Recollections in Rasgueado: Classical guitarist Roman Smirnov plays for EMW’s next online concert

VINCENT TEETSOV

In the previous two “Memories of Home” concerts, the theme of home has been primarily addressed in terms of longing for an ancestral home as a descendant of immigrants in Canada. However, what does home mean when one’s studies and profession take them to different nations and connect them to other cultures?

This will be a question to ponder when Roman Smirnov plays his online concert for Estonian Music Week on Thursday April 15th at 8:00 PM. Stream the concert on EMW’s Facebook page (facebook.com/ estonianmusicweek) or VEMU’s YouTube channel (youtube.com/ channel/VEMUESC).

Smirnov is a guitar player who is known for his virtuosity in classical and flamenco varieties of music. What he plays is reflective of a life path that has brought him together with people from all across the world and into new stylistic approaches. His connections to the Toronto scene and scenes abroad are plentiful.

It really is spectacular to see how he takes the guitar rested on his knee and travels the world with it.

Smirnov was born in Tallinn, Estonia. It was here that he began his study of classical guitar at the Tallinn Music Conservatory. This foundation led him to Moscow, and then onto the Rubin Jerusalem Academy of Music in Israel for his bachelor’s degree. In 1991, he joined the Estonian Composers’ Union, through which his music has been broadcasted on the radio and on TV.

Germany was his next destination, where he earned his Master’s degree at the Music Academy in Kassel. At the same time, he was a solo performer and leader of a chamber choir three hours away in Köln. At the turn of the millennium, he started playing with Shoom, a jazz band that has played for concert hall audiences across Israel.

Then, in 2008, he made the big move to Toronto, Canada. Here, he has been teaching classical, baroque, flamenco, jazz, and other genres to students of the guitar. On the stage, he plays solo, but continues his practice of cross-genre mingling, writing for groups of musicians, and accompanying singers.

He is an individual who is open to many styles. In November 2019, he and Wen Zhao, an esteemed player of the pipa (a Chinese lute), opened an extraordinary concert at the Aga Khan Museum, where traditional Chinese music and flamenco bounced between the two musicians with athletic speed and showed, once again, how the guitar can speak many musical languages.

His way to Canada had numerous stops, and as you will see in any musician who has been exposed to new musical situations, it has honed his intuition and sensitivity. This sensitivity was recognized when, in 2016, he won an Independent Music Award for his song “Reflection 1”. Two years later, this would set the pace for his album Reflections.

Before the concert on the 15th, it’s highly recommended to listen to that album, especially his song “La Habana”. It’s a totally maximalist song, with guitar panning left and right, rustling cajon percussion, trumpet, and twinkling piano provided by Jeremy Ledbetter. Ledbetter’s trio includes bassist Rich Brown and drummer Larnell Lewis, who have both played with past EMW artist Laila Biali.

As we can see by this list of names and places, Roman Smirnov is well-travelled and connected to music scenes wherever he goes. What then could we say about his musical home? He’s cosmopolitan; but at the same time, Estonia has always continued to be a place that he cherishes.

For this concert, Smirnov will be returning to where it all started, in Tallinn, for an interview about his life, and to play a selection of his pieces. This will be a show for audiences to take pride in an Estonian who has so thoroughly expanded the possibilities of the guitar.

Poster made by Laani Heinar, using photos from Roman Smirnov’s personal collection