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Appalachian Hosts 19th Annual Appalachian Guitar Fest and Solo Guitar Competition April 4-6

April 1, 2014. The 19th annual Appalachian Guitar Fest and Solo Guitar Competition will be held April 4-6 at Appalachian State University. This year’s featured artists are the Texas Guitar Quartet, Adam Kossler, the Aron/Berkner Duo an the competition’s Guitar Orchestra. 

All events will be held in Broyhill Music Center. An admission is charged unless otherwise noted. Individual tickets for evening concerts and Division I competition final round are $20 for the general public and $10 for Appalachian and Watauga County students with an I.D. and will be available at the door. For more information, visit www.music.appstate.edu/news-events/guitarfest. 

April 4

The Texas Guitar Quartet will perform April 4 at 8 p.m. in the Recital Hall. Quartet members are Isaac Bustos, Jonathan Dotson, Alejandro Monteil and Joseph Williams II.

As soloists, they have garnered acclaim on concert stages around the world and prizes in dozens of international guitar competitions. Together, they bring their passions and talents to an ensemble dedicated to presenting chamber music of the highest quality. Recent performances were presented by the New York City Classical Guitar Society, Victoria Bach Festival, Austin Classical Guitar Society, Guitar Houston, Texas Music Festival, Troubadour Series at Woffard College, University of Texas as Brownsville Guitar Ensemble Festival and Competition, and Austin Chamber Music. 

The quartet has developed an exciting repertoire by commissioning new works and creating their own arrangements and compositions. Earlier this year, the quartet commissioned “Tracks” a major new work by composer Peter Lieuwen. They have also premiered works by Andrew Dickinson, Alfredo Barros, Mark Anthoy Cruz and Joseph Williams II. Their daring arrangements, such as Beethoven’s “Egmont Overture” offer fresh perspective on works from other repertoires and push the boundaries of the medium. Their critically acclaimed 2012 debut recording, “Red” was featured on the internationally syndicated radio show Classical Guitar Alive.

The performance will feature works by Isaac Alebni, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozard, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Maurice Ravel and Joseph Williams II. 

April 5

Division I competition semi-finals will be held April 5 from 2-5 p.m. Admission is free. Division II and III competition finals will be held from 3-4 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

Adam Kossler and the Aron/Berkner Duo will perform at 8 p.m. in the Recital Hall. Kossler earned a Master of Music degree at Appalachian. He completed a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Florida State University. He has been a top prizewinner in a number of international guitar competitions including the Columbus Guitar Symposium, East Carolina Guitar Competition, MANC international guitar competition, the Texas International Guitar Competition, MTNA, and the Appalachian GuitarFest Competition.

The Aron/Berkner Duo, comprised of guitarist Stephen Aron and flutist Jane Berkner, has been playing concerts together for more than 10 years. Their repertoire includes all the flute/guitar masterworks and features several works specially written for them. Their appearances in Italy have led to the establishment of an annual summer chamber music festival there called Suonare in Italia. The duo’s first CD, “Tropicale,” was released in 2012 on the Clear Note label and praised by Soundboard Magazine as “a first rate and thoroughly enjoyable recording.”

April 6

The Guitar Orchestra comprised of the Weaver Academy Guitar Ensemble, the EKU Guitar Ensemble and the Appalachian Guitar Orchestra will present a free concert at 11 a.m. April 6 in Rosen Concert Hall.

The final rounds of the Division I competition will be held from 1-4 p.m.