2018-2019
SEASON
TY Zhang
Wednesday, January 23rd, 2019
7:00pm
Bellarmine University, Cralle Theatre
2001 Newburg Rd, Louisville, KY 40205
$15 General Admission, $10 Senior, $5 Student Tickets
Guitarist TY Zhang received First Prize in the Guitar Foundation of American (GFA) International Concert Artists Competition in 2017, known as the most prestigious guitar contest in the world. He has received First Prize in other top ompetitions as well in Austria, China, Russia and the U.S., including the GFA International Competition Senior Division, Austria’s Forum Gitarre Wien International Youth Competition, the Changsha International Guitar Competition, the 2017 Schadt String Competition, and the 2017 Alexander Frauchi International Competition in
Moscow.
TY has given recitals in Vienna, Serbia, China and the United States. His performance for the 2017 New York Guitar Festival was broadcast on WQXR radio. The GFA prize leads him on a concert tour starting in 2018 of over 50 cities in North America, including his recital debut in Carnegie Weill Hall, with additional dates in Europe, South America and his native China. TY performs Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez with the Allentown Symphony in 2018 and recital/concerto
tours in Russia as the prize of the Frauchi Competition. With the goal of sharing the love of music through guitar in every piece he plays, TY's concert repertoire is filled with diverse cross-genre music he loves. His debut CD will be released on
Naxos in June of 2018, and includes works by Bach, Scarlatti, Brouwer, Assad, Tansman and Castelnuovo-Tedesco.
TY was born in Hebei, China. He began to study classical guitar at the age of five with his father. At seven, he was introduced to Professor Chen Zhi with whom he studied at the Music School attached to the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. In 2012, he was accepted into The Juilliard School undergraduate program, and during his six years of study there with Sharon Isbin, he received his Bachelor of Music in 2016, and his Master of Music in 2018. TY enjoys road
cycling, surfing, and traveling.
Gohar Vardanyan
Wednesday, February 27th, 2019
8:00pm
University of Louisville, School of Music, Comstock Hall
http://louisville.edu/music/about/tour-directions
$15 General Admission, $10 Senior, $5 Student Tickets
Widely admired for her technique, artistry, and passionate performances Armenian guitarist Gohar Vardanyan has performed throughout the United States and internationally. She has performed for numerous guitar societies, universities, and arts organizations, including the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, and guitar societies in Seattle, San Francisco, Houston, Miami, and New York City to name a few. She has appeared on National Public Radio in the United States and Radio Nacional in Argentina. Ms. Vardanyan has performed with the Juilliard Opera Center and as a soloist with the Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra and Panama National Symphony Orchestra. She has also been a guest artist at International Guitar Festivals in Canada, Panama, Italy, and Mexico. She has been featured on the cover of Classical Guitar Magazine. Guitar International Magazine has described her as “the complete package,” “with musicality and emotional quality . . . that one would expect from someone much older than the young wunderkind. Not only is she able to draw you into her performances with engaging musical interpretations, but she has the technical facility that is required of any concert level guitarist.” Her playing has been described as “passionate,” “evocative,” and “virtuosic.”
In addition to her performing career, Ms. Vardanyan is an avid teacher. She maintains a private studio in New York City and frequently teaches master classes and guitar technique workshops during her concert travels. Ms. Vardanyan is an author of four books from Mel Bay Publications with a fifth one of its way. She has an extensive list of instructive guitar videos on both her own channel and the Strings by Mail channel.
Ms. Vardanyan began studying the guitar in her native Armenia at the age of five under the careful guidance of her father, Vardan Vardanyan. At the age of eight, she gave her first public performance and also appeared on Armenian National Television. She was the first prize winner in the Armenian National Music Contest “Amadeus” and was accepted into the prestigious group, “New Names,” for talented young musicians. She performed in numerous concert venues in Armenia, including Komitas Chamber Music Hall and the Small Philharmonic Hall. She went on to study with Antigoni Goni at the Pre-College Division of the Juilliard School. In 2001, Ms. Vardanyan studied with John Wunsch at the Interlochen Arts Academy. She was awarded the Young Artist’s Certificate from Interlochen Center for the Arts and the Harold Randolph Prize in performance from the Peabody Conservatory.
Ms. Vardanyan holds a Master of Music Degree from The Juilliard School where she studied with Sharon Isbin and a Bachelor of Music degree from the Peabody Conservatory of Music where she studied with Manuel Barrueco. She is also an alumna of the Aspen Music Festival and School. Gohar Vardanyan is sponsored by Strings by Mail and plays on Royal Classics Recital strings. Guitar: 2012 Jean Rompé
https://www.goharvardanyan.com
Matt Palmer
Friday, March 22nd, 2019
7:00pm
Bellarmine University, Cralle Theatre
2001 Newburg Rd, Louisville, KY 40205
$15 General Admission, $10 Senior, $5 Student Tickets
Matt Palmer has appeared as a soloist throughout the United States, Europe, Mexico, Canada, South America, and the Caribbean. A recent recipient of the “Up and Coming Guitarist of the Year” award by Guitar International Magazine, Matt has been described by critics as “a young artist about to make a real dent in the world of classical guitar” (Premier Guitar Magazine), “highly expressive and technically virtuosic” (Modern Guitars Magazine), “a truly accomplished and refined musician” (Cleveland Classical), and “one of the world’s best guitar players” (The Royal Gazette). An active performer, winner of numerous guitar competitions, and author of The Virtuoso Guitarist method, Matt Palmer has gained worldwide recognition as a virtuosic and soulful concert artist.
His numerous CD and DVD recordings have been applauded by Guitar International Magazine as “of the highest quality…with flawless technique, deep levels of personal expression, and an artistic integrity that seems far too rare these days.” Classical Voice of North Carolina proclaims Matt’s “positively nuclear” recordings display “stunning precision and unwavering accuracy enclosed in a huge dynamic envelope.” In addition, Matt’s pioneering guitar method, The Virtuoso Guitarist, has been recognized as a valuable addition to guitar pedagogy, and “indispensable for any advanced guitarist or teacher to include in their library” (Classical Guitar Review).
Matt Palmer has collaborated with many important composers to write new music for the guitar, and has premiered and recorded over three hours of new works by Tanya Anisimova, Rafael Scarfullery, Sergei Rudnev, Giuseppe Torrisi, Roger Hudson, Olga Amelkina-Vera, Lane Harder, Konstantin Vassiliev, Itamar Erez, Holly Gwin, and Fedor Kondenko.
Matt Palmer holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The University of Arizona, where he studied with Thomas Patterson and Artists-in-Residence David Russell, Sergio Assad, and Odair Assad. In demand as a performer, his recent concert engagements have taken him to venues such as Carnegie Hall, Shakespeare Theatre, Benaroya Hall, The Guitar Foundation of America International Convention, numerous universities, guitar societies, and dozens of international guitar festivals throughout the world. Matt is the Director of Guitar Studies at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland, and Coordinator of the Eastern Shore Guitar Festival and Workshop. Matt Palmer is a Strings By Mail sponsored artist and plays D’Addario strings. Matt plays a handmade guitar by luthier Michael Thames.