With a majority of its guitarists about to graduate from Lindsay High School, the Guitar Ensemble’s Honor Group will give its final spring performance at the Museum/Gallery, 165 N. Gale Hill Ave., Lindsay, on Saturday, March 22, at 7pm.
This ensemble is a group one might expect to hear on a college campus, or possibly in a concert hall, but not usually on a high school campus. It is made up of eight dedicated and talented classical guitarists who give up their afternoons and occasional weekends to make beautiful music together. Drawn from the advanced class of Lindsay’s very large guitar program, they have performed throughout the Central Valley and have garnered many music awards, including Command Performances at the State Music Festival. The group recently played on KVPR-FM for the 12th year as part of the station’s “Young Artists Spotlight” program.
Members play as an ensemble, in duets, trios and as soloists. One of the newest members also plays cello, which adds beautiful texture to the guitar music. This member is Kathryne Wills, who also plays with the Tulare Symphony, and will be performing a solo, as will guitarists Joseph Ochoa and Salvador Madrigal, both graduating seniors.
The Lindsay Guitar Ensemble draws its members from Director Nancy Wills’ classes at Lindsay High School, where she has been the founder and director of the program since 1999.
Enhancing the music of the guitars and cello will be the acoustics of Lindsay’s Museum/Gallery, a Spanish-style building constructed in the 1930s, which closely matches the architecture of the Lindsay City Hall. In addition to the performance, there will be an exhibit of photographs by Blue Ridge Photography, taken during a trip down the Danube River, with stops in Vienna and Budapest and side trips to Prague and southern Germany.
The concert begins with hors d’oeuvres and beverages during intermission. Tickets are $15, with proceeds going primarily to the Lindsay Guitar Ensemble.