In this month’s Classical Guitar Academy Member Spotlight we’d like to feature a relatively new member at CGC, Kari Conroy. Kari has been a very active member of CGC Academy for about six months now. She has kept and updated a progress journal where she lists goals and keeps herself accountable to the goals she sets (and has done so diligently!). For one of her goals in 2018 Kari has set out to organize a small get together for friends to play five songs, as well as to play a duet with her husband, who plays the piano. Kari is currently working on the Level 2 Certificate Course at CGC Academy and has made great strides thus far to completing the course (which she hopes to do by the fall). In the video below Kari offers a wonderful performance of Gaspar Sanz’s “Espanoleta,” one of the pieces from the Level 2 Repertoire at CGC Academy.
Please offer congratulations to Kari on a job well done and wish her well to meet all her 2018 goals at CGC and beyond!
Gaspar Sanz, “Espanoleta”
Gaspar Sanz, whose baptismal name was Francisco Bartolomé Sanz Celma (born in 1640), was a Spanish Baroque guitarist, organist, and priest in the lower Aragon region of Spain during the seventeenth century. His most important contribution to the baroque guitar (a five-string instrument very similar to our modern instrument) was his pedagogical Instruccion Musica sobre la Guitarra Espanola, written in three books over the course of two decades. All of his surviving works for guitar are contained in this majestic work.
There are actually two different versions of “Espanoleta” in Sanz’s Instruccion Musica sobre la Guitarra Espanola. The arrangement Kari plays (from the Grade 2 repertoire at CGC–pick up your copy here) is from book 2, De Cifras sobre la Guitarra Espanola, and there carries the title “Espanoletas.” The piece is an excellent introduction to dotted rhythms as well as the anacrusis.
Bravo! great performance as well as video! Kari is definitely a joy to have as a member here at CGCA!
Excellent work and performance, Kari. Applause!
Wonderful! It was great to enjoy your music. Congratulations on a beautiful performance.
Very nice Kari bravo. I was just practicing that one myself. Probably my favorite in the course so far.
Beautiful performance Kari, enjoyed your playing.
Regards
Robt
Bravo Kari! Wonderful performance!
Great playing, Kari! Thanks for posting.
All the best,
Mark
Love the piece and your sensitive playing.
Lovely playing Kari. A very musical room!
Very nice in indeed Kari.
I enjoyed the way you play this beautiful piece.
You make me want to play it too!!
Thank you, everyone, for your kind comments. I have learned so much here at CGCA. Part of the joy of being a member of this community is watching very talented musicians grow in their playing over time. And I have a front row seat! I am consistently inspired to be a better player. I am at the beginning of my journey, and I can’t wait to see where we will all be in five years. What will we be playing? What will we be working on. It’s exciting!!
Rick – It IS a musical room. One clarinet. One bassoon. Two guitars. And two pianos. Music is a big part of our family. Our kids may have an instrument or two to choose from should they ever want to be musical =).
a fine piece to listen to, done with a very musical approach, played with conviction.
Very well done Kari. Excellent performance, and the ornaments perfect. Congratulations from me also. Cheers… Richard
Bravo Kari! You’re doing wonderfully well!
Lovely, very musical performance Well done
That was a wonderful performance. I loved the trill at the end!
Very nice, keep up the good work!
Sweet! I am inspired by your playing and your serious study the last six months.
Hi Kari,
For some reason, I missed this when it went up, but wish I hadn’t! You played it really well, and I like your embellishments at the beginning and end – very ‘Sanz-like’!
Lynda
Kari
That was such a nice performance. Enjoyed listening to you play! Bravo!
Nick
Very nice performance!
Hello Kari!
I thoroughly enjoyed your performance! Very well done and a great video presentation as well. I can see you have great things ahead of you. I have no doubt you will keep up the good work.
Regards,
Robert.