CONTACT: Judy Moore at (847) 491-4819 or jkm229@northwestern.edu

FOR RELEASE: November 2, 2007

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Northwestern University's 2008 Segovia Classical
Guitar Series (Jan. 31 - May 4) to Feature
World-Renowned Artists

EVANSTON, Ill. --- The Northwestern University School of Music and the Chicago Classical Guitar Society continue a 15-year tradition in co-presenting the 2008 Segovia Classical Guitar Series, Jan. 31 through May 4.

Featured artists will include Brazil’s Sérgio, Odair and Badi Assad; Spain’s Paco Peña; David Russell, who was born in Scotland, but grew up in Spain; Italy’s Oscar Ghiglia; Belgium’s Raphaella Smits; and America’s Waller and Maxwell Guitar Duo.

The upcoming six-concert series, recognized for its eclectic repertoire and artistry, will take audiences on a musical journey from Rio de Janeiro to the salons of Vienna and Paris. The events are open to the public.

All of the following Segovia series concerts will take place at 7:30 p.m. Three of the concerts will be held at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, 50 Arts Circle Drive, and three in Lutkin Hall, 700 University Place, as noted below. Both venues are on the University’s Evanston campus.

The series begins Thursday, Jan. 31, with the Assad Brothers’ Brazilian Guitar Festival in Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Sérgio and Odair Assad will return to Northwestern with special guests, including their sister, guitarist and vocalist Badi Assad, jazz guitarist Romero Lubambo and guitarist, percussionist and vocalist Celso Machado. The performance promises a lively exchange between five of Brazil’s leading artists in an exploration of their native guitar idiom. Tickets are $25 for the general public; $21 for
Chicago Classical Guitar Society members, senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $10 for full-time students.

Monday, Feb. 18, the Paco Peña Flamenco Dance Company will introduce its new program “A Compás!” (“Primal Pulse!”) at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Complementing Paco Peña’s extraordinary guitar talent is the artistry of fellow guitarists, dancers, vocalists and percussionists, combining the smoldering rhythms of southern Spain with the passionate intensity of flamenco dance. Tickets are $32 for the general public; $28 for Chicago Classical Guitar Society members, senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $12 for full-time students with IDs.

Saturday, March 1, Grammy Award-winning guitarist David Russell, who twice won the prestigious Julian Bream medal while studying at the Royal College of Music in London, will perform at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. His 2007 Telarc compact disc release, “Art of the Guitar,” has earned worldwide critical praise, and his musical sensitivity and lyrical performance style have won the admiration of audiences from Madrid to Tokyo. Russell’s program will range from intricate baroque works by Bach and Couperin to fiery Spanish music by Albéniz. Tickets are $23 for the general public; $19 for Chicago Classical Guitar Society members, senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $10 for full-time students with IDs.

Oscar Ghiglia will return to Northwestern Saturday, April 12, for a solo performance in Lutkin Hall. A world-renowned performer for more than four decades and a teacher of many of today’s most successful young guitarists, the Italian virtuoso holds a position of prominence in the world of guitar. Ghiglia will share his artistry during a program of music by Giuliani, Sor, Mompou and Ponce. Tickets are $19 for the general public; $16 for Chicago Classical Guitar Society members, senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $8 for full-time students.

Belgian guitarist Raphaella Smits will perform Saturday, April 26, in Lutkin Hall. Since 1986, when she became the first woman to win the Francisco Tarrega International Guitar Competition, Smits has brought her passion for the eight-string guitar and early instruments to more than 30 countries. She will exhibit both aspects of her art in works by Bach, Coste, Sor and Mertz. Tickets are $19 for the general public; $16 for Chicago Classical Guitar Society members, senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $8 for full-time students with IDs.

“Music from the Salons of Vienna and Paris,” featuring the Waller and Maxwell Guitar Duo and Friends, will be held Sunday, May 4, in Lutkin Hall. Guitarists Anne Waller, a Northwestern University music faculty member, and Mark Maxwell will share the stage with piano duo Claire Aebersold and Ralph Neiweem, and flutists Richard and Emily Graef. Together they will perform opera arrangements and chamber works that were typically heard in 19th century European salons. The audience also will experience the subtle sounds of original instruments hand-crafted by Panormo, Vissonaire, Broadwood and Godfroy. Their program includes works by Beethoven, Rossini, Carulli, Giuliani, Berlioz and Bizet, and will be followed by an instrument show-and-tell and question-and-answer session. Tickets are $19 for the general public; $16 for Chicago Classical Guitar Society members, senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $8 for full-time students.

A subscription to all six concerts is $116 for the general public; $104 for Chicago Classical Guitar Society members, senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $50 for full-time students with IDs. New subscribers who purchase subscriptions by Dec. 1 will be guaranteed priority seating over single-ticket buyers. Single tickets go on sale Dec. 3, and these orders will be processed in the order they are received.

To order a series subscription or single tickets, call the Pick-Staiger box office at (847) 467-4000 or visit the Pick-Staiger web site.

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