“Simply Delightful” – L.A. Guitar Quartet

We had a great turn-out for L.A. Guitar Quartet, the second performance in our 10x10 Arts Series. A big thanks to everyone who came and made this a special night. We have one more 10x10 show this month, with the “Monty Pythons of Music,” Mnozil Brass, on Friday, October 25.

Here are a few comments we received from you after the show:

“Best 10x10 yet!!”

“Great Group, Great Sound”

Our next 10x10 performance features Mnozil Brass! RSVP to the Facebook Event to stay up-to-date with the latest information on the pre-show Creative Conversation, and the post-show party where you can mingle with the performers and enjoy a signature 10x10 cocktail! Watch the video below for a sneak-peak to see that these funny guys mean business!

10x10 is back with Los Angeles Guitar Quartet!

This Thursday, Oct. 10, we have our second 10x10 Arts Series performance with Los Angeles Guitar Quartet! The Grammy® Award-winning group plays across the genres. Their programs have included Latin, African, Far East, Irish, Folk and American Classics that transport listeners around the world! 

We had the chance to ask members John Dearman and William Kanengiser a few questions! Check them out below, then watch a video of them performing.

1. What great advice did you receive when you began your artistic journey?

William: Find the best teacher you can, and do everything he says!

2. What is your most memorable performance and why?

John: We played a concert in a giant lava tube - kind of like a cave created by a huge bubble in an ancient lave flow - on Lanzarote; one of the Canary Islands. It was actually a real concert hall and was part of a whole underground complex of hotels, restaurants and bars. An awesome place! 

William: Doing "Don Quixote" with Monty Python's John Cleese; sharing the stage with one of my comic heroes is something I'll never forget.

3. What kind of art inspires you?

John: I saw a film called 'Gerhard Richter Painting' recently - I like what he does.

4. Who is your artistic icon? Why?

John: I love the Assad Brothers. Of course they're guitarists, they play Brazilian as well as classical music, and for me, they just have the perfect temperament as performers and personalities. They never fail to astound me in every way.

William: Maestro Pepe Romero.  As our mentor, friend and role model, he epitomizes the ideal of the virtuoso soloist, consummate ensemble player and inspirational stage performer.

5. What profession other than yours would you most like to attempt?

John: Restoring vintage motorcycles.

William: Gourmet chef.

6. What are the three most played songs on your iPod?

John: I don't really know but: Recently I listened to “Forrobodo” by Egberto Gismonti in a loop for about 30 minutes. 2 others that come to mind: “The Soleares from En Vivo” by Paco de Lucia.  A tune called “Greenwich Mean” by the guitarist Wayne Krantz.

William: Glenn Gould's 1981 “Goldberg Variations,” “Romance de Abindarraez” played by Jordi Savall and Hesperian XX, "California" by Joni Mitchell.

7. What do you want audiences to walk away with after your performance?

John: That they've heard something new and they liked it.

William: With a new appreciation for the sonic potential of the classical guitar. And a few copies of our CD's, I suppose!

8. If there were a feature film created about your life who would play you?

John: Bryan Cranston, of course.

William: Paul Giamatti!

9. Do you have a guilty pleasure?

John: HBO - there's just too much good stuff on TV these days!

10. Why a quartet? What is so magical about 4 guitarists as opposed to 2, 6, or 8?

John: The Romeros were such an inspiration and we've never really thought about any other formation.

11. Do you have a favorite sports team?

John: Any team that's playing against the Celtics.

William: Sadly, the Los Angeles Lakers.  It's going to be a long year.

 Tickets are still available, so help us welcome these amazing musicians to NWA! Join the Facebook Event to stay up to date with all the information on our pre-show Creative Conversation with a member of LAGQ team, and the post-show party where you can mingle with the performers and enjoy a signature 10x10 cocktail!

Q & A with Tokyo String Quartet

After 43 seasons, the Tokyo String Quartet announced that 2012-13 would be their final season together. This group was officially formed at Juilliard School of Music in 1969 by founding members Kikuei Ikeda, violin and Kazuhide Isomura, viola. Other members include Martin Beaver, violin and Clive Greensmith, cello. We're happy to host them on their final tour this Friday, October 19 at 8pm.

Tokyo String QuartetTokyo String Quartet has played venues all across the globe, and has been featured on numerous television shows including "CBS Sunday Morning," PBS's "Great Performances," and even "Sesame Street."

They took time out of their busy tour schedule to answer a few questions for us, and we're happy to share them with you!

1. How many countries have you performed in?  Have you performed in every state?

We have performed in over 30 countries and all but two of the states here in North America

2. How do you best introduce new audiences to chamber music?

We try to program wisely, choosing pieces that we feel are relevant, that have a strong message for the public. We work with living composers and have commissioned many new pieces that have now become mainstream works in the quartet repertoire. We participate in a good deal of educational outreach and we are constantly working with young ensembles, helping them to forge their own distinctive styles. When we feel it appropriate, we give pre-concert talks and always encourage listeners to come backstage to ask us questions after the performance. We are always open to exploring different kinds of performance formats, open rehearsals, more informal venues, etc.

3. What will you miss most about each other when you retire?

Sharing a beer together after a successful concert! The rehearsal process, though occasionally thorny, can be an invigorating and stimulating experience. We will miss the exploration of new repertoire and of course the chance to revisit some of the most compelling masterworks ever written. 

4. Any surprising musical inspirations?

We all love our teachers, Henrky Szeryng, Ivan Galamian, Victor Danchenko, Robert Mann and the members of the Juilliard Quartet (from the 1960s) Dorothy Delay, Hideo Saito, Donald McCall and Boris Pergamenschikow. More surprising might be the creativity and originality of Frank Zappa! We all read widely, some of us are enthusiastic film buffs and for Clive, the German tenor Fritz Wunderlich is a huge inspiration. 

5. What has been the biggest challenge as a group?

We have had several member changes, so the process of integration has certainly taken a good deal of patience and commitment. Keeping our performance standard at an extremely high level and managing a broad repertoire requires a huge amount of effort. You are only as good as your last concert. 

Tokyo String Quartet 6. Less music, what other talents do you possess; what do you do in your 'spare' time? 

Martin is an enthusiastic golfer and aviation buff. Kazu and Kikuei are passionate Yankees fans. Clive enjoys cooking.

7. If you had only 60 minutes left on earth and had to spend it playing one pop song over & over, what would that song be? 

Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody.

8. Do you have a favorite sport or team that you enjoy watching and supporting?

New York Yankees! 

9. What profession other than yours would you most like to attempt?

Martin - an airline pilot. Clive - winemaker. Kazu - violinist 

10. Is there something you enjoy collecting?

Kikuei - Japanese prints. Martin - model airplanes.

We hope you'll join us this Friday, October 19 as we witness one of the greatest quartets on their farewell tour. Come early for a pre-show creative conversation at 7pm with all the members of the Tokyo String Quartet. See you there!

Artosphere Festival Orchestra stuns audiences of all ages!

On Sunday, the Artosphere Festival Orchestra was in Siloam Springs to kick off the first of their three performances as a part of the Artosphere Festival. Monday, the orchestra performed for an audience in Fayetteville as a part of the 10x10 series and mixed and mingled with those in attendance as part of a post-show party. 

Artosphere Festival Orchestra. Photo by Ironside Photography

Under the direction of Maestro Corrado Rovaris, the orchestra wowed audiences with performances they won’t soon be able to forget.  Don’t take our word for it, see below what the audiences had to say about the performances:

“I feel so lucky to live in such a lively arts community. The Artosphere Orchestra was just fabulous!”

“My ears went to heaven!!”

“I want to thank the underwriters from the bottom of my heart, for making it possible for my family to experience a performance of this magnitude. It was breathtaking! We would not ordinarily be so privileged to hear such talented musicians. God has blessed you all with incredible talent, and you have blessed us this evening.”

“Running through the forest. Romantic. Like I’m being chased. One accord, one instrument. Tip toeing. Falling into a pit. Renewed happiness.”

“I loved how shiny the tuba was! Great job!”

“Amazing! Definitely want to learn to play more instruments and continue my musical career.”

“Some of the best orchestral music I have experienced, and I am 80 years old, play cello, and my mother was a concert pianist. Roberto Diaz- excellent violist. Cannot say enough for him. Wish I could hear more. The last piece by Elgar was so beautiful with Rovaris, conductor, bringing out the best in the musicians. Thanks!”

“To Band: Good music! I like the drum. I like the music! Even the lights! The tuba rocks! Love, Lily Pierce! P.S. I am a kid!”

If you missed out on the first two performances, there’s still one more opportunity left to see the Artosphere Festival Orchestra during the Artosphere Festival Finale right here in Fayetteville this Friday, June 22 at 7pm when they help close out Artosphere 2012 with a bang!

Artosphere Festival Orchestra rehearsal reported by an untrained ear

Hey everyone, Amanda Smith here! I just had the pleasure of sitting on stage while the Artosphere Festival Orchestra rehearsed, and all I can say is WHOA. I was in band (played the clarinet), and even played some concerts on the Walton Arts Center stage, but this was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.

Artosphere Festival Orchestra rehearsal. It's hard to be sneaky on stage!

First off, I love all the unspoken cues. As soon as Maestro Rovaris walks on stage, the musicians immediately sit up straight and give their undivided focus to him. I would have waited for him to say something like “Everyone, it’s time to begin” or, “Quit practicing and look at me!”, but that’s not the way it works when you’re a professional. And with the nod of a head, or the flick of a wrist, the orchestra knows exactly what Maestro Rovaris wants.

Maestro Rovaris during rehearsal

For me, sitting in with the orchestra while they practice was almost like going to a wine tasting. If you like to drink wine occasionally, like I do, you may not be able to pick up the different flavors and notes that distinguish a cabernet sauvignon from a pinot noir or a merlot. However; when you taste them all side by side, you can tell.

I’ve attended a few symphony performances over the years, and to be honest I couldn’t tell a great difference between them aside from the fact that they played different pieces. But sitting amongst the musicians as they rehearse, and seeing the tweaks that Maestro Rovaris gives them as they play the same piece over and over, I could actually pick up on the variances between the oboe and the violin playing the same notes, but not playing them the same, ending a note too soon, or a section not being “on the same page.”

While I know not everyone can come and sit on the stage while the orchestra practices, I suggest taking in more than one of the Artosphere Festival Orchestra performances over the next week and a half. You may surprise yourself by noticing something you never did before.

You can find the schedule, and purchase tickets, for the Artosphere Festival Orchestra here.