“Christopher Mallett is a superb interpreter, playing with a rich palette of instrumental colours, and beguiling phrasing.”
“…Powerful performances… crisply virtuosic… Mallett is a player to watch” Album Review: The Porcelain Tower
“Mallett’s technique and musicianship are unfailing …” Album Review: Justin Holland: Guitar Works and Arrangements
“…lovely playing in technically challenging pieces…all sound effortless, and the guitar is lifelike.”
“…an outstanding recording of some lovely music in superb performances beautifully captured. One to hunt for!”
This concert and masterclass are brought to you with the generous support of William Collins, proud Artist Sponsor of Christopher Mallett. We extend our heartfelt thanks to William for making this artistic collaboration possible.
We’re incredibly excited to welcome Christopher Mallett to our stage. Join us for an unforgettable evening as we welcome one of America’s most exciting rising stars in classical guitar. Praised as “mesmerizing” by the Oberlin Review, Mallett’s soulful artistry and passion for uncovering lost musical treasures – particularly the legacy of Justin Holland, America’s first classical guitar master and civil rights pioneer – and commissioning new and exciting works for the guitar (Clarice Assad, Gity Razaz, Gabriella Smith, Courtney Bryan, Javier Farias, Ray Lustig, Mary Kouyoumdjian, and more), will make it a night not readily forgotten. Grab your tickets now and become a part of this extraordinary musical journey!
Works to be performed by Justin Holland, Scott Joplin, Nikita Koshkin, Phillip Houghton, and more.
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MASTERCLASS
2/15/26: Christopher Mallett will be teaching a masterclass in the afternoon, February 15th at 1:00 pm in the West Room of Presbyterian Church of the Covenant. The masterclass is free to observe and open to the public, but registration is required. Register as an auditor to sit in and hear what Mr. Mallett has to teach our guest performers, or register as a performer for your chance to perform for Christopher and have him critique your performance (a small tuition fee applies). Register as either an auditor or performer in our Online Store.
Christopher Mallett is an American classical guitarist and educator based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Soundboard Magazine has described him as “Virtuosic,” and he was dubbed a “trailblazer” by the St. Louis Dispatch.
His performances have taken him to some of America’s finest concert halls. Guitar societies, and festivals, including the Kravis Center in Palm Beach, Florida, The Sheldon Concert Hall in St. Louis, the 92nd St. Y in New York, the Guitar Foundation of America’s Convention (GFA) in Indianapolis, the New York Guitar Society, the Austin Guitar Society, The Cleveland Guitar Society, and more. He also performed throughout Asia, with performances in Beijing, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.
Mallett’s work with Duo Noire has been called “truly pathbreaking” by All music, and their most recent album, Night Triptych, was named one of the best classical albums in 2018 by both All Music, and I Care If You Listen. Mallett has commissioned new works by over a dozen composers, including Clarice Assad, Gity Razaz, Gabriella Smith, Courtney Bryan, Javier Farias, Ray Lustig, Mary Kouyoumdjian, and more. Mallett recently recorded several videos of the music of 19th century African American classical guitarist and civil rights activist Justin Holland for the Austin Marie Guitar Collection on period instruments.
Mallett has been on the faculty of the University of California, Santa Cruz, since 2016 as a lecturer of classical guitar studies. He has given lectures at institutions such as The Juilliard School, the New York Guitar Society, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the South Bay Guitar Society, and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. In 2019 he joined the GFA’s Board of Trustees. Mallett is the co-founder and co-director of the California Conservatory of Music with two locations in the San Francisco Bay Area, and co-founder of the Peninsula Guitar Series.
His students have received top prizes in international guitar competitions, including the GFA’s Junior and Senior youth divisions, the James Stroud Competition, the Columbus Guitar Symposium, the Boston GuitarFest, Domain Forget, Young Arts, and more. Several of his students have been invited to perform on NPR’s From the Top and Tiny Desk Concert series.
Mallett has been featured on the cover of Soundboard magazine and in Classical Guitar Magazine, the American Suzuki Journal, and Acoustic Guitar Magazine. Les Productions D’Oz recently published his arrangements as part of the GFA Spotlight Series.