WCGS Member Newsletter – June 2021

Greetings Subscriber!

While things still seem hopeful, we are pushing ahead. Our 9th Annual Members Concert turned out great, in-person salons will start sooner than anticipated, in-person concerts will start back up in October, and our summer BBQ is a go! That is, if you’re vaccinated…

9th Annual WCGS Members Concert
Our 9th Annual WCGS Members Concert is LIVE on Facebook. Have you seen it yet? I absolutely loved putting this together. Seeing all the performers in May for the recording session was a blast, and they really delivered. Check it out! 9th Annual WCGS Members Concert

WCG Season 2021-22
Great news: Wilmington Classical Guitar will return in the fall! I’m currently in talks with artists to put together an entire season. I hope you’re as excited as I am! I’ve tentatively confirmed all of the artists I was hoping to book, including Jordan Dodson, Phil Goldenberg, Hao Yang, Xavier Jara, and the GFA Tour Featuring Johan Smith. In addition we’ll have the 10th Annual (!) WCGS Members Concert. Can’t wait!

To sweeten the deal, we’ll be holding a masterclass with each artist while they’re here, so all of you performers, practice up. Soon it will be your chance to perform for one of our artists in a masterclass, and a great chance for the rest of us to learn from your hard work.

Concerts are confirmed for Presbyterian Church of the Covenant, as in the past few seasons. The Church can’t wait for us to return, and we can’t wait to be back in such a wonderful-sounding hall.

Upcoming Salon: This Sunday June 27
This may be our last online salon for awhile! We haven’t officially voted yet, but I’m anticipating we’ll be moving to in-person salons starting July 25th for those with current COVID vaccinations. We may also offer an online viewing option for those unable to attend. TBD. Let me know if that would be of interest to you.

In the meantime, join us this Sunday the 27th at 6:00 pm on Zoom for our next Members Salon. We’ll all be playing and critiquing from the comfort of our own homes, as we have been for a good time now, so please plan on joining us for some fun and good music! We’ve been having great turnouts for our online Zoom salons and I’m looking forward to seeing you all again Sunday.

Our challenge piece this month is an arrangement of a late nineteenth-century Scottish ballad called the Skye Boat Song, arranged for solo guitar by Bradford Werner. It’s available in the announcements section of our Facebook Group. Be sure to click “See All” in the announcements section at the top of the “Discussions” feed when you log in.

Future, present, and past challenge pieces are also available in our Facebook Group in the “Guides” section, so check back there for updates. You can even check off the pieces as you complete them!

I’ve also posted an advanced challenge piece for July, Rosita by Antonio J. Manjón. This one’s a bit involved, so don’t wait too long to start working on it. It’s mostly in first position, but has some deceptively difficult movements required to make it really musical. Consider yourself warned.

Note that some Zoom settings have changed, and there have been recent updates that improve sound quality, so make sure your Zoom client is up-to-date! I’ve updated the instructions below to reflect these changes.

The following Zoom meeting link will remain the same every month, so feel free to add it to your calendar.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/149817292?pwd=Mmk3R0VKRWliNXp3ZFJJeXJtb255UT09

Meeting ID: 149 817 292
Password: 625369

Zoom Meeting Instructions
Our Zoom meetings have been going great thanks to some preparation we all take part in to help things run smoothly. Please follow the instructions below to ensure we all have the best experience possible.

1) Set up your laptop (preferably) or other webcam-enabled device (tablet or phone) in a quiet space in your home.
2) Plug in headphones or earbuds to ensure the sound quality is optimal (conferencing software will otherwise garble your audio as it’s trying to filter voice from background noise).
3) Download the Zoom videoconferencing app and install on your computer or device.
4) Once installed, create an account, and then test your mic and speaker connections in the Zoom app. On the computer app, click on the gear icon (Settings) in the upper right corner under your initials to access the Settings. In settings, click on Video in the menu on the left to preview your video feed. Make sure you have sufficient light on your front for the camera. Click on Audio to test and preview your mic and speakers/headphones.
5) If you plan to perform or listen with the best quality, in the Audio settings, under the Music and Professional Audio make sure the “Show in meeting option to “Turn On Original Sound”” box is checked. I also like to check the boxes for “Disable echo cancellation” and “High fidelity music mode.” Note: not all of these settings are available on other devices. Change what you can.
6) Join via the link https://us04web.zoom.us/j/149817292?pwd=Mmk3R0VKRWliNXp3ZFJJeXJtb255UT09.
7) Once joined, click the “Turn on Original Sound” button in the top left of the screen. Once enabled, the button will turn blue and say “Turn off original sound.” “Original sound” will use the unfiltered feed from your microphone, allowing for your most musical performance. If you’re not performing, this isn’t necessary.
8) Have fun! Any further instructions will be given in the meeting.

Please keep your Zoom client up-to-date! They are constantly improving their platform, but you can only reap the benefits by ensuring your software is updated.

Note you can always create your own meeting to try out the system and familiarize yourself with what it can do. If you have any questions, please let me know and I’ll try to answer them for you.

Oh, and I wouldn’t plan on playing any duos, unless you really want to give it a chance. The latency issues will yield very mixed results.

We will continue to hold our monthly meetings on Zoom until it is deemed safe to meet again in person. Hopefully, we’ll be in person in July! Stay tuned.

**If you are coming to the salon, please arrive between 5:45 and 6:00. Join up and get your settings straight, and have fun chatting with everyone else.

*NOTE: The following salon will take place on July 25. Mark your calendars!

2021 Salon Schedule
June 27 (online)
July 25 (in person!)(probably)
August 29
September 26
October 24 (tentative)
November 21
December 19

May Meeting Recap
Happy to see you all at our May meeting, and to hear many of you play. What a great turnout! Glad if you joined us.

Performers from May in performance order:
Scott Kuykendall – I wish I Were Where Helen Lies by David Grieve, arr Eric Crouch
Robert Guerrero – Barcarolle by Thierry Tisserand
John Nguyễn – Pavana by Francisco Tárrega
Viet Nguyen – Liebeslied by Johann Kaspar Mertz
Ralph Dominica – Ave Maria by Franz Schubert
Simon Varley – Prelude V from 24 Preludes by Manuel Ponce

Check out our Facebook group for some great insight into what’s happening online with classical guitar. There are all kinds of new things popping up, from festivals, masterclasses, competitions, concerts, and lectures.

To submit an event for our event calendar, please Email our event calendar coordinator at events@wilmingtonguitar.org.

We’re at 2,450+ followers on Facebook! Make sure you’re one of them, and help us break the 2,500 mark! https://www.facebook.com/wilmingtonguitar

Best wishes, and stay safe,
Matthew Lavanish
President & Artistic Director – The Wilmington Classical Guitar Society