WCGS Member Newsletter – September 2018

Greetings WCGS Members!

Summer’s wrapping up, but fret not, the concert season is just around the corner!

Upcoming: 3rd Annual WCGS Showcase Concert
The season will start with our third annual WCGS Members Showcase concert at Old Town Hall this Saturday on September 22 at 1:00 pm. This is our chance to take our music into the community, and get more members of the community interested in the classical guitar. Last year’s showcase at Old Town Hall and the previous showcase at Brandywine Hundred Library were huge successes, and we’ve seen many faces from those events return for other events over the past seasons. This years showcase, presented with the help of the Delaware Historical Society, will be held again in Wilmington’s Old Town Hall, a building that dates back to the 1790’s! The colonial interior is beautiful and takes you back to those heady times before electricity. It’s really a stunning space, and I can’t wait to hear more guitar there.

Please put this one on your calendars and come out and support our WCGS performing artists! Performers will include Bill Simmons, WCGS Treasurer Ralph Dominica, Scott Kuykendall, John Nguyen, Kevin Cope, WCGS Treasurer Simon Varley, Nikolay Gavlishin, Alex Pollock and Brendan Evans (who also will be playing a concert for us in November!).

Street parking is free on the weekends, so don’t let that hold you back! Doors open at 12:30, so arrive early to get a good seat.

Wilmington Classical Guitar Season X – 2018-19
This season we’re celebrating our tenth season as an organization, and we’re pulling out all the stops to bring back some of our favorite performers, as well as some new friends who will undoubtedly deliver unforgettable performances. In addition we’re offering 4 masterclasses this year, which gives you even more opportunities to study with these outstanding musicians. Take a look at the lineup and visit the writeups on our new website for complete details and performance selections. You will not be disappointed.

September 22 – WCGS Members Showcase at Old Town Hall
October 20* – Thomas Viloteau, classical guitar with special guest Keith Calmes at Presbyterian Church of the Covenant
November 17 – Brendan Evans, classical guitar with special guests Zach Alex & Liam Thomas at Presbyterian Church of the Covenant
February 23* – Jeremy Lyons, classical guitar and Lisa Perry, soprano with special guest Evan Conrad at Presbyterian Church of the Covenant
March 23* – Alec Holcomb, classical guitar with special guest Darla Rublesky at Presbyterian Church of the Covenant
April 28* – GFA Winner’s Tour featuring Tengyue Zhang, classical guitar with special guest Everett Shen at Presbyterian Church of the Covenant
May 25 – 7th Annual WCGS Members Concert at Presbyterian Church of the Covenant

*We’ll also be hosting a masterclass with this artist. Please check our website for masterclass dates and times.

New Website
It’s time to check out the new wilmingtonguitar.org website! There were some bumps along the road (and I’m sure still a few bumps ahead), but we persisted and managed to put a new website together. Along with features you’ve come to rely on, such as the regional events calendar, write-ups of all of our upcoming events, and WCGS store to buy tickets and reserve your place in masterclasses, we’ve added a responsive format (for viewing on mobile devices), a gallery of past events, a look at our YouTube channel, and more, not to mention a whole new look! Stop by and take a look around, and by all means let me know what you think. We want this to be the best it can be and need the input of our members to make it happen. There are still some tweaks to be made here and there, and new content to be added as well, but I think you’ll like what you see.

September Salon
Our September salon is coming up this Sunday the 23rd at 6 pm (doors open at 5:45). Monthly salons take place at the Church of the Covenant, 503 Duncan Rd, Wilmington, DE 19809. The church is easily accessible from 95 and has ample parking on the street and in a private parking lot. Our meeting will be in the West Room, which is appropriately situated on the West side of the building. Our entrance is in the corner of the building right off the West side of the parking lot (see link).

Google directions to the Church: Presbyterian Church of the Covenant

**Also, if you are coming to the salon, please arrive between 5:45 and 6:00. I will LOCK the door at 6:00 so it is not left open and unattended. If you arrive later than 6:00, please text me at (302) 650-8797 and I will be happy to let you in. Knocking loudly may also work.

The following salon will take place on October 28th. Mark your calendars!

2018 Salon Schedule

9/23
10/28
11/18
12/16

August Meeting Recap
Thanks to everyone who turned out on Sunday August 26th for our guitar salon. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to be there, so I don’t have much of a recap for you, other than to say I heard some old friends returned, and a lot of great playing was heard. Hope you can all make it to our upcoming meeting on Sunday for a reprise. I hate to miss out!

Other Events
The concert season is right around the corner. Check out all the great listings, including If you learn of other classical guitar events in the area please let us know so we can get them on our calendar.

September 22, 2018 at 1:00 pm – WCGS Members Showcase (DHS & WCG)
September 23, 2018 at 6:00 pm – WCGS Salon (WCGS)
September 29, 2018 at 6:00 pm – Junhong Kuang (BCGS)
October 13, 2018 at 8:00 pm – Curtis Presents: Kindred Spirits featuring Jason Vieaux and Nigel Armstrong, violin (CIM) –
October 20, 2018 at 7:30 pm – Thomas Viloteau with special guest Keith Calmes
October 27, 2018 at 8:00 pm – Fabio Zanon (BCGS)
October 28, 2018 at 6:00 pm – WCGS Salon (WCGS)

For more information on upcoming events, please visit our event calendar at https://wilmingtonguitar.org/calendar.

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

We’re closing on on 2,200 likes on Facebook! Make sure you’re one of them, and help us break the 2,500 mark! https://www.facebook.com/wilmingtonguitar

Best,
Matthew Lavanish
President & Artistic Director – The Wilmington Classical Guitar Society