Oct. 3, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
EDITORIAL CONTACT: LISA WOSKE
(805) 756-7110
TICKETS: (805) 756-2787
Classical Guitarist Galbraith Comes to Cal Poly Oct. 18
SAN LUIS OBISPO – Hailed as “the best guitarist of his generation” by Classical Guitar Magazine, virtuoso musician Paul Galbraith is considered one of the most daring innovators in the history of the guitar. “(He’s) worth traveling long distances to hear.” (The Guardian)
Luckily, Cal Poly Arts audiences just need to travel to the Spanos Theatre on Tuesday, October 18 to see Paul Galbraith in concert at 8 p.m.
Galbraith’s program will include Mozart’s “Baroque Keyboard Suite,” Frank Martin’s “Quatre Pieces Breves,” Ravel’s “Mother Goose Suite,” Bach’s “French Suite No. 2 in C minor,” and Manual Ponce’s “Variations and Fugue on ‘La Folia’.”
Lauded for his “exceptional artistry” by the New Yorker, for music-making described as “pure magic” by the Santa Barbara News-Press, Scottish-born Galbraith won the Silver Medal at the Segovia International Guitar Competition at the age of 17. Andrés Segovia, who was present at the time, called his playing "magnificent."
This award helped launch an international career including engagements with some of the finest orchestras in Britain and Europe. In Galbraith's unique playing style, the bent-neck 8-string guitar (which has two extra strings; one high, one low) is supported by a metal endpin, similar to that of a cello that rests on a wooden resonance box.
Both the guitar's extraordinary design and Galbraith’s playing style are considered groundbreaking developments in the history of the instrument, increasing its range to an unprecedented extent.
Galbraith’s recording of the “Complete Bach Violin
Sonatas and Partitas”
(Delos) was nominated for a 1998 Grammy Award in the category of
Best Solo Instrumental Album. This 2-CD set was also chosen as one
of the two best CDs of 1998 by Gramophone Magazine, which called
it “a landmark in the history of guitar recordings.”
It received a “Four Star” rating in Stereo Review, and
reached the TOP 10 on Billboard’s classical charts.
His international career has featured engagements with some of the finest orchestras in Britain and Europe: Royal Philharmonic, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, BBC Philharmonic, Scottish Symphony Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, BBC Scottish Orchestra, Scottish Baroque Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra, and Scottish Chamber Orchestra.
Galbraith toured the U.S. as soloist with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra and performed in Prague’s Dvorák Hall with the National Chamber Orchestra of Chile. His international touring has also brought him to Canada, Spain, Italy, Greece, Norway, Hungary, Brazil, China, India and Iceland.
Galbraith has been featured twice on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” and numerous times on “Performance Today.” Recital engagements have included New York City, Boston, Washington DC, Los Angeles, San Diego, Atlanta, St. Louis, Albuquerque, Cincinnati, Cleveland, San Antonio, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Cuernavaca, Mexico.
Galbraith’s critically-acclaimed CDs on the Delos label are “The Bach Lute Suites,” “Paul Galbraith Plays Haydn” (featuring Galbraith’s arrangements of four keyboard sonatas), and “In Every Lake the Moon Shines Full,” comprised of folk tunes from many countries.
Tickets for the performance are $32 & $38, with student discounts available, and may be purchased at the Performing Arts Ticket Office, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. To order by phone, call 805/756-2787; to order by fax: 805/756-6088. Order on-line at www.pacslo.org.
Sponsored by American Airlines/American Eagle and KCBX 90.1 FM.
For audio and video samples of Cal Poly Arts events, visit www.calpolyarts.org.
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