Meet the Composer | summer workshop in Vermont

MEET THE COMPOSER

Frank Wallace shares his own new works
with Frank Wallace and Christopher Ladd
July 20-26, 2020
at Stone Church Arts: music, art & spirituality at a retreat and conference center in a Vermont village. 12 Church St, Bellows Falls, Vermont 05101 | 802-460-0110 | just blocks from The Vermonter, Amtrak from DC and NYC.

Spend a week immersed in the music and expertise of master guitarist/composer Frank Wallace and Christopher Ladd, professor of guitar at the University of Hartford Hartt School of Music. Chris has been a longtime advocate of Wallace’s compositions and will record a CD devoted to those works early in 2020 with violinist Asa Guojonsdottir. Frank and Chris will share insight into the interpretation of Wallace with participants in daily master classes, private lessons, workshop presentations and informal discussions. Frank will consult with each student upon registration to choose appropriate repertoire, then send scores and links to blogs and videos about the music and exercises that will be presented in the technique and ensemble classes.

Limited enrollment of ten participants. Each will receive two private lessons, two masterclass lessons and participation in technique class, lectures and concert.

Room and board

Tuition, Single Rm B&B, Dinners – $1035 (4 available)
Tuition, Shared Rm B&B, Dinners – $885 (8 available)
Tuition, Commuter, Dinners – $710
Tuition, Commuter, No Meals – $500
$50 discount for early registration paid in full by July 1, 2020. REGISTER NOW**
Thanks to my Patrons at Patreon scholarship money is available for a portion of tuition. Please describe your need in an email to wallacecomposer@gmail.com.

Schedule

Arrive Monday afternoon July 20 Greetings and short concert by Frank Wallace and Nancy Knowles.
7:00pm dinner
Tuesday-Saturday
7:00am  Yoga in studio (informal and optional!)
8:00-9:30  Breakfast
9:30-10:30  Technique class*
10:30-1:00 Free practice time and 45 minute private lessons
1:00-2:00  Lunch
3:30-5:00  Masterclass
5:30-6:45  Rehearsal of ensemble works by Frank Wallace
7:00 Dinner

Saturday night will be an optional performance for all participants, TBA, with Frank, Chris and mezzo Nancy Knowles playing as well.
Sunday morning departure after breakfast.

*Technique Class

Each day will focus on different musical concepts from a technical point of view. With guitar in hand, we will work through: how true legato is achieved, how to render polyphonic lines on the guitar, clearly expressing melody and accompaniment, the subtleties of articulation, etc. Both original compositions by Frank and historical works by Bach, Sor, Narváez and others will be used for technique class as well as masterclass lessons.

Frank Wallace

Long known as an elegant and virtuosic performer with Duo LiveOak, Frank Wallace is one of the most prolific composers for guitar solos and ensembles of the past two decades. Wallace is currently focused on solo performance of the repertoire he has known and loved for decades as well as his own new works. Wallace plays and sings 16th century Spanish and Italian works for vihuela de mano and lute in Orpheus’ Lyre. He shares his love for old guitars from his personal collection in Three Spanish Guitars, and performs his own exciting virtuosic guitar solos and songs in Father Said. He has toured widely throughout the U.S., Europe and South America since 1976. Performances include the Holland Festival, Regensburg Festival, Música en Compostela, Taxco International Guitar Festival, Boston Early Music Festival, Barcelona Festival, International Guitar Festival of Arequipa, the Festival of Spanish Song of Granada, and Guitar Foundation of America.
Frank Wallace founded and directed for four years the Boston Classical Guitar Society’s Festival 21, celebrating 21st century guitar. He served as the Society’s director from 2007-9. In New York City he founded, and with John Olson co-directed, the Second Sundays Guitar Series run by the New York City Classical Guitar Society and Roger Smith Hotel. He has served on the faculty of the New England Conservatory, Guitar Foundation of America, Lute Society of America and various universities in New England. He holds a B.M. in classical guitar performance from San Francisco Conservatory.

Christopher Ladd

Award winning and internationally renowned classical guitarist Christopher Ladd is recognized throughout North America and abroad as one of the most promising classical musicians of his generation.  Fingerstyle Guitar hails his performances as being“… rendered confidently and expressively.” Praised as“… an exercise in extremes.” by Soundboard Magazine, he is highly sought after as a soloist and chamber musician.
Most recently Mr. Ladd was a featured performer at the 2017 Sarajevo International Guitar Festival.  Noteworthy performances include appearances at the Vijećnica in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzgovina, Mengi and the Kaldalon Theater at Harpa in Reykjavik, Iceland, the DiMenna Center in New York City, the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., the Viennese Opera Ball hosted by the Austrian Embassy, the historic Byrdcliffe Theater in Woodstock, NY and for former vice-president Al Gore at his residence in Washington, D.C.  Active also as a chamber musician, Mr. Ladd is a founding member of The Pandora Duo which features acclaimed flutist Janet Arms, and The Amaranth Duo with Icelandic violinist Asa Gudjonsdottir.
In addition to performing pieces of standard repertoire, Mr. Ladd has premiered numerous new works by composers such as Kenneth Steen, Robert Carl, Nolan Stolz, Lief Ellis, Kathryn Swanson, Ty Alan Emerson, Ernst Bacon, Phillip Houghton and Frank Wallace.  Recently he had the opportunity to work with GRAMMY and Academy Award winning composer John Corigliano, in a performance of his work Troubadours for guitar and chamber orchestra conducted by Edward Cumming.
Mr. Ladd currently serves on the faculty of The Hartt School in West Hartford, Connecticut, as an Artist/Teacher, Director of The Hartt School Guitar Festival, and as the Chair of the Guitar and Harp Program.

**Register and Pay: There are three ways to register and pay:

1. send payment to frank[at]gyremusic.com
2. By check payable to Stone Church Center, mailed to 12 Church St., Bellows Falls, VT 05101. (Please write “Meet the Composer” in the memo line). Please include your name, dietary preferences (if applicable), and your choice of single, shared, commuter or commuter no meals (your payment amount should reflect this choice), or
3. By phone. Call 802-460-0110, select option 1, and you will get a live person who will take your registration details and credit or debit card over the phone.