José García-León, Dean
The Eleventh Yale
Guitar Extravaganza
Benjamin Verdery, director
Saturday, February 8, 2025
Morse Recital Hall & Sudler Hall
Schedule of Events
10:00–11:00 a.m.
Concert
11:15 a.m.
12:00 p.m.
12:45 p.m.
Master Classes
2:00–3:30 p.m.
Opening Concert
Morse Recital Hall
Simon Powis
René Izquierdo
Jiji Kim
Sudler Hall
Guitar Music for a February 8th Afternoon Concert
Morse Recital Hall
4:00–5:oo p.m.
Envisioning the Future of Classical Guitar Panel Panelists: Elina Chekan, Chris Garwood, Igor Lichtmann, Jiji Kim, Kim Perlak, and Simon Powis
Moderator: Benjamin Verdery
Sudler Hall
7:30–9:3o p.m.
Guitar Music for a February 8th Evening Concert Featuring a world premiere by Benjamin Verdery
Morse Recital Hall
Guitar Extravaganza
The Eleventh Yale Guitar Extravaganza, under the leadership of Benjamin Verdery, gathers musicians from around the world to celebrate the art of guitar. Founded in 1985, the festival serves as a hub for innovative thought and high-caliber performance and features concerts, masterclasses, workshops, lectures, and panel discussions. The festival presents performances by artists of all levels, from virtuosos at the height of their career to future stars just beginning their journey, and celebrates the entire breadth of guitar performance to inspire a new generation of guitar enthusiasts. This year’s Guitar Extravaganza places special focus on the legacy of Benajmin Verdery and showcases the many students who passed through the Yale Guitar Studio during his time at Yale.
Special Thanks
To D’Addario Strings for their generous gift of strings and for their wonderful support of past Yale Guitar Extravaganzas.
To Master Luthier Gary Lee for his generous time and expertise working on guitars throughout the day.
Opening Concert
Saturday, February 8, 2025 | 10:00 a.m. | Morse Recital Hall in Sprague Memorial Hall
Jorge Morel 1931–2021
Leo Brouwer b. 1939
Andrew York b. 1958
Suzuki muSic School of weStport
Danza Brasilera (1968)
Luke Calejesan, guitar
connecticut Suzuki guitar academy
La Grand Saraban (2018)
Chayce Marshall, guitar
mccallie School in chattanooga, tn
Pacific Coast Highway (1994)
McCallie Guitar Quartet
Nathan Campbell, guitar
Sid Cheemakoti, guitar
Colin Sander, guitar
Walker White, guitar
Justin Holland
1819–1887
arr. Kevin Vigil
Romana Hartmetz
b. 1956
Andrew York
b. 1958
Miroslav Loncˇar
b. 1964
loudoun county public SchoolS contingent
An Andante (c. 1874)
One Side Silver (2020)
Attic (1994)
Summer Salsa (2014)
Special guests
Dr. Matthew Palmer, guitar
Dr. Maya Loncˇar, guitar
Matthew Trkula, guitar
As a courtesy to others, please silence all devices. Photography and recording of any kind is strictly prohibited. Please do not leave the hall during musical selections. Thank you.
loudoun county public SchoolS contingent:
Heritage High School, Loudon County High School,
Riverside High School, and Tuscarora High School
Kevin Vigil, director
Aleyna Celebi
Amulya Rupakheti
Anjali Pheng
Anthony Flores
Beaunita Nith
Blake Rosen
Chris Mirevski
Christopher Masini
Connor Chaillou
Cooper Heidelberger
Daniel Alfaro
Daniel Castellucci
Emily Shaner
Ethan Lynn
Hailey Robinson
Ian Castillo
Isabella Dayton
Ivan Mercado Caban
Ivy Tomaszewski
Jacob Gonzalez
James Nanna
James Todd
Jason Cordova
Kate Sullivan
Kaya Banks
Kayl Martin
Koen Nelson
Lyla Roppel
Mateo
Gomez-Salazar
Mateo Navarro
Melquisedec
Salamanca
Mia Corrigan
Nayab Usman
Nicholas dePrado
Nithin Marupilla
Noble Winn
Owen Manning
Prithvi Senthil
Ryan Li
Ryan Oates
Shriya Avala
Sofia Anderson
Thomas Greenough
Tyler Crowe
Will Schweiker
William Pham
Master Classes
Saturday, February 8, 2025 | Sudler Hall in William L. Harkness Hall
FangFang Liu, guitar ’25mma
Alan Liu, guitar ’30dma
Harry Ngo, guitar ’25mma
Chaofan Wang, violin ’25mm
Simon Powis
11:15 a.m.
Suite in G minor, BWV 995 I. Prelude – très vite
Johann Sebastian Bach 1685–1750
René Izquierdo
12:00 p.m.
Forlorn Hope Fancy, P. 2
John Dowland 1563–1626
Jiji Kim
12:45 p.m.
Imagined Eyes (2023)
Harry Ngo b. 2000
As a courtesy to others, please silence all devices. Photography and recording of any kind is strictly prohibited. Please do not leave the hall during musical selections. Thank you.
Guitar Music for a February 8th Afternoon
Saturday, February 8, 2025 | 2:00 p.m. | Morse Recital Hall in Sprague Memorial Hall
Jorge Morel 1931–2021
Kim Perlak
b. 1975
Freddie Bryant b. 1964
Benjamin Verdery b. 1955
Nicoletta Todesco b. 1988
Nicoletta Todesco, guitar guitar extravaganza
Campanas (2002) For Elina Chekan
Elina Chekan, guitar
Stream Scenes (2025) World Premiere
Kim Perlak, guitar
Prelude: Portrait of a Thought (1985) To Phillip de Fremery
Fantasy on a Single Note (1995) To Benjamin Verdery
Freddie Bryant, guitar
Raleigh, NC, Bird Fugue (2021) For John and Adam Kossler
John Kossler & Hao Yang, guitar
The World You See (2023)
Leosˇ Janácˇek 1854–1928
arr. Martin Bresnick
Johann Sebastian Bach 1685–1750
Nils Frahm
b. 1982
arr. Liz Faure
Bailey Matsuda 1924–2020
Arr. Ian O’Sullivan
Ian O’Sullivan
b. 1992
Eduardo Martin
b. 1956
The Virgin Mary of Frydek from On the Overgrown Path, ILJ 17
Scott Borg, guitar
Cello Suite No. 5 in C minor, BWV 1011 I. Prelude
Trevor Babb, guitar
Some (2015)
Liz Faure, pedal steel guitar
Born and Raised (c. 1995)
The Night Marchers (2017)
Ian O’Sullivan, guitar
Sones y Flores (1995)
Duo Exaudi
Elina Chekan, guitar
René Izquierdo, guitar
As a courtesy to others, please silence all devices. Photography and recording of any kind is strictly prohibited. Please do not leave the hall during musical selections. Thank you.
Envisioning the Future of Classical Guitar
Saturday, February 8, 2025 | 4:00 p.m. | Sudler Hall in William L. Harkness Hall
Discussing the Path Forward for Performance and Pedagogy
Elina Chekan, panelist
Chris Garwood, panelist
Jiji Kim, panelist
Igor Lichtmann, panelist
Kim Perlak, panelist
Simon Powis, panelist
Benjamin Verdery, moderator
Guitar Music for a February 8th Evening
Saturday, February 8, 2025 | 7:30 p.m.| Morse Recital Hall in Sprague Memorial Hall
Johann Sebastian Bach 1685–1750
Michael Nicolella b. 1963
Philip Glass b. 1937
arr. Gulli Björnsson
John Dowland 1583–1626`
Violin Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001 I. Adagio II. Fuga
Simon Powis, guitar
Prelude 20 in B major from 24 Preludes (2024)
Three Brief Episodes (1997)
Michael Nicolella, guitar
Mad Rush (1979)
Gulli Björnsson, guitar
Jiji Kim, guitar
Solus cum sola, P. 10
Sir John Smith, his Almain, P. 47
Arash Noori, lute
Ariel Ramirez 1921–2010
arr. Cardoso/Sartor
José Pierri Sapere 1886–1957
Sérgio Assad b. 1952
Benjamin Verdery b. 1955
Hermelindo Ruiz Mestre b. 1987
Alfonsina y el Mar (1969) Gato
Marco Sartor, guitar
La Chanson et Roland from Dyens en trois temps (2021) For ChromaDuo
ChromaDuo
Tracy Anne Smith, guitar
Rob MacDonald, guitar
intermiSSion
11 Etudes (2005)
X. Returning XI. Home is Here
Koh Kazama, guitar
Three Sketches (2013)
I. Preludio II. Soñando III. Con fuerza
Hermelindo Ruiz Mestre, guitar
Nathalie Joachim
b. 1983
Traditional
arr. Nguyễn Thế An
Leo Brouwer
b. 1939
Benjamin Verdery
b. 1955
Held Together for guitar duo and pre-recorded vocals (2020)
Duo Noire
Thomas Flippin, guitar
Chris Mallett, guitar
Ngườ i Ơi, Ngườ i Ở Đừ ng Về (Stay, My Beloved)
Vietnamese Folk Song
An Tran, guitar
Elogio de la Danza (1964)
René Izquierdo, guitar
Just Start Now (2025)
World Premiere
Ray Zhou, electric guitar
2025 Guitar Extravaganza Orchestra
As a courtesy to others, please silence all devices. Photography and recording of any kind is strictly prohibited. Please do not leave the hall during musical selections. Thank you.
Artist Profiles
Trevor Babb ’18dma
Gulli Björnsson ’17mm, ’18mma
Scott Borg ’06ad
Freddie Bryant ’94mma
Elina Chekan ’02mm
Liz Faure ’02mm
Chris Garwood ’17mm
René Izquierdo ’99mm, ’01ad
Koh Kazama ’13mm, ’14ad
Jiji Kim ’17mm
John Kossler ’15mm, ’16mma
Igor Lichtmann ’18mma
Rob MacDonald
Chris Mallett ’09mm
Follow this QR code to learn about the artists
yale School of muSic box office
Hermelindo Ruiz Mestre ’12mm, ’13ad
Michael Nicolella ’91mm
Arash Noori ’12mm, ’13mma
Ian O’Sullivan ’11mm
Kim Perlak ’01mm
Simon Powis ’08mm, ’10mma, ’14dma
Marco Sartor ’13mma, ’18dma
Tracy Anne Smith ’02mm
Thomas Flippin ’07mm, ’08mma
Nicoletta Todesco ’19mma
An Tran ’16mm
Benjamin Verdery, director
Kevin Vigil ’90mm
Hao Yang ’26ad
Ray Zhou ’14mm, ’15ad
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