The CGC 2026 Summer School: A Retrospective

Evan brought his beautiful sound and lyricism to a set of classic pieces from the repertoire, ending with a couple of flashy sonatas by Scarlatti. Later in the week he led a workshop focused on how to practice technique musically.

Kim performed a set of her own compositions, each of which grew out of the tradition of improvisation. Her workshop presentation developed this same theme of allowing composition to grow out of improvisation, ending with a massive improvisatory and spontaneous group composition.

Bret brought humor to the group, but also a depth of thoughtfulness and creativity in a concert also of his own compositions. He shared five brand new compositions with us that not only he had never performed but still were unnamed! Bret’s workshop presentation had our group creating their own compositions out of just three notes. Emerging out of Kim’s and Bret’s compositions, one of our participants wrote his very first composition that Kim later performed at the student Open Mic.

Molly taught us so much about not only how to practice, but maybe more importantly what to practice. She taught us the value of moving beyond slow practice to focus on speed development and the importance of taking breaks.

Small ensembles

Every Summer School our participants show up to small ensemble on day 1 and are given music they have never seen before that they have to perform by the end of the week. The groups are never larger than 12 persons and each has either three or four parts. That means there may only be a couple of people per part, and that creates a lot of bonding for our participants within the group. They have to learn to put aside habits gained from solo playing and really play together as a unit. Perhaps the biggest challenge is always rhythms. If part 4 is rushing, but part 1 has fast sixteenth-note runs, not only are the part 1 players in trouble but the whole group falls apart.

While this can be a bit overwhelming on day 1, our groups ended the week with wonderful, fun performances with control and expression.

Guitar orchestra

In past years we have relied on Janet Agostino (one half of Duo Agostino) to lead our guitar orchestra. And it’s a tough act to follow because there is no one like Janet! But this year Simon took the reins and really pulled together a wonderful set of pieces into a beautiful final performance.

This year we performed two arrangements by Australian guitarist and composer Richard Charlton, the Passacaglia by Handel and Eleanor Rigby by Lennon and McCartney, and a brand new commission by Australian guitarist and composer Adrian Sergovich. While participants did receive the orchestra music a bit in advance, it is still a lot to pull together by the end of the week. Both the Passacaglia and After-Still by Sergovich proved to be difficult rhythmically. However, they both came together beautifully at the end of the week, with the fun and vibrant Eleanor Rigby sandwiched between them.

Student Open Mic(s)

The student Open Mic provides the opportunity for our participants to take the stage and share their music with all of the rest of us. It’s always a packed program and this year was no different. We had amazing performances topped off by enthusiastic applause and a big celebration afterwards.

What was different this year is that we provided space for participants to host more informal open mics during the week, either to perform in a less intimidating space or to practice for the more “formal” open mic later in the week. Everyone told us these were a big hit and so we plan on bringing this back again next year.

Final concert

By the time our final concert arrives, our participants are pretty tired. They have attended small ensemble every morning, workshop presentations before lunch, individual lessons after lunch, then orchestra, dinner, and a concert each night. It’s a lot for one week. But the adrenaline and the nerves kick in and the excitement returns, despite exhaustion, to put all the pieces together for a final performance. Want to hear how it went? Check out the full final concert below:

From online to in-person

The whole idea of the Summer School first emerged because we spend so much of our time seeing each other behind screens at the Academy, and so we thought it would be nice to actually spend embodied time together. And so while our schedule is packed and a lot happens during the week, we also have a lot of time to just hang out. In fact, this is one of the best things about Summer School. You can hang out with one of your coaches or fellow members over coffee and breakfast, then sit down for a lesson with a guest artist that you can later share a meal with. The camaraderie really makes this a special event and it is always so good to see each other outside of our Zoom squares. After every concert each night we also have a social gathering where we can let loose and have fun.

The Summer School really is a special event, and our participants look forward to it each year. We almost always have a majority of returning participants each year along with some new faces. We will have information about our next Summer School probably in the fall, but we hope you’ll join us next time!

In the meantime, if you’re looking for a supportive, tight-knit, friendly, and engaging community of classical guitarists, maybe you could give Classical Guitar Corner Academy a try? Learn more and join CGC Academy today!