“Andrew York is one of today’s most visible and innovative classical guitar composers. His performances, with their strong folk-rock influence and accessibility, have attracted a number of listeners. York’s compositions are as acclaimed as his guitar playing. They have been recorded by several well-known guitarists including, John Williams and Christopher Parkening. York’s work was also recorded by the respected Los Angeles Guitar Quartet. He earned a Grammy Award duting his 16-year partnership with the Quartet. For the last decade, York’s touring schedule has spanned more than 30 countries. Jim Ferguson of Guitar Player Magazine says of York, ” his writing projects levels of honesty, spirit and magnetism that are rare in contemporary guitar composition.”
In review, I have to say that Mr York’s appearance is the loudest classical guitar recital I have ever attended. The PA system at BSU’s recital hall was cranked up and the stacks of amplifiers certainly filled the hall. We heard every nuance of the music Mr York masterfully demonstrated. It was really quite nice to have the amplification; Prius Hall is large and perhaps not setup acoustically for a classical guitar recital.
Mr York’s repertoire for the concert were of his own composition; other than Bach’s Cello Suite No.5. It is difficult, sometimes, to appreciate hearing music performed for the first time in a concert setting. I have not studied Andrew York’s compositions or even sought them out on YouTube (I am stuck in the repertoire of the mid 1800s). Initially, I thought it would be a difficult concert to sit through without loosing focus. This was simply not the case, thankfully. York’s pieces are very approachable to the non-musician, listenable and entertaining. The Bach Suite was interesting in that Andrew tuned to C Minor to better emulate the tone of the cello. The performance was solid and memorable. I understand Mr York was a little under-the-weather for the performance. He must have been acclimating to the crisp, fresh air of Muncie and detoxing from that smoggy southern California climate. – – –
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Indiana Classical Guitar 