying guitar at age eight, becoming the youngest winner in the history of the prestigious Guitar Foundation of America International Competition. He was a Naumburg International Guitar Competition prize-winner, and in 1995 was honored as an Artistic Ambassador of the United States to Southeast Asia. Vieaux also was awarded the Alumni Achievement Award from his alma mater, Cleveland Institute of Music, where he directs the guitar department. His eight recordings and his popular live performances are frequently broadcast on National Public Radio. An Azica Records artist, Vieaux's Sevilla: The Music of Isaac Albéniz, was rated one of the top 10 classical CDs of 2003. His latest release is Images of Metheny. Vieaux's early-career recording on Naxos, Laureate Series Guitar Recital, sold more than 40,000 copies. A solo CD of Bach lute works is scheduled for a 2007 release by Azica. Vieaux was a guest artist at Skidmore six years ago, performing as guitar accompanist during a residency by the Philadelphia Orchestra's principal flutist, Jeffrey Khaner. "We've been waiting for a chance to invite him back," said senior artist-in-residence and classical guitarist Joel Brown. "He's a great player, known way beyond the guitar world, but he also had just the right touch when he worked with our students during that visit, giving a master class that left everyone excited and positive," Brown added. In his upcoming residency, Vieaux will present a public master class at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 18, in the Payne Room at the college's Tang Museum. About 35-40 performance engagements per year mean that Vieaux is frequently away from his academic home in Cleveland, but he says he's able to schedule well in advance and to keep up with his students' lessons and his administrative duties, although he admits that his only real hobby is "relaxing." He says he is continually surprised by the challenges of teaching, particularly with respect to each unique student. "It's amazing how many different ways you can explain a musical concept," he notes. Vieaux will perform as soloist with two professional orchestras this season, and says he loves performing the concerto repertoire. "When I was in high school, I listened to music all the time; I was addicted to one recording of the Villa-Lobos concerto, and my tastes gravitated to larger orchestrations and arrangements. "I really like playing in a large ensemble, interacting with a big group, and being a soloist riding on the top," Vieaux explains. Those same textures and layers of color that he listened for in orchestra music now influence his own arrangements, stretching across musical styles. The challenge of writing a transcription, according to Vieaux, is retaining the essence of the music. "On one extreme you can cram too many voices in and wind up having something sound like a heroic technical accomplishment; while on the other hand you can simplify too much, and strip out the texture and all the details. "The guitarist's ability to 'sing' is an overlooked aspect of the instrument, and it can make for a polyphonic experience," he observes.
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