“Ensemble guitar playing doesn’t come any better.”
EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH
With more than a dozen recordings over the past two decades, the members of Los Angeles Guitar Quartet have established themselves as masters of the classics, as well as the creators of the unique syntheses of world‐music and contemporary styles that have made the "LAGQ sound" a favorite around the world. Their active touring schedule takes them throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, and their restless curiosity takes them in new musical directions for the guitar quartet. For nearly thirty years on the concert stage, the members of the Grammy‐winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet have continually set the standard for expression and virtuosity among guitar ensembles, while perennially redefining themselves in their musical explorations. Master classes, coachings, workshops, open rehearsals and concertos with student orchestra or guitar orchestra provide your students with unforgettable experiences.
REARRANGING THE OLD AND FORGING THE NEW
Because the guitar quartet is a fairly new convention in music, the members of LAGQ perform their own arrangements of standards along with new music written for them. The Quartet’s in‐depth sessions about arranging music and working with living composers will enrich the academic experiences of your students who are aspiring composers, performers and musicologists. These extraordinary musicians will give workshops on these topics as well as one‐on‐one advice to students about their works‐in‐progress.
MASTER TEACHERS
Equally adept on stage and in the classroom, the members of LAGQ are renowned guitar masters with expertise in styles ranging from classical to flamenco to bluegrass. Bill Kanengiser created the “Hot Licks” instructional video series, Scott Tennant authored the seminal "Pumping Nylon" series, and all four artists hold professorships at California universities. In master classes and coachings they bring their individual insights and ensemble sensibilities to student soloists and chamber groups.
CHAMBER MEETS CONCERTO
Most student orchestras have experienced a musical collaboration with one or two artists in a concerto concert. With LAGQ, your students can discover what happens when chamber music meets concerto. The Quartet will coach the orchestra and/or student conductor through the Rodrigo or Assad concertos, highlighting all that keeping up with four soloists entails. The breadth of concerto combined with the intimacy of chamber music is a lesson in listening, leading and mutual give and take.
For guitar orchestras, LAGQ offers "Shiki: Seasons of Japan", a work by Shingo Fujii commissioned for the Quartet with guitar orchestra. You may easily incorporate this work into an LAGQ concert, offering students the unique opportunity to perform onstage with the Quartet.