The modern guitar began its life in the 15th century as a literal instrument of resistance, a rebellion of the Latin rural population of southern Spain against the urbanized Moorish colonial regime, with its philosophy, mathematics, and penchant for orderly geometric decorative ornament.
Out with the lute! In with the vihuela! Acclaimed classical guitarist Christopher Ladd tracks the evolution of the guitar through 500 years, from the Renaissance and Baroque through the Classical and Romantic, on up to the modern guitar and its rabble-rousing cousin, the electric guitar. He’ll both tell and show how the construction of the guitar itself has changed, and how each incarnation has opened up the capacity for new musical expression.
Amp up your own musical knowledge and sink into the pleasure of hearing Christopher Ladd run his fingers across the span of guitar history, from early Spanish motifs to Bach to the Beatles to Led Zeppelin. If we’re lucky, he’ll break out his electric guitar as the course winds up for a favorite song or two to rock our worlds and leave us humming.
Christopher Ladd, an award-winning and internationally acclaimed classical guitarist, has taught at The Hartt School for twenty-four years and chairs the Guitar and Harp Program. His performances have been hailed “as being rendered confidently and expressively” (Fingerstyle Guitar) and as “an exercise in extremes” (Soundboard Magazine). Highly sought after as a soloist and chamber musician. Mr. Ladd has been featured at international festivals, including the 2017 Sarajevo International Guitar Festival and the 2018 Summartónar Festival in the Faroe Islands. Noteworthy performances include those 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.
Mr. Ladd is co-founder of The Pandora Duo, which features acclaimed flutist Janet Arms, and The Amaranth Duo with Icelandic violinist Asa Gudjonsdottir. As a recording artist Mr. Ladd expands the range of the classical guitar for feature films, theater, and the stage, with recordings including: Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez” on the documentary The Real Royal Trip directed by Sangh Kim; J.S. Bach’s “Prelude, Fugue and Allegro, BWV 998” in The Asylum’s cult-hit “Megashark vs. Giant Octopus”; “Suspended at Aphelion” by epic metal band While Heaven Wept; and a world-premiere recording of Robert Carl’s Concerto for Guitar and Chamber Orchestra entitled “The Calm Bee in the Busy Hive,” released on A Geography of Loss from New World Records.
Mondays, April 15, April 29, and May 6 | 2:30 p.m. – 4 p.m. | Fuller 021/Fuller Hall/The Hartt School | $60
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