Andrew York - GRAMMY-winning Composer and Guitarist
Your browser does not support HTML5 Canvas element.
Monterey 2015

CSU Summer Arts, Monterey Califorina

X

Never before, and never again, will these four artists share the stage for an evening's concert. At the CSU Summer Arts festival in Monterey California, Eliot Fisk, Ben Verdery, Roland Dyens and I shared a concert, each playing about 25 minutes. This was one for the history books . . . if anyone reads books anymore.


X

Scott Morris (far right) was the director of the festival, and invited us to take part in the week of teaching and performing. Roland Dyens is next to Scott, the legendary French composer/guitarist. The incomparable Ben Verderey was laughing too much to get the right leg up for our can-can shot. Only Eliot Fisk and I had the proper technique, and perfectly in sync I might add.

X
X

Monterey Bay is a very beautiful part of California. The festival takes place on the CSU campus, which is located on the now defunct military base of Fort Ord. It is a twilight zone of a location, but half a mile away the multicolored dunes transition to the pacific ocean.

X
X

My old friend Russ De Angelo came with Roland Dyens to the festival. Russ runs the La Guitarra California festival in San Luis Obispo, and has had me twice to his festival. Russ is extremely knowlegdeable about fine wines and will often show up with a magnum or two, endearing himself even more to his friends.

Scott Morris and I had a debate about the distance of the two parking lots to the dormitory, each of us claiming the other was closest. So I invoked the Pythagorean theorem to prove my case. QED.

  top  



Maui 2015

Ben Verdery asked me to teach with him at his Maui Masterclass that he presents each year in July on this beautiful island. This was one of the best experiences I've ever had. We stayed in Kihei, on the Haleakala side of the island. If there is a paradise on earth, it must be in the Hawaiian islands.

X
X

There were four concerts during the week, at four different churches around the island, and the first evening was across the island near the town of Paia. Ben, Ian O'Sullivan and I shared the first concert, and at the end of the show played Ian's arrangement of a Hawaiian piece. Ian lives in Honolulu and teaches at the University of Hawaii, and he is a cool cat.

X
X

This is the church for the first introductory concert, which kicked off the week. I pretended to be king of Maui for a moment.

  MORE...