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Welcome to the Meetings Archives Page of the Jefferson Classical Guitar Society for our third full year. You may either scroll through this page and read as you go or select an item from the menu below and go directly to what you are looking for. (Or return to Meetings Archives Index)

January 2004-December 2004


Agenda for the January 6th JCGS Meeting

Greetings, guitar enthusiasts!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

-JANUARY MEETING: Our January meeting WILL NOT be at Paschal Winery. Rene Dobbes, manager of the Paschal Tasting Room, has given everyone at Paschal a two week vacation and so, Paschal will be closed from January 1-15. Our January 6th meeting will be held instead at Headwaters Gallery in Ashland. The address is 84 Fourth Street which is in the Railroad District. As usual, folks will start arriving at 6pm and the meeting proper will start at 6:30. We have a larger than usual agenda to work through so please try to arrive before 6:30. Music will begin as soon after 7:00pm as is humanly possible. Please make a note that our February 3rd general meeting will be back at Paschal.

-ELECTION OF OFFICERS: We will be electing officers for the JCGS Board of Directors for the New Year, so anyone who has considered serving, now is your opportunity.

-PAYING YOUR DUES: If you paid your $10 annual dues ($5 for students) at any time last year, they were good up until December 31, 2003. To remain a member in "good standing" (what ever that means), you need to cough up some more bucks pronto, preferably at the next meeting. Any money from dues or other contributions paid to the JCGS is fully tax deductible. Reasons to be a dues paying member include: 1.) tax deductable, 2.) ability to vote on JCGS matters requiring the full attention of the membership, 3.) it feels good to support an organization dedicated to the instrument we love, 4.) first shot at tickets to JCGS sponsored events.

-BRAD RICHTER CONCERT AND WORKSHOP: The long awaited concert by Tucson guitarist and composer, Brad Richter is nigh. Brad comes with some very strong credentials as performer, composer, and teacher. This concert should not be missed. For further info, see press release below, visit the JCGS web site at: http://JeffersonGuitar.org/events.html or visit Brad Richter's web site at: http://bradrichter-guitar.com

 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

-BRAD RICHTER: The Jefferson Classical Guitar Society is proud to present an evening of classical guitar with National Finger-picking Champion Brad Richter. Mr. Richter will perform a program of classical and original works for guitar on Tuesday, January 13 at the Headwaters Gallery, 84 Fourth St., Ashland. Concert time is 8:00pm. Admission to the concert is $15 and tickets will be available at the door. He will also teach a combined master guitar class and composition class on Wednesday, January 14, at the SOU music department at 8pm. Admission to the class is $10, $25 for performers. For further information call 552-9515 or visit the JCGS web site at www.JeffersonGuitar.org.

Mr. Richter has performed throughout North America and Europe. His performances and compositions are frequently heard on NPR and PBS stations around the United States as well as in films such as the recent short, Cuando Circa la Sonida. He has been featured as a performer/teacher at guitar and music festivals around the world. Festival appearances have included the Guitar Festival of Great Britain and the Walnut Valley Festival, where he won the National Finger-picking Championship, a competition that features some of the world's finest guitarists from all genres. Mr. Richter was also a top prize winner in the 2002 International Composer's Guild Competition. Additionally, his contributions to the guitar's literature have been recognized with the inclusion of his biography in the 5th edition of the guitar history and reference book: The Classical Guitar - Its Evolution, Players and Personalities Since 1800. He is currently professor of guitar at University of Arizona at Tucson.

-JAXON WILLIAMS: JCGS member, Jaxon Williams will be the featured performer with the Ashland High School Orchestra in a performance of Vivaldi's, Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra in D Major. The event is the school's annual Winter Fine Arts Festival. The performance is on Friday, January 23 and again on Saturday, January 24 in the AHS Theater, 201 S. Mountian Ave., in Ashland. Both shows begin at 7:00pm. Tickets can be purchased in advance in the Ashland High School office on Mountain Ave. or at the door on the night of the performance. I'm told the shows usually are a sell-out, so you might want to get your tickets early. For ticket information, call the high school office at 482-8771.

-DARK ROSE TRIO will perform on January 22 at 11:00am in the SOU Music Bldg. Recital Hall. Their presentation will be a combination lecture/concert for the Music Department students and faculty. The event is open to the public and free of charge.

HERE'S THE ACTUAL AGENDA for the meeting:

- Membership performances: who's playing when and where?
- Notes on the recent meeting of the Board .
- Brad Richter concert status, volunteers, flyer distribution (including
use of RVSO address list?)
- Call for CPA to prepare JCGS taxes
- Gig announcements: 1/22 Dark Rose Trio convo, Jaxon Williams with Ashland High Orchestra, Paco de Lucia dates, Bil Leonhart at Key of C, 2-4pm, Mon, Wed., Fri.
- 2004 "membership drive"
- Election of board of directors for 2004
- Announcements?

 

PERFORMANCE:

Every month, the JCGS meetings offer an opportunity for folks to play for an
attentive, appreciative, supportive and understanding audience. The following are potential categories in which members might considering making a musical
offering. These are not in any particular order, and they may be
performed by soloists, duets, trios, quartets, etc.:

- Original Compositions/Arrangements
People seem to like this segment a lot. Folks are encouraged to have one
or more pieces prepared if they wish.

- Interpretive Works
Folks interested in performance experience are encouraged to prepare one
or more works by other composers.

- Works in Progress
Show us what you've got so far! You might even want to show how the piece
is coming along in future meetings.

As always, you don't have to play if you show up, but the more the merrier.

See you Tuesday!
And remember, stay tuned!

Joe

p.s. Bring a friend!

 

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Minutes to the January 6th JCGS Meeting

Greetings, guitar enthusiasts!

The 2004 season of the JCGS got off to a great start with 37 enthusiastic classical guitar lovers in attendance. Due to the vacation closure of Paschal for the first two weeks of January, our meeting held was at the Headwaters Gallery on Fourth Street in Ashland. The Headwaters space turned out to be a warm and cozy venue but there was general agreement that we like our friends at Paschal very much and look forward to our return there for the February meeting. We had a lot of ground to cover before the music could begin. As soon as we found the switch to the spotlights, our newly re-elected "el presidentissimo", Grant Ruiz, walked us through the thicket of agenda items with his usual aplomb.

Attendees included: Steve Berman, Liz Vesecky and Hersch King, Jerid Simons, Margaret Gelatt, Joe Thompson, Marcy Greene, Darci Van Duzer, Murel Wilson, Bil Leonhart, Randy Mason, Haila Williams, Jim Dietz, Francie Buckley, Roma Sprung, Dennis Kambury, Maurya Murphey, Bob Barclay and his wife Annette, Nathan Hoyt and his parents Mike and Kim, Jeff Altemus, Bruce and Barbara Smith, Terry Petty, Grant Ruiz, Tom Rose, Matt Dorris, Dennis and Ingrid Johnson, Jaxon and Ronda Williams, and David Brown and his parents Susan and Peter.

DISCUSSIONS:

-BRAD RICHTER CONCERT AT HEADWATERS BLDG. The Jefferson Classical Guitar Society is proud to present an evening of classical guitar with National Finger-picking Champion Brad Richter. Mr. Richter will perform a program of classical and original works for guitar on Tuesday, January 13 at the Headwaters Gallery, 84 Fourth St., Ashland. Concert time is 8:00pm. Admission to the concert is $15 and tickets will be available at the door. He will also teach a combined master guitar class and composition class on Wednesday, January 14, at the SOU music department at 8pm. Admission to the class is $10, $25 for performers. For further information call 552-9515 or visit the JCGS web site at www.JeffersonGuitar.org.

Mr. Richter has performed throughout North America and Europe. His performances and compositions are frequently heard on NPR and PBS stations around the United States as well as in films such as the recent short, Cuando Circa la Sonida. He has been featured as a performer/teacher at guitar and music festivals around the world. Festival appearances have included the Guitar Festival of Great Britain and the Walnut Valley Festival, where he won the National Finger-picking Championship, a competition that features some of the world's finest guitarists from all genres. Mr. Richter was also a top prize winner in the 2002 International Composer's Guild Competition. Additionally, his contributions to the guitar's literature have been recognized with the inclusion of his biography in the 5th edition of the guitar history and reference book: The Classical Guitar - Its Evolution, Players and Personalities Since 1800. He is currently professor of guitar at University of Arizona at Tucson.

-CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS: Grant made a call for volunteers to help with the running of the concert. Liz Vesecky and Roma Sprung volunteered to handle ticket taking duties, Matt Dorris agreed to help set up chairs, Bob and Annette Barclay offered to bring some refreshments and and watch over the refreshments table. Any others who would like to help out can call Joe at 552-9515.

-CONCERT PROMOTION: With Richard Moeschl's promotion to Arts and Entertainment Editor for both the Ashland Daily Tidings and the Medford Mail Tribune, there is new found hope that the local paper media will be a bit more responsive to the needs of the local arts community. The Revels printed our press release, verbatim, which may be a first in the history of journalism. Also, JCGS is buying its first ad to promote the Richter concert. Look for it in the next edition of the Revels. Between the ad, the press release, and the flyer, we feel like all of the bases have been well covered. We expect a solid turn out so get there early to secure your ticket. For your information, there will soon be a jpeg version of the Richter concert flyer on the JCGS website. At 836KB it will be a bit stout. Slower connections might take a while to download. Look for the link on the Events Page.

Grant mentioned the recent write up in the Tidings on the JCGS and the Dark Rose Trio, noting that with articles now published in both major valley newspapers, our guitar society is establishing some regional notoriety.

-JCGS BOARD MEETING, DECEMBER 21, 2003: See 2003 Meetings Archives for a more detailed minutes of the meeting. Items discussed included:
-a mini concert series bringing in outside artists.
-generation of funds to support a mini concert series
-identification of candidates for performers in said series
-ways to minimize efforts towards said series
-formation of a relationship with SOU Music Department and JPR to facilitate efforts.

-CALL FOR A CPA to do the tax returns for the JCGS, preferably someone from outside the organization in order to allay any potential conflict of interest.

ELECTION OF THE 2004 JCGS BOARD OF DIRECTORS: A new board of directors was elected to serve for the new year. We ended up with more folks volunteering to serve than we had positions to fill. It was a wonderful problem to have and totally unexpected. As a result, we have recognized a need to better prepare for next year's January election of the Board. The solution will most likely be a call for nominees in December with a printed ballot for the January meeting. I would like to offer a heartfelt thanks to all who have shown their willingness to step forward and help chart the future course of our beloved guitar society. A special thanks to last year's Board members, Gerry Shute and Margaret Gelatt, who decided to step down and to Matt Dorris, who had to step down because he will be leaving town for graduate school this summer. Matt has agreed to stay on in the role of consultant with his valuable perspective as a SOU music student.

Returning Board members include:
-Steve Berman
-Maurya Murphey
-Grant Ruiz
-Joe Thompson

Newly elected Board members include:
-Dave Rogers
-Bruce Smith
-Roma Sprung

ANNUAL COLLECTION OF DUES: Dues are payable at the beginning of each year and are good until the end of the year. Benefits of being a dues paying member are:
-all dues and contributions paid to the JCGS are fully tax deductible
-paying dues gives you the right to vote on all matters requiring a vote by the membership.
-you get that warm fuzzy feeling of knowing that you are a member of such a great organization.
Grant made an important point. The Board has been careful to distinguish betweens funds generated from contributions and fund generated through dues. The only JCGS monies that have gone toward the production of concert events has come from contributions. Dues will only be used for the direct benefit of the membership.

-LOCAL PERFORMANCES:
MATT DORRIS will be involved with Connect the Dots in the production of "Little Shop of Horrors". He suggested that the ravenous plant in the production will actually be large enough to eat real people. This might be one show where back row seats are preferable.
BIL LEONHART is at the Key of C Coffeehouse every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 2-4pm. He says come in and request an improvisation on a famous classical guitar piece.
JAXON WILLIAMS will be the featured performer with the Ashland High School Orchestra in a performance of Vivaldi's, Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra in D Major. The event is the school's annual Winter Fine Arts Festival. The performance is on Friday, January 23 and again on Saturday, January 24 in the AHS Theater, 201 S. Mountian Ave., in Ashland. Both shows begin at 7:00pm. Tickets can be purchased in advance in the Ashland High School office on Mountain Ave. or at the door on the night of the performance. I'm told the shows usually are a sell-out, so you might want to get your tickets early. For ticket information, call the high school office at 482-8771.

-REGIONAL PERFORMANCES:
PACO DE LUCIA, the grand master of the flamenco guitar, will be touring
in North America in early 2004, and he won't be very far away in January.
Here are his California tour dates:

1/20 Davis
1/21 Arcata
1/23 Chico
1/24-25 Berkeley
1/26 Santa Cruz
... then down to southern Cal. ...

You can get this info by going to his website

http://www.pacodelucia.org/flash_ingles.htm

and clicking on "Tours" at the lower right.

Arcata and Chico are both about the same distance from Ashland, although
Chico is a much faster drive (assuming the Siskiyou pass is open). If
anyone is interested in doing a road trip, let Grant Ruiz know!

-FRIENDS OF THE ROGUE VALLEY SYMPHONY are sponsoring an evening of classical guitar music presented by Jacqueline Henry and Arturo Ville at 7:30 pm Friday, January 9th, at the Presbyterian Church, 748 NW Fifth St. Grants Pass. Tickets are $25 which includes a CD, $20 general admission and $5 for students. Tickets are available at The Book Shop and Brownell's in Grants Pass or at the door.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

-Jaxon Williams plays "First Fridays" at Art and Soul Gallery in downtown Ashland from 6:30-8pm.

-The Bagel Shop Band plays folk music from Greece, Albania, Russia and other countries every Sunday from 9-12am at the Key of C coffeehouse in Ashland.

-The Rogue Valley Jazz Exchange meets at Paschal on the first Wednesday of every month at 7pm.

-Paschal is hosting a "locals night" on Friday, January 16th, from 6 to 9pm, with 15% off of bottles of wine, 50% off of glasses of wine, and appetizers.

 

For further information on these and other local and regional performances, visit the JCGS web site: http://www.JeffersonGuitar.org/clndr-jan.html

PERFORMANCES:

-Tolman Creek Trio, consisting of Francie Buckley, Terry Petty, and Randy Mason played "Awake Sweet Love" by John Dowland and Minuet and Trio from a Trio by Leonard von Call
-Nathan Hoyt played "Misty Dawn and "Free with the Wind"
-Margaret Gelatt played Etude by Ferdinand Carulli
-Bruce Smith played "Lo, How a Rose is Blooming" in a duet with his teacher Joe Thompson and a solo, Studio by Dionisio Aguado
-Bob Barclay played "House of the Rising Sun" in a duet with his teacher, Joe Thompson
-Jaxon Williams played Heitor Villa Lobos' Prelude No. 1
-Roma Sprung played Prelude by M. D. Pujol
-Grant Ruiz played Arpeggio Study written for him by his father when Grant was 10 years old. The piece is in a minor key and Grant composed a middle section, which offers contrast by moving to the major key with a close by reprising the opening minor section. Very moving!
-Joe played two new original compositions, "Lullaby" and "Vals Triste"
-Dark Rose Guitar Trio played to transcriptions by Grant Ruiz, ""Promenade" from Pictures at an Exhibition" by Modesto Mussorgsky, and Etude, Op. 2, No. 1 by Alexander Scriabin.
-Steve Berman closed the evening with his beautiful rendition of a Russian folk ballad, "Romance" sung in the original Russian.

That's all for now. See you next time back at Paschal. Remember, it's YOU who makes these wonderful meetings possible. The most effective way to build on the success of the JCGS is to show up at the monthly meetings. And bring a friend!

Please, stay tuned,

Joe Thompson

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JCGS Board Meeting Agenda and Minutes, January 27th

Minutes to the JCGS Board Meeting of January 27, 2004.
Meeting Location: Standing Stone
Attendees: Maurya Murphey, Dave Rogers, Grant Ruiz, Roma Sprung
and Joe Thompson

PROPOSED AGENDA

Brad Richter review of events
- Lessons learned
- Venues, subsidies, other costs
- Communication within the board
- Making proposals/voting
- Freebies
- Distributing duties

Treasury report
- Transition
- Matching funds
- Status of account

Partington/Masters concerts
- JCGS role
- Relationship with SOU, JPR?

Fundraising ideas
- Private donors, personal and company sources
- Local concerts

Proposed new officer positions
- Liz Vesecky has offered to be Volunteer Coordinator
- Historian?
- Publicity Coordinator?
- If we find volunteers, shall we amend the by-laws?

Here are the actual minutes:

Future board meetings (added item)
----------------------------------
The board discussed whether or not to have regular meetings, and if so,
when. We decided to meet the evening of the last Thursday of every
other month, so the next meeting will be held March 25.

Proposed new officer positions
------------------------------
- Liz Vesecky has offered to be Volunteer Coordinator
- Margaret Gellatt brought up the idea of having a society historian. She
herself does not want the job, but perhaps someone else does.

Brad Richter review of events
-----------------------------
Venues:
- The board agreed that the experience of having Brad here was well worth
the $170 in expenditures from the collected donations to the society.
- We now have the added experience of dealing with Headwaters and the
Unitarian Center. The First Congregational Church still remains our
best venue for medium-sized concerts, and we still hold out hope for
using the SOU recital hall some day.

Subsidies:
- The guitar society provided some student subsidies for the Brad
Richter events. It was agreed that we should avoid this in the future
and come up with a pricing structure to present to performers.
- It was suggested that a reduced rate for young people is a good idea.
It is good to encourage young people to come to concerts and to help out
parents who would like their children to have exposure.
- The board decided on a general pricing structure to be offered to visiting
artists in the future: $15 general admission, $5 for students (SOU or
otherwise), and children 12 and under get in free. Depending on the
venue, and the date/time of the concert, the board will approximate
anticipated door receipts for the artist. The society will take 20% of
anything collected beyond that number at the door, and the artist will
get the other 80%. These figures are moot if we guarantee a flat fee
to the performer.

Promotional ads:
- The usefulness of the ad for the Brad Richter concert was unclear,
given that the event was off-season and on a Tuesday night. With
Richard Moeschl in charge of both the Revels and Tempo now, the board
agreed that we shouldn't need to take out ads in the future in order
to cover the possibility of our press releases not being published.

More lessons learned:
- The board concluded that we should stick to weekend events, Friday
evening through Sunday afternoon preferably.
- It was mentioned that guitar concerts may never have a big draw,
although the full recital hall for the Falla Trio concert shows that
it is possible. The society hopes to increase interest in guitar-
related events.
- Dave said he would lean on his students to attend future events,
since there was a poor showing from SOU students at the Brad Richter
concert and master class.

Freebies:
- For the Brad Richter concert, there were a number of inquiries as
to whether volunteer helpers could attend for free. The board agreed
that when someone volunteers, they are volunteering time and will not
be given comps. The board has set an example in this by doing the lion's
share of the work in producing events but still paying admission, for
CDs, etc.

Distribution of duties:
- It would be ideal to have a publicity coordinator for future events,
since this takes a lot of dedicated effort. Whoever does this wouldn't
necessarily have to do all the work as Joe and Grant have been doing, but
they could work with a group of people delegated to certain tasks, e.g.,
designing flyers, printing flyers, distributing flyers, writing press
releases, coordinating with local news and advertising outlets, etc. This
will take a special person who is highly-motivated, multi-tasking, and
attentive to detail. The board was asked to keep an eye out for such a
person. We may have to write up a good job description or have the person
being considered do this.

Report from the Treasurer
-------------------------
Transition
- The transition from Maurya to Roma is done.

Matching funds
- There are matching gift requests from members still outstanding, which
Roma will follow up on, since we recently got our tax-exempt letter from
the IRS.

Status of account
- We've had a healthy number of donations.
- Members list head count is 39 folks. Note: This includes people who were
dues paying members last year but have not necessarily paid up their dues as
of the beginning of 2004. Please remember to pay your dues for 2004 if you
already haven't.
- We may not have to file taxes because of our small bank account. Members
of the board will follow up on this.
- Grant and Roma agreed that it is a good idea to give donors and dues payers
a receipt of some description for tax purposes. Roma felt it would be good
to have these on hand at meetings to save the money and time of mailing them
after the fact.

Partington/Masters concerts
---------------------------
- Dave reported that he had contacted Michael Partington and Martha Masters
with a proposal that they each play a concert and present a master-class,
with guaranteed fees for each. This proposal was made on behalf of the
SOU music department. Both Partington and Masters agreed to the proposal.
- The guitar society initiated contact with both guitarists and had
started negotiations with them before Dave, so now we need to define
the role of JCGS in organizing the concerts. So far, Dave has only
asked that the society organize the master classes, but the rest of the
board expressed a desire to be more involved and to pursue an ongoing
relationship with SOU to organize events, which we will. We may be able
to bring JPR into the picture as well.
- Dave said he was aiming for scheduling Masters in November of 2004 and
Partington in February of 2005.
- With Dave's connection to the SOU music department, he has access to the
Recital Hall, which, all agreed, is the ideal space to produce solo guitar
concerts.
- With no monies available for the master classes, they would have to be
self-supporting. Dave also requested that SOU guitar students attend the
classes free. Given that SOU has guaranteed fees to both guitarists,
these factors present challenges that the board will need to address.
-Dave informed the board that he's also been talking to David Tannenbaum,
and he asked that the guitar society pick up these negotiations. By the
way, Tannenbaum will be playing Rodrigo's "Concierto de Aranjuez" in Eugene
on March 17 and 18 of 2005. Maybe we can catch him around then?

Fundraising ideas
-----------------
- This topic was only covered very briefly. Joe stated an interest in
visiting various local institutions, e.g., bank branches, to ask if
they are willing to donate to our organization.
- Grant also mentioned the possibility of finding private donors.
- We also briefly discussed the idea of putting on a benefit concert for
the society, with performances by some of the more experienced members
of the society.

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Agenda for the February 3rd JCGS Meeting

Greetings, guitar enthusiasts!

This was an exciting month for the JCGS. Our sponsorship of Tucson guitarist, Brad Richter was a success. The last minute venue switch came off without a hitch. We were able to bring in Brad because he generously offered to play for whatever the gate brought in. He actually helped with the expense of the move to the larger Unitarian Center by kicking in half of the rental fee from his take. We found Brad to be an extraordinary guitarist with exceptional technical skills, beautiful tone, a wide range of musical expression, and an engaging stage presence. His program of mostly original compositions was very accessible. His visit was an inspiration to many who attended his concert and master class. Those who spent time with him, found Brad to be gracious, friendly, enjoyable to work with and very unassuming. Also, he had a great sense of humor. He regretted that he had to leave town the evening of the master class because of a long drive to Seattle for the next stop on his tour.

Our next meeting is on Tuesday, February 3rd, at Paschal Winery's Tasting Room. Even though our meeting at the Headwaters Gallery in December worked out well and we, generally, found the space conducive to enjoyable society meetings, there was general agreement that Paschal has a special charm, due not only to the beautiful room and views, but to the friendly folks at the winery. Paschal allows us to make this space our home one evening per month through their generosity. There is no cost to the JCGS. As we bask in the ambience of this sweet place, let's remember, "one hand washes the other". Paschal still has a business to run, so let's show our appreciation by spending a little cash. Please note the start time at 6pm. This will allow people a half-hour to socialize before the meeting proper, which starts at 6:30. Try to get there and settle in before 6:30 so we can start on time. We will deal with business starting at 6:30 and get right to the music at 7:00pm. And remember, an easy way to contribute to the success of the JCGS is to show up at the monthly meetings. You are encouraged to invite a friend. If you do so, they might want to show up at 7pm to avoid the society business discussions.

For directions to Paschal, go to: http://www.JeffersonGuitar.org/meetings.html For more information, call 552-9515.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

?????????

WEBSITE UPDATE:

-Four new pieces were added to the Members' Articles Page.
1. a review of the Brad Richter by our illustrious el presidente, Grant Ruiz.
2. notes on the Brad Richter master class by yours truly, Joe Thompson and Grant Ruiz
3. A write up on last year's Guitar Tasting event by Joe Thompson. This is an article which was in the October edition of Mel Bay Publication's on-line magazine, "Guitar Sessions".
4. A poem, "Duende" by Liz Vesecky.

JCGS BOARD MEETING:
-The newly elected board of the JCGS held their first meeting on Tuesday, January 20, 2004. Items discussed were:

Brad Richter review of events
- Lessons learned
- Venues, subsidies, other costs
- Communication within the board
- Making proposals/voting
- Freebies
- Distributing duties

Treasury report
- Transition
- Matching funds
- Status of account

Partington/Masters concerts
- JCGS role
- Relationship with SOU, JPR?

Fundraising ideas
- Private donors, personal and company sources
- Local concerts

Propsed new officer positions
- Liz Vesecky has offered to be Volunteer Coordinator
- I've asked Margaret to be Historian but have not heard a reply
- Publicity Coordinator?
- If we find volunteers, shall we amend the by-laws?

 

HERE'S THE ACTUAL AGENDA for the meeting:

-Membership performances: who's playing when and where?

-JCGS Board Meeting review

- Announcements?

 

PERFORMANCE:

Every month, the JCGS meetings offer an opportunity for folks to play for an
attentive, appreciative, supportive and understanding audience. The following are potential categories in which members might considering making a musical
offering. These are not in any particular order, and they m lay be
performed by soloists, duets, trios, quartets, etc.:

- Original Compositions/Arrangements
People seem to like this segment a lot. Folks are encouraged to have one
or more pieces prepared if they wish.

- Interpretive Works
Folks interested in performance experience are encouraged to prepare one
or more works by other composers.

- Works in Progress
Show us what you've got so far! You might even want to show how the piece
is coming along in future meetings.

As always, you don't have to play if you show up, but the more the merrier.

See you Tuesday!
And remember, stay tuned!

Joe

p.s. Bring a friend!

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======================================================

Minutes to the February 3rd JCGS Meeting

Greetings, guitar enthusiasts!

As Roma Sprung said upon coming to a JCGS meeting at Paschal for the first time, "I feel like I've come home." I think most of the 36 people in attendance felt that way last night (February 3, 2004) when we returned to Paschal for our February meeting. I think it is good that we had to find alternatives digs for last months meeting. If we have ever taken it for granted, it helped us to appreciate how lucky we are to have such a relationship with the fine folks at Paschal. Rene Dobbes, manager of Paschal's Tasting Room, asked me to thank last nights throng for spending so generously at the counter.

We had many new faces. Thanks go out to Dave Rogers for bringing along four of his SOU guitar students to perform an Allegro from a Vivaldi, Concerto Grosso. Additionally, thanks to Matt Dorris, a senior in the guitar program at SOU, for sharing his beautiful new La Cote (early 19th century) copy guitar built by Larry K. Brown of North Carolina. It has a spruce top with Indian rosewood back and sides and a black laquered mahogany neck. Mr. Brown gave special attention to the finish by applying a French polish over the top of an antiqued laquer finish which gives the instrument a kind of burnished, well aged look even though it is brand spanking new. A very sweet guitar.

Attendees included: Steve Berman, Liz Vesecky and Hersch King, Margaret Gelatt, Joe Thompson, Marcy Greene, Murel Wilson, Bil Leonhart, Randy Mason, Haila Williams, Jim Dietz, Francie Buckley, Roma Sprung, Grant Ruiz, Tom Rose, Dave Rogers, Matt Dorris, Jaxon, Rebecca, and Ronda Williams, Dan Verner, Traute Moore, Mr. Shaller and his friend Janet, Jeff Rinkoff, Pat Mayfield, Eddie Condon, James Walton, Brandon Kester and his mom, Michele, Betty McName, Kerry Larson, Nick Kensey plus five new visitors whose names I wasn't able to obtain, for a grand total of 38.

 

 

DISCUSSIONS:
JCGS Board Meeting Notes (January 27th)
-debriefing of the Brad Richter concert, JCGS lost $170 but Brad left with a smile on his face and a desire to return as soon as possible.
-lessons learned: Tuesday nights are not the best night for a concert.
-add a pricing structure to the artist's contract stipulating student discounts and children under 12 admitted for free.
-Martha Masters and Michael Partington concerts have been booked by Dave Rogers in association with SOU. We explored whether there is a role for JCGS.
-Fund Raising: Benefit concert featuring stronger players from the membership of the JCGS.
-Bill Leonhart mentioned an approach to fundraising which involved taking a portable CD player into downtown businesses and playing the music of some of our members followed by a pitch to donate funds.

MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL: It is that time again. If you haven't already done so, membership dues are due at the beginning of each year. Dues are $10.00 and genuine bona fide students dues are $5.00. Dues payments can be given to our treasurer, Roma Sprung at a monthly meeting, or (if you just can't wait) they can be mailed to
Jefferson Classical Guitar Society
349 Tudor. St.
Ashland OR 97520

WEBSITE UPDATE: If you haven't yet done so, be sure to check out the new articles on the Members Articles Page in the JCGS Website. http://JeffersonGuitar.org/mbrartcl.html

UPCOMING EVENTS:
WHAT: Flute and Guitar Concert

WHEN: Sunday, February 8th, 2004

WHERE: Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Rogue Valley
87 4th St. Ashland, OR 97520

ADMISSION FEE: $12.00 general, $10.00 students and children.

MORE INFORMATION: Don Black 535-6629, dvbmdx@direcway.com
David Rogers 482-7948, davidrogers@earthlink.net

Italian flute virtuoso Vieri Bottazzini returns to Ashland for a special concert with classical guitarist David Rogers at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Rogue Valley, 87 4th St. Ashland, OR 97520 on Sunday, February 8 at 3:00pm. Admission is $15.00 for general admission and $10.00 for students and children. Tickets are available at the door. For reservations and additional information call Don Black at 535-6629 or David Rogers at 482-7948. The church is located on the corner of Fourth and B Streets, Ashland
The two will perform music by Pachelbel, Carulli, Giuliani, Ibert, Joplin, Rodrigo, Mozart, Piazzolla and Carney. Highlights of the program are Johann Pachelbel's well known 'canon', an arrangement for flute and guitar of Scott Joplin's 'The Entertainer', Argentinian Tangos by Astor Piazzolla, and a specially commissioned piece for the duo by Sue Carney, a music director and composer of the OSF Greenshow.

Vieri Bottazzini is the professor of flute at the National Conservatory of Istanbul, Turkey. He presented the opening concert of the National Flute Association's annual convention in Las Vegas on August 7 and frequently performs throughout the US and Europe. He has studied with James Galway, Maxence Larrieu, and Julius Baker. Mr. Bottazzini graduated with honors from the Conservatoire "G. Verdi" in Milan in 1993 and was awarded the "First Prize of Virtuosity" by the Geneva Conservatory in 1996. He has also studied orchestral solos and repertoire with Glauco Cambursano, 1st flute of the La Scala orchestra. Vieri has performed as a soloist and with orchestras throughout the world and has won many international competitions.

David Rogers is guitarist and lutenist with the Terra Nova Consort, in residence at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, classical guitar faculty at Southern Oregon University, and music director of the First Congregational Church, Ashland. He has been described as "A modern master of the Classical Guitar", by New York based guitar magazine 20th Century Guitar. Mr. Rogers and Mr. Bottazzini are both artists on the roster of the Italian record company Callisto. Their solo recordings and a recently made duo CD will be available at the concert.

Visit Vieri's and David's web sites at:
http://www.vieribottazzini.com
http://www.sou.edu/music/rogers.htm
http://www.callistomusica.com/engframe.htm

Dave Rogers, Maurya Murphey, and Matt Dorris will play a program of guitar trios at the Congregational Church, 717 Siskiyou Blvd., in Ashland, on Sunday, March 14th at 3:00 pm. The program will include a Chopin Etude and 4 of the Lyric Pieces by Edvard Grieg.

-REGIONAL PERFORMANCES:
PORTLAND GUITAR FESTIVAL will be March 4-6, a Thursday through Saturday. Performers will include David Tannenbaum and the Seattle Guitar Quartet, which includes Michael Partington, a guitarist we are considering for our concert min-series. The festival includes other performers and a guitar competition. An event-long pass is only $100. The brochure that Jarid Simons pointed to a website (http://www.guitarfestival.pdx.edu/), but this currently only lists information for last year's festival. Maybe it will be updated later.

David Tannenbaum, Director of guitar studies at the San Francisco Conservatory, will be performing the Rodrigo, Concerto de Aranjuez with the Eugene Symphony, (I think the dates are 13th and 14th though, don't quote me on it).

 

-LOCAL PERFORMANCES:
-Grant Ruiz will be performing at Elfinwood, the dining room at Ashland Springs Hotel for Valentine's Day dinner.

-Jaxon Williams plays "First Fridays" at Art and Soul Gallery in downtown Ashland from 6:30-8pm.

-The Bagel Shop Band plays folk music from Greece, Albania, Russia and other countries every Sunday from 9-12am at the Key of C coffeehouse in Ashland.

-Bil Leonhart plays at the Key of C Coffeehouse every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 2-4pm.

-The Rogue Valley Jazz Exchange meets at Paschal on the first Wednesday of every month at 7pm.

-Paschal is hosting a "locals night" on Friday, February 20th, from 6 to 9pm, with 15% off of bottles of wine, 50% off of glasses of wine, and appetizers.

 

For further information on these and other local and regional performances, visit the JCGS web site: http://www.JeffersonGuitar.org/clndr-jan.html

MEETING PERFORMANCES:
-Vivaldi Allegro from a Concerto Grosso, arranged for 5 guitars and played by: Dave Rogers, Pat Mayfield, Eddie Condon, James Walton, and Brandon Kester,
-Matt Dorris played Prelude from the 1st Cello Suite by Bach and Emergence by Andrew York on his new Larry K. Brown guitar.
-Jeff Rinkoff played the first part of the Fugue from Prelude Fugue and Allegro by Bach and Girl With the Flaxen Hair by Claude Debussy.
-Margaret Gelatt played Moderato by Fernando Sor
-Jaxon Williams played Prelude by Antonio Lauro.
-Roma Sprung played Romance Criolla by Jorge Morel.
-Grant Ruiz played The Waters Beneath by Brad Richter
-Steve Berman and Nick Kensey played and sang a Peruvian folk song on Charangos.
-Steve Berman played the Villa Lobos, Etude No. 11.
-Joe Thompson played two new original compositions, Simple Waltz and Venezuelan Waltz.
-Dark Rose Trio played Pavan for a Dead Princess by Maurice Ravel.

That's all for now. See you next time at Paschal. Remember, it's YOU who makes these wonderful meetings possible. The most effective way to build on the success of the JCGS is to show up at the monthly meetings. And bring a friend!

Please, stay tuned,

Joe Thompson

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Agenda to the March 2nd JCGS Meeting

Greetings, guitar enthusiasts!

Our next meeting is on Tuesday, March 2nd at Paschal Winery in Talent. Please note the start time at 6pm. This will allow people a half-hour to socialize before the meeting proper, which starts at 6:30. Try to get there and settle in before 6:30 so we can start on time. We will deal with business starting at 6:30 and get right to the music at 7:00pm. For directions to Paschal, go to: http://www.JeffersonGuitar.org/meetings.html For more information, call 552-9515. And remember, an easy way to contribute to the success of the JCGS is to show up at the monthly meetings. You are encouraged to invite a friend. If you do so, they might want to show up at 7pm to avoid the society business discussions.

 

HERE'S THE ACTUAL AGENDA for the meeting:

-Membership performances: who's playing when and where?
-Changes within the JCGS Board of Directors
- Announcements?

-PAYING YOUR DUES: If you paid your $10 annual dues ($5 for students) at any
time last year, they were good up until December 31, 2003. To remain a
member in "good standing" (what ever that means), you need to cough up some more bucks pronto, preferably at the next meeting. Any money from dues or other contributions paid to the JCGS is fully tax deductible. Reasons to be
a dues paying member include: 1.) tax deductable, 2.) ability to vote on
JCGS matters requiring the full attention of the membership, 3.) it feels
good to support an organization dedicated to the instrument we love, 4.)
first shot at tickets to JCGS sponsored events.

 

PERFORMANCE:
Every month, the JCGS meetings offer an opportunity for folks to play for an
attentive, appreciative, supportive and understanding audience. The
following are potential categories in which members might considering making
a musical offering. These are not in any particular order, and they may be
performed by soloists, duets, trios, quartets, etc.:

- Original Compositions/Arrangements
People seem to like this segment a lot. Folks are encouraged to have one
or more pieces prepared if they wish.

- Interpretive Works
Folks interested in performance experience are encouraged to prepare one
or more works by other composers.

- Works in Progress
Show us what you've got so far! You might even want to show how the piece
is coming along in future meetings.

As always, you don't have to play if you show up, but the more the merrier.

See you Tuesday!
And remember, stay tuned!

Joe

p.s. Bring a friend!

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Minutes to the March 2nd JCGS Meeting

Greetings, guitar enthusiasts!

I used to think that these guitar society meetings kept getting better and better all the time. Well, I don't think that any more. Now I think it is not that one is better than another but just that they are all so good and so different from one another. It is just that the one that has just happened seems like the best because its impact is still very immediate. Last Tuesday's meeting, March2nd, I continue to hear comments about how unique and special these gatherings are and how people look forward to each one. I couldn't agree more.

Attendees included: Liz Vesecky and Hersch King, Jerid Simons, Margaret Gelatt, Joe Thompson, Marcy Greene, Dierdre and Roger (all the way from London, England, Bil Leonhart, Betty McName, Randy Mason, Haila Williams, Jim Dietz, Francie Buckley, Terry Petty, Roma Sprung and her daughter, Dennis Kambury, Maurya Murphey and her son Habib, Grant Ruiz, Tom Rose, Matt Dorris and his wife Rene, Jaxon and Ronda Williams, Damian Mann, Sally Schafer, Mike Brown and Tess Dunaway, Sterling Cooley and his mother Eva, Dave Rogers, Dave's student, Eddy Condon, Kerry Larson for a total of 36 attendees. Sorry if I missed anyone.

UPCOMING EVENTS:
-Jefferson Guitar Trio consisting of Dave Rogers, Maurya Murphey and Matt Dorris will play a concert of music for three guitars on Sunday, March 21st, at 3pm. Tickets are $10 and will be available at the door.
-Matt Dorris will be playing his Senior Recital on Saturday, April 3rd, in the SOU Music Building Recital Hall. Stay tuned for more info.
-Matt Dorris will be performing in the production of "Little Shop of Horrors". Stay tuned for further details.
-Jaxon Williams will be competing in the solo guitar high school division of the Southern Oregon Music Educators Association (SOMEA) Solo Instrumental Competitions. This is a regional competition to determine who will go to the state level competition on May 1st in Eugene. Jaxon will perform Prelude No. 1 by Villa lobos and El Colibri by Julio Sagreras on Saturday, March 13th at 10:00am in the SOU Music Recital Hall.
-Grant Ruiz will be returning to the Oregon Shakespeare Festivals Green Show performances this summer. He will be involved in one of the three shows while Dave Rogers will be representing the plucked string instrumentalists in the other two shows. Our newest member, Dennis Kambury will be the sound designer for all three shows. Stay tuned for more info.

REGIONAL PERFORMANCES:
-PORTLAND GUITAR FESTIVAL will be March 4-6, a Thursday through Saturday. Performers will include David Tannenbaum and the Seattle Guitar Quartet, which includes Michael Partington, a guitarist we are considering for our concert min-series. The festival includes other performers and a guitar competition. An event-long pass is only $100. The brochure that Jarid Simons pointed to a website (http://www.guitarfestival.pdx.edu/), but this currently only lists information for last year's festival. Maybe it will be updated later.
-Matt Dorris will perform in the solo guitar competition as part of the Portland Guitar Festival. See above.

DISCUSSIONS:
-Grant announced that Dave Rogers has decided to step down from the Board of Directors of the Jefferson Classical Guitar Society. The Board will be meeting soon to decided whether or not we want to fill the position or continue working with our current 6 members.
-Haila Williams will be going to the Portland Guitar Festival this weekend. She has purchased a weekend pass and will be immersing herself in the various guitar events. She promises to give us a report upon her return.

-LOCAL PERFORMANCES:

-Jaxon Williams plays "First Fridays" at Art and Soul Gallery in downtown Ashland from 6:30-8pm.

-The Bagel Shop Band plays folk music from Greece, Albania, Russia and other countries every Sunday from 9-12am at the Key of C coffeehouse in Ashland.

-Bil Leonhart plays at the Key of C Coffeehouse every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 2-4pm.

-The Rogue Valley Jazz Exchange meets at Paschal on the first Wednesday of every month at 7pm.

-Paschal is hosting a "locals night" on Friday, March 19th, from 6 to 9pm, with 15% off of bottles of wine, 50% off of glasses of wine, and appetizers.

 

For further information on these and other local and regional performances, visit the JCGS web site: http://www.JeffersonGuitar.org/clndr-jan.html

MEETING PERFORMANCES:
-The Tolman Creek Trio consisting of Terry Petty, Francie Buckley, and Randy Mason were joined by guest artist, Liz Vesecky in a rendition of Michael Praetorius' arrangement of John Dowland's Courante.
-Terry Petty and Randy Mason played Lesson for Two Lutes by Anonymous.
-Sterling Cooley and his teacher Joe Thompson played Shenandoah and Streets of Laredo.
-Margaret Gellat played Estudio in A minor by Dionisio Aguado.
-Roma Sprung played Aire de Estilo from Dos Aires de Pompeanos by Jose Luis Merlin
-Grant Ruiz and Joe Thompson played Grants arrangements of Watermark by Enya and Cavatina (Theme from the Deer Hunter) by Stanley Meyers.
-Joe Thompson played his original compositions Fugue No. 3 and Study in 7/8.
-Eddy Condon played Rondo by Henry Purcell.
-Jaxon Williams played El Colibri (The Hummingbird) by Julio Sagreras.
-Maurya Murphey played Guardame Las Vacas by Luis Narvaez and Allemande from the 1st Lute Suite by J. S. Bach.
-Matt Dorris played Emergence by Andrew York, Prelude from 1st Cello Suite by J. S. Bach, Nocturn No. 1, Op. 65 by Frederik Chopin, and The Slope by James Marron.
-Jefferson Guitar Trio consisting of Dave Rogers, Maurya Murphey and Matt Dorris played Berceuse by Isaac Albeniz.
-Dave Rogers played Etude No. 1 by Heitor Villa Lobos and The Sound of Bells by Joao Pernambuco.

That's all for now. See you next time back at Paschal. Remember, it's YOU who makes these wonderful meetings possible. The most effective way to build on the success of the JCGS is to show up at the monthly meetings. And bring a friend!

Please, stay tuned,

Joe Thompson

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Minutes to the JCGS Board Meeting of March 18, 2004.
Meeting Location: The Great American Pizza Company
Attendees: Steve Berman, Maurya Murphey, Grant Ruiz (President), Bruce Smith, Roma Sprung (Treasurer), and Joe Thompson (Secretary)

 

Proposed agenda from el presidente, Grant

Here's a quick stab at an agenda. This is a largely brainstormed list,
so we needn't cover all of it, but I suggest that we at least cover the
first two topics:

Status of the board
- Reactions to Dave's resignation
- Communication and roles
- Whether/how to fill the slot before next year's election

Direction of the society
- Meetings
- Special events (e.g., guitar tasting, others?)
- Fundraising (e.g., concert by JCGS members, CDs, a JCGS calendar, others?)
- Concert promotion/organization (see below)
- Education and student/child outreach (e.g., scholarships, "Artists
in the Schools")

Our role in concert promotion/organization
- Partington and Masters, response to Dave's request for assistance
- Möller, D'Angelo, Dave Rogers from Eugene
- Tannenbaum
- David Russell, Manuel Barrueco, Badi Assad, Leo Brouwer
- Concert series at the Schneider Museum
- 2005 NWGF
- Relationships with SOU, JPR (incl. promoting more guitar on the radio)
- Relationship with Craterian and other venues

Financials and JCGS annual report to the state
- Review of Roma's numbers previously sent to Bruce
- Status of filing annual report
- Tax filing status

News
- Possible genesis of a JCGS library
- Pieces written and provided by Cuban composer/guitarist José
Antonio (Ñico) Rojas on the web site

 

Discussions:

1. Status of the Board

Grant asked for individual members reactions to and perceptions of Dave's resignation from the Board. Generally, members expressed confusion as to what had transpired. Joe reviewed the history of the events leading up to Dave's resignation to bring the whole board up to speed. We also confirmed that the board wants to operate on a basis of consensus.

With Dave's resignation from the Board, we are one member short of the maximum of seven. It was agreed that Grant would ask Liz Vesecky if she would be interested in filling the position because she had expressed an interest at the January's general meeting. It was further decided that the members at the general meeting of the JCGS in April would be asked to approve with a vote. It was agreed that the position would also be opened to other nominees.

2. Our role in the Masters/Partington concerts

We discussed Dave Rogers' request for assistance with the presentation of the Masters and Partington concerts and how we would respond to it. We agreed that we would spread the word within the guitar society through announcements at meetings, word-of-mouth and e-mail, but we decided not to be involved with general publicity because these concerts are not JCGS sponsored events. It was decided that the JCGS would offer to assist with the presentation of the Masters and Partington concerts by meeting the artists at the airport, housing them, showing them around town, and shuttling them to and from the concerts and masterclasses. Maurya volunteered to be the liaison between the JCGS Board and Dave.

Generally, the board decided it is willing to deal with Dave Rogers regarding future events, but we won't set any expectations on his level of involvement in our plans, nor on our level of involvement in his plans.

3. Direction of the Guitar Society

We agreed that our monthly general meetings at Paschal are perfect and should be left alone.

As for the presentation of concert artists, we discussed three possible ways to be involved: 1.) The involvement of the JCGS with other local organizations, such as the Britt Festival in encouraging the presentation of noted artists and in working with them in any feasible way, 2.) Presenting the easy concerts by artists who are passing through and who are willing to play for the gate receipts, and 3.) Raising funds to sponsor more notable players.

We discussed various fund raising options. Ideas included: 1.) a fundraising concerts by stronger players within the JCGS, 2.) another Guitar Tasting event, 3.) a compilation CD of JCGS Members, 4.) a JCGS calendar which could be sold, 5.) Grants (City of Ashland, Rotary, etc.) 6.) Selling ads in concert programs.

Roma made a presentation to the Board about the possibility of a future presentation of her friend, concert guitarist, Jason Vieaux.. Mr. Vieaux was a winner of the GFA competition in the early 90's and went on to have a highly successful concert carreer. She will talk with his agent and let us know what transpires.

4. Who is willing to do what?

Bruce:
- Research grant writing and potential researchers/writers.
- File annual report with the state using Roma's financial info.

Grant:
- Ask Liz Vesecky if she wants to join the board and run an election
at the next general meeting.
- Research grant writing and potential researchers/writers.
- Contact David Tannenbaum about stopping in Ashland when he comes to
Eugene to play Concierto de Aranjuez in March 2005. Will offer the
same deal we gave Brad.
- Continue working on JCGS fundraising CD and ask Ashland's Dave
Rogers if he still wants to be on it.

Joe:
- Contact Nuccio D'Angelo to tell him that we cannot offer a substantial
enough deal in between his concerts to the south and north of us to warrant adding a separate flight.
- Contact Johannes Möller to say that we have another guitarist lining
up for October, so we will not be able to accommodate him at that time,
but we would like to stay in touch.
- Investigate generating a calendar using Microsoft Word in case we decide
to create a calendar for fundraising.

Maurya:
- Tell Dave Rogers that JCGS is willing to help with the Partington and
Masters events. We will help with "day of" preparations and providing transportation, lodging, and at least one meal for the visitors. We will not put any effort toward promotion (other than spreading the word to society members and friends) since these are not JCGS-sponsored events.

Roma:
- Will contact Jason Vieaux to collect more information on schedules,
logistics, etc. regarding a possible appearance here.

Minutes prepared by
Joseph Thompson, Secretary, Jefferson Classical Guitar Guitar Society

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Agenda for the April 6th JCGS Meeting

Greetings, guitar enthusiasts!

Was it was just me or did March seem like a really long month. Maybe we should have two meetings on the really long months. Well, probably not, but boy am I ready for another JCGS meeting. Our next meeting is this Tuesday, April 4th at Paschal Winery. You might want to get there a bit early to enjoy the spreading light of the setting sun as it spills onto the hills surrounding the vineyard. (I must be a poet!) Oh, and while I'm thinking about it, "spend it if you've got it" at Paschal. Let's continue to show Rene and Aga how much we appreciate their efforts on our behalf. Please note the start time at 6pm. This will allow people a half-hour to socialize before the meeting proper, which starts at 6:30. Try to get there and settle in before 6:30 so we can start on time. We will deal with business starting at 6:30 and get right to the music at 7:00pm.

Directions to Paschal: From I-5, take the Talent Exit (exit 21). If coming from the north (Medford), turn left at the stop sign onto West Valley View Road and go over the freeway. If coming from the south (Ashland), turn right at the stop sign onto West Valley View Road. Proceed on West Valley View road to the "T" intersection. At the "T" turn left onto Suncrest Road. Note the sign for Paschal Winery pointing to the left. Continue on Suncrest Road for 1.1 miles. Then you'll see a sign for the winery on the left. The winery is at 1122 Suncrest Road. It sits in the midst of a vineyard, at the end of a long driveway.

For more information, call 552-9515. And remember, an easy way to contribute to the success of the JCGS is to show up at the monthly meetings. You are encouraged to invite a friend. If you do so, they might want to show up at 7pm to avoid the society business discussions.

FINGERNAIL FACT No. 47: People who are right handed have stronger fingernails on their right hand than on their left and visa versa. Hmmmm?

JCGS WEB SITE UPDATE:
-Grant and I (Joe) worked on a new section of the website yesterday. When it is up and running, it will feature the music of the 82 year old Cuban guitarist/composer, José Antonio (Ñico) Rojas Beoto. He contacted us via the JCGS website late last year offering to share scores of two of his compositions for solo guitar. When this new page is complete, it will include a bio and photo of the artist as well as downloadable PDF files of his scores and sound files of his recordings. It is a true gift he is sharing with us. And he is allowing us an opportunity to make it available to the world. Very exciting.

-Also exciting is finally understanding how to make sheet music available over the website. A number of artists, both members and guests have inquired into making their music available to the world via our website and now we are developing the means to do that. Please stay tuned.

HERE'S THE ACTUAL AGENDA for the meeting:

- Membership performances: who's playing when and where?
- Announcements?
- Report from the Portland Guitar Festival (Haila? Matt?)
- Discussion/review of Matt Dorris' Senior Recital
- Discussion/review of Jaxon Williams' State Solo Finalist's Concert at Craterian

REVIEW OF JCGS BUSINESS ACTIVITY since the last meeting:
- Review of board meeting minutes and subsequent updates
- Electing a new board member
- Starting a JCGS library
- Treasury update after $250 contribution
- Updates on concerts: Nuccio D'Angelo, Johannes Möller, Michael Partington,
Martha Masters, Jason Vieaux, David Tanenbaum.

-PAYING YOUR DUES: If you paid your $10 annual dues ($5 for students) at any
time last year, they were good up until December 31, 2003. To remain a
member in "good standing" (what ever that means), you need to cough up some more bucks pronto, preferably at the next meeting. Any money from dues or other contributions paid to the JCGS is fully tax deductible. Reasons to be
a dues paying member include: 1.) tax deductible, 2.) ability to vote on
JCGS matters requiring the full attention of the membership, 3.) it feels
good to support an organization dedicated to the instrument we love, 4.)
first shot at tickets to JCGS sponsored events.

PERFORMANCE:

Every month, the JCGS meetings offer an opportunity for folks to play for an
attentive, appreciative, supportive and understanding audience. The
following are potential categories in which members might considering making
a musical offering. These are not in any particular order, and they may be
performed by soloists, duets, trios, quartets, etc.:

- Original Compositions/Arrangements
People seem to like this segment a lot. Folks are encouraged to have one
or more pieces prepared if they wish.

- Interpretive Works
Folks interested in performance experience are encouraged to prepare one
or more works by other composers.

- Works in Progress
Show us what you've got so far! You might even want to show how the piece
is coming along in future meetings.

As always, you don't have to play if you show up, but the more the merrier.

See you Tuesday!
And remember, stay tuned!

Joe

p.s. Bring a friend!

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Minutes for the April 6th JCGS Meeting

Greetings, guitar enthusiasts!

Another stellar meeting! Thanks to all of you who were able to participate. One thing that struck me about last night's meeting was the tremendous variety of music that people offered. Perhaps the last two performers are most indicative of how wide a range of expression there is within our gatherings. The penultimate performer, Dave Rogers, treated us to a work played on his arch-lute, an extraordinary instrument, both visually and sonically. This is something you just don't hear or see every day. The instrument's 14 courses (24 strings, I think?) stood in sharp contrast to the 4-string ukelele upon which our final player, jazz guitarist Bil Leonhart, played a set of improvised variations on the tune (tuning?) "My Dog Has Fleas", throwing in snippets of "Ain't She Sweet" and "One Morning in May" for good measure (no pun intended).

Among the numerous first time attendees was Lindy Gomez, a woman from Roseburg who had seen the "Francie's New Guitar" article on the JCGS website wherein Francie Buckley had talked about her experience having a small size guitar built. Lindy drove down to partake of our monthly meeting and to play Francie's guitar. We also had two veteran musicians in our midst: Murray Huggins, master player and builder of the Highland Bagpipes, and classical guitarist and vocalist Komac Tapp. Murray is currently a student of the classical guitar. Komac studied guitar in Portugal as a teenager. Both grew up in Ashland and between them have over 70 years of experience in music.

Attendees included: Liz Vesecky and Hersch King, Jerid Simons, Margaret Gelatt, Joe Thompson, Murel Wilson, Bil Leonhart, Randy Mason, Haila Williams, Jim Dietz, Francie Buckley, Roma Sprung, Dennis Kambury, Nathan Hoyt and his parents Mike and Kim, Bruce and Barbara Smith and their friends from Italy Fabrizio Severoni and Massimo Innocenti, Jessica Mitchel, Alyce La Gasse, Grant Ruiz, Tom Rose and his friend Jim from Seattle, Dave Rogers, Dan Verner, Murray Huggins, Mike Brown, Lindy Gomez from Roseburg, Bonnie Monnin, Tess Dunaway, Matt Gwinup, Anthony White, Amber Schreiber, Komac Tapp, for a total of 36.

DISCUSSIONS:
-Haila Williams gave us a report on her experience at the Portland Guitar Festival. She has friends in the area that made her stay very enjoyable. The concert artists she heard were Anna Pedovic, David Tannenbaum, Adam Holzman, and David Franzen. Haila's favorite player was Adam Holzman who she found very warm in his sound and his presentation of the music. In contrast, she found Mr. Tannenbaum more formal. She also attended a masterclass presented by David Tannenbaum who is the head of the guitar department at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She found it very informative. One valuable idea she gleaned was related to slow practice. He said, "Slow down to the point where you are 100% sure of every note". Haila says she is looking forward to next year's Portland Guitar Festival. She also
learned of a product for strengthening fingernails called "Nail Tique Formula 2".

-We had reports on performances by Jaxon Williams and Matt Dorris. As a finalist in the Solo Instrumental Contest, Jaxon was invited to play at the Craterian Ginger Rogers Theatre along with the 20 other finalists from District 7. He will compete for the State Championship on May 1st in Corvallis. Matt Dorris recently played his senior recital at the SOU Recital Hall. Mike Brown reported that Matt did a "nice job" on his concert and that it was "very enjoyable".

-We briefly talked about presenting another guitar tasting and a few ideas were kicked around, including a guitar tasting featuring special instruments of our members, and an historical instrument tasting.

-A JCGS Member's Library of guitar music was discussed. Dan Ferris will soon be making a donation of some of his guitar music to get the collection jump-started.

-Grant noted that we just received our first corporate matching funds. It was initiated by an anonymous donor who gave the JCGS $250 and it was matched by the corporation with which the person is affiliated. It reaffirmed for us that our 501c(3) status is fully functional and, in the words of our illustrious leader, el presidente Grant Ruiz, "We are now rich beyond the dreams of avarice".

-Johannes Moller will not be coming to perform for us because of a timing conflict with another guitar concert.

-Concert guitarist, Michael Partington will be performing for us the end of October 2004 and Martha Masters will be performing in mid-January 2005.

-Unfortunately, Italian guitarist, Nuccio D'Angelo, will not be performing due to a problem with his work visa. We hope to catch him upon his return in the early part of 2005.

JCGS Treasurer Roma Sprung is exploring the possibility of having past GFA winner, Jason Vieaux (sp?) play for us at some point in the future.

-We filled the vacancy on the JCGS Board of directors with the election of Liz Vesecky. Welcome aboard, Liz and many thanks for stepping up.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

-Ashland painter/guitarist, Dan Verner is exhibiting his paintings of local musicians at the Key of C Coffeehouse in Ashland

-Murray Huggins, SISKIYOU PIOBAIREACHD SOCIETY meets the 2nd Saturday of every month at Meadow Lark Barn near Jacksonville at 3:30pm. For more info, contact Murray at (541) 779 ­ 3068.

 

-LOCAL PERFORMANCES:

-Jaxon Williams plays "First Fridays" at Art and Soul Gallery in downtown Ashland from 6:30-8pm.

-The Bagel Shop Band plays folk music from Greece, Albania, Russia and other countries every Sunday from 9-12am at the Key of C coffeehouse in Ashland.

-Bil Leonhart plays at the Key of C Coffeehouse every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 2-4pm.

-Komac Tapp plays and sings at El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant for the dinner hour every Monday and Tuesday.

-The Rogue Valley Jazz Exchange meets at Paschal on the first Wednesday of every month at 7pm.

-Paschal is hosting a "locals night" on Friday, January 16th, from 6 to 9pm, with 15% off of bottles of wine, 50% off of glasses of wine, and appetizers.

 

For further information on these and other local and regional performances, visit the JCGS web site: http://www.JeffersonGuitar.org/clndr-jan.html

MEETING PERFORMANCES:
-Nathan Hoyt played Allegro by Mauro Guilliani
-Matt Gwinup played El Regelon by Hector Ayala, Estudio No. 11 by Leo Brouwer and The Sound of Bells by Pernambuco
-Anthony White played Study No. 1 and 2 (from the Segovia Collection) by Fernando Sor
-Roma Sprung played the 1st movement of Homage to Piazzolla entitled Confuseta by Maximo Pujol.
-Grant Ruiz played Don de esta Corizon by Luis Martinez Sarrano and a traditional flamenco Soleares.
-Joe Thompson played his transcription of J S Bach's Siciliana from the 1st Violin Sonata unaccompanied and an original composition, Springtime Rag.
-Komac Tapp played Recuerdos de la Alhambra by Francisco Tarrega.
-Dave Rogers played Bergamasca' by Bernardo Gianoncelli on the arch-lute. No dates exist for the composer but he published a book called 'Il Liuto' in Venice in 1650. Dave will be performing this work in the Henry greenshow this summer at OSF along with a number of other fine solos that were used by Respighi in the 'Ancient Airs and Dances' orchestra suite.
-Bil Leonhart played an improvisation on "My Dog Has Fleas" rounding it out with snippets from "One Morning in May" and "Ain't She Sweet", performing on a handmade ukulele built by JCGS member, Mike Brown.

That's all for now. See you next time back at Paschal. Remember, it's YOU who makes these wonderful meetings possible. The most effective way to build on the success of the JCGS is to show up at the monthly meetings. And bring a friend!

Please, stay tuned,

Joe Thompson

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Agenda for the May 4th JCGS Meeting

Greetings, guitar enthusiasts!

It's that time again. The May meeting falls on a full moon. Clear your calendars, it should be a real barn burner!

Our next meeting is Tuesday, May 4th, at Paschal Winery in Talent. Please note the start time at 6pm. This will allow people a half-hour to socialize before the meeting proper, which starts at 6:30. Try to get there and settle in before 6:30 so we can start on time. We will deal with business starting at 6:30 and get right to the music at 7:00pm. For directions to Paschal, go to: http://www.JeffersonGuitar.org/meetings.html For more information, call 552-9515. And remember, an easy way to contribute to the success of the JCGS is to show up at the monthly meetings. You are encouraged to invite a friend. If you do so, they might want to show up at 7pm to avoid the society business discussions.

Note: The Dark Rose Trio (Steve Berman, Grant Ruiz, and Joe Thompson) will be playing first at 7pm, so people who want to check out our latest works in progress should come early.

JCGS WEB SITE UPDATE: Keep your eyes peeled for a new menu listing on the website. It will have the heading "Music" and will be a link to free guitar music in PDF format. Our first offering will be from the Cuban guitarist Nico Rojas who contacted the JCGS via our website. This offering will be complete with sound files of Senor Rojas playing his compositions. Upcoming additions to this page will be from JCGS member and board member, Liz Vesecky, Eugene guitarist Dave Rogers, and perhaps, yours truly, JT. This should be a good place to check back frequently for new additions. I will alert you when it is available.

REVIEW OF JCGS BUSINESS ACTIVITY since the last meeting:
-The JCGS Board of Directors has been having e-mail discussions as to what our concert season should look like and have planned a May 20th meeting for further discussions.
-The Rotary Grant application
-Potential concert with virtuoso guitarist, Jason Vieaux, winner of the 1993 GFA competition.
-Upcoming concert with Eugene guitarist, Dave Rogers. Saturday, June 19th, at Headwaters Gallery on 4th Street in Ashland.

HERE'S THE ACTUAL AGENDA for the meeting:

-Membership performances: who's playing when and where?
-The JCGS library of guitar music is now official. Dan Ferris has made a remarkable contribution of guitar music to get a library underway.
-A JCGS Concert Season
-the Rotary Grant application
-Dave (Eugene) Rogers Concert on June 19th
-Potential Jason Vieaux concert
- Announcements?

-PAYING YOUR DUES: If you paid your $10 annual dues ($5 for students) at any
time last year, they were good up until December 31, 2003. To remain a
member in "good standing" (what ever that means), you need to cough up some
more bucks pronto, preferably at the next meeting. Any money from dues or
other contributions paid to the JCGS is fully tax deductible. Reasons to be
a dues paying member include: 1.) tax deductable, 2.) ability to vote on
JCGS matters requiring the full attention of the membership, 3.) it feels
good to support an organization dedicated to the instrument we love, 4.)
first shot at tickets to JCGS sponsored events.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS:
-JCGS will sponsor Eugene Guitarist, Dave Rogers in a concert scheduled for Saturday, June 19th, at the Headwaters Gallery on 4th Street in Ashland. Stay tuned for further details.

PERFORMANCE:

Every month, the JCGS meetings offer an opportunity for folks to play for an
attentive, appreciative, supportive and understanding audience. The
following are potential categories in which members might considering making
a musical offering. These are not in any particular order, and they may be
performed by soloists, duets, trios, quartets, etc.:

- Original Compositions/Arrangements
People seem to like this segment a lot. Folks are encouraged to have one
or more pieces prepared if they wish.

- Interpretive Works
Folks interested in performance experience are encouraged to prepare one
or more works by other composers.

- Works in Progress
Show us what you've got so far! You might even want to show how the piece
is coming along in future meetings.

As always, you don't have to play if you show up, but the more the merrier.

See you Tuesday!
And remember, stay tuned!

Joe

p.s. Bring a friend!

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Minutes to the May 4th JCGS Meeting

Greetings, guitar enthusiasts!

HOLY SMOKES!!! What a meeting we had. There were well over 50 people in attendance, probably over 60. I like to try to keep track of everyone who shows up, but on Tuesday night, it was just not possible. There was one group who looked like they might have been there to hear the SOU students. There was a large contingent of Mike Hoyt's biker friends (the friendly kind on the motor less bicycles). Then there were two separate groups who came in with picnic baskets. They bought wine and made an evening of it. Aga and Rene (of Paschal) were smiling broadly with all of the business that we brought in.

Attendees included: Steve Berman, Liz Vesecky and Hersch King, Jerid Simons, Margaret Gelatt, Joe Thompson, Marcy Greene, Murel Wilson, Randy Mason and his friend, Haila Williams, Jim Dietz, Francie Buckley, Roma Sprung and her daughter Maia, Dennis Kambury, Maurya Murphey, Nathan Hoyt and his parents Mike and Kim, Jeff Altemus, Bruce and Barbara Smith, Terry Petty and his wife, Grant Ruiz, Tom Rose, Jaxon and his parents, Doug and Ronda Williams and his sister, Rebecca, David Brown and his parents Susan and Peter, Mike Brown and his friend, Lindy Gomez, Dave Rogers and his SOU students, Pat Mayfield, Eddie Condon, James Walton, Brandon Kester, and Anthony White, Jeff Danzig and his wife, Milton and Laurel, John and Paul Reeder and their parents and sister, Sebastian and his friend. Then there were the above mentioned groups of folks that I didn't know (perhaps 14). I'm going to put the official head count at 68, a new attendance record! I hope I didn't leave anyone out.

DISCUSSIONS:

-JCGS Website: There is a major new section of the website in the development stages. When finished, it will feature downloadable sheet music for guitar.
-JCGS Concert Season set at three major concerts for the 2004-05 season. They are Michael Partington in late October, Martha Masters in mid January, and we are working on Jason Vieaux for sometime in March of '05.
-JCGS has scheduled a concert with Eugene guitarist, David C. Rogers. It is set for the evening of Saturday, June 19th at 8:00 pm. The venue is the Headwaters Gallery on 4th Street in Ashland. Stay tuned for more info.
-Volunteer co-coordinator Liz Vesecky put out a call for volunteers to help out at the Rogers concert in June. If you are able to help out, you can reach her via e-mail at: eVesecky@mac.com
-Rotary Club Grant: The Ashland Rotary Club offers grants to help fund projects by local non-profit organizations. JCGS has applied for a grant to assist with the Jason Vieaux concert. Stay tuned for the results of these efforts.

WHO'S PLAYING WHERE WHEN:

-May 8, Saturday at 7:30 pm: Concert of SEPHARDIC MUSIC
with Steve Berman & Sharon Dvora

Join us for an intimate evening of Sephardic songs from the diverse musical
worlds of Medieval Spain, Turkey, Morocco, Bukhara, Greece and the Balkans. A rich blending of voices and instrumental accompaniment on oud, saz, tamboura, guitar, violin, tabla and dumbek.

Guest artists: Olof Soderback and Miguel Tejada-Flores

Saturday, May 8th
7:30 in the evening
at Havurah Shir Hadash
185 No. Mountain Ave. Ashland
$5 at the door children/free

All funds raised will benefit the Havurah's pre-school program.

-May 8, Saturday from 1-4pm: Robert Ross will play classical guitar music at Paschal Winery for casual wine tasting.
-May 13th, Thursday, at 11:00 am, Maurya Murphey will play her Junior Recital at the SOU Music Recital Hall on Mountain Ave. in Ashland.
-May 17, Monday, at 8:00pm, the guitar division of the Music Department at SOU will give their annual guitar concert featuring the students of guitar professor, Dave Rogers. It will be in the SOU Music Recital Hall on Mountain Ave. in Ashland.
-June 6th Sunday, from 1-5 pm, Margaret Gellat will be playing in a tree house in a garden on East Oregon Street in Ashland as part of the "Spring Garden Tour". The event is sponsored by the Ashland Branch of the American Association of University Women. For more info, call 482-7181 or visit: http://www.aauwashland.org

UPCOMING EVENTS:
-June 19, Saturday: Guitar concert with Eugene guitarist and Ashland legend, David C. Rogers. 8:00pm at Headwaters Gallery on 4th Street in Ashland.

-LOCAL PERFORMANCES:

-Jaxon Williams plays "First Fridays" at Art and Soul Gallery in downtown Ashland from 6:30-8pm.

-The Bagel Shop Band plays folk music from Greece, Albania, Russia and other countries every Sunday from 9-12am at the Key of C coffeehouse in Ashland.

-Bil Leonhart plays at the Key of C Coffeehouse every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 2-4pm.

-The Rogue Valley Jazz Exchange meets at Paschal on the first Wednesday of every month at 7pm.

-Paschal is hosting a "locals night" on Friday, May 21st, from 6 to 9pm, with 15% off of bottles of wine, 50% off of glasses of wine, and appetizers.

 

For further information on these and other local and regional performances, visit the JCGS web site: http://www.JeffersonGuitar.org/clndr-jan.html

MEETING PERFORMANCES:
-Dark Rose Trio (Steve Berman, Grant Ruiz, and Joe Thompson) played Pavane by Gabriel Faure (arr. by Joe Thompson) and Etude by Alexander Scriabin (arr. By Grant Ruiz)
-Nathan Hoyt played Vals by Bartolome Cattledude
Lindy Gomez played Se Lo Ma Corgo (sp?) by anonymous
-Toleman Creek Quartet (Francie Buckley, Terry Petty, Randy Mason, and Liz Vesecky) played two late Rennaisance works from a collection by Pretorius, Volte I and Volte II.
-Toleman Creek Trio (Francie Buckley, Terry Petty, and Randy Mason) Played Kitty McGinnis by Turlough O'Carolan
-John Reeder and his teacher, Jaxon Williams played Song of the Wind
-Paul Reeder and his teacher, Jaxon Williams played Go Tell Aunt Rhody
-Tom Reddick and Joe Thompson played La Rosignol by anonymous and Mr. Southcoat's Pavan by Thomas Ford
-Jaxon Williams and Joe Thompson played Fantasia #1 by G. P. Telemann (arr by Joe Thompson)
-SOU guitar Quartet (Dave Rogers, Eddie Condon, Pat Mayfield, and Matt Gwinup) played two movements by Correlli and a Concerto Grosso by Antonio Vivaldi
-Eddie Condon played two pieces by Pernambuco
-Pat Mayfield and Eddie Condon played an original duet by Pat Mayfield entitled "Jig and a Telemann Fantasia by G. P. Telemann (arr. by Joe Thompson)
-Pat Mayfield played Prelude No. 1 by Villa Lobos and an untitled original composition
-Maurya Murphey played Bouree from the 1st Lute Suite by J. S. Bach and fugue by Johan Pachelbel.
-Anthony White played Carcassi Etude #3
-Steve Berman accompanied himself singing a Peruvian folk song, "Luna te cu Mana (my best guess)
-Joe Thompson played an original composition Waltz in Rondo

That's all for now. See you next time back at Paschal. Remember, it's YOU who makes these wonderful meetings possible. The most effective way to build on the success of the JCGS is to show up at the monthly meetings. And bring a friend!

Please, stay tuned,

Joe Thompson

 

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Minutes to the JCGS Board Meeting of May 20, 2004.
Meeting Location: Roma's home
Attendees: Steve Berman, Maurya Murphey, Grant Ruiz (President), Bruce Smith, Roma Sprung (Treasurer), and Joe Thompson (Secretary)

 

Proposed agenda from secretary, Joe Thompson

Proposed Agenda for a JCGS Board Meeting:

-Welcome Liz to the Board and help her get up to speed: Liz says, "Yes, I agree we should plan a meeting soon (the e-mails are a jumble in my head!). We can all take notes and be informed about what is coming up and when.

-A JCGS Concert Season: How many artists and when?

-Address Bruce's concerns: Bruce says, "I vote yes, but with some hesitation. I would like to know when the Rotary will give us an answer: and when we have to commit to Jason. If the Rotary says no, then we would have to raise the $2,500 ourselves, plus the cost of a hall. We can probably accomplish this, but it would put some pressure on the Society that I am not sure we want. Is there a chance of getting KSOR/SOU in on the deal (and using the Concert Hall)? If we could get some PR from the radio station we might be able to generate a Falla-type turnout, and all our sorrows would be over!"

Address Grant's concerns: Grant says, "And for the record, I wasn't suggesting that we ask Jason to hold a date without a commitment from us. Quite the contrary, I was suggesting that we be forthcoming about our funding situation with him, and that we avoid setting a date without any plan to fund the events. Roma is confident that we can raise the funds, which is great. At the same time, I would be much more comfortable with our talking to Martha/Jason while formulating a concrete plan for raising money."

Discuss fund raising issues: Liz offered these ideas, "Re ways to raise money: I vote first for a concert by the pros in our society, a nice reception (rather than a dinner) that includes wine and snacks, and a program that includes ads (this is a very good idea)."

-Other fund raising ideas:

-The rotary letter.
-Other grants.
-Making and Selling calendars.
-A JCGS members concert featuring our strongest players.
-a spaghetti feed (or some such) before the above concert
-a reception after the above concert
-Selling ads in concert programs
-A silent auction
-Hitting up banks, doctors (Roma's friends) and real estate brokers for
donations.
-Have Bil L. hawk JCGS CD's around town.
-A JCGS Concert Season Brochure

Discussions:

1. Welcome Liz to the Board:
We talked about our general mode of operation, frequency of meetings, and use of e-mail to air out various items of concern. Liz agreed to remain in charge of volunteer efforts within the society.

2. 2004-05 JCGS Concert Season:
We decided to limit our primary concert season to 3 major artists per year. The 2004-05 JCGS Concert Season will bring Michael Partington on October 29th, Martha Masters on January 14th, and Jason Vieaux on March 11th. We also discussed a general desire among the board members to support local and regional performing artists by sponsoring concerts when opportunities arise. Maurya noted that there should be a distinction between the local/regional artists and the concert season artists proper.

3. Fundraising ideas to support Concert Series:
-A fundraising concert by the pros in the society.
-Concert would raise money and promote the upcoming concert season.
-A wine and cheese reception in conjunction with the concert.
-Brochure to promote JCGS Concert Series
-Selling ads in Brochure and programs
-Solicitations

4. Revamp JCGS brochure:
-include ideas from Oregon Flute Circle brochure
-benefits for card carrying members
-list contributing members

5. Venue for Fundraising concert?
-Oregon Stage Works
-Ball Room of Ashland Springs Hotel
-SOU Art Building Hall
-Oregon Cabaret Theatre
-Community Center

6. Bruce's concern:
-What if Rotary grant doesn't come through? Do we want to take on the burden of raising funds for Jason Vieaux concert? (Note: in the interim, the Rotary grant did not come through). The board found Roma's enthusiasm to be infectious and all agreed in a vote to move forward with the Vieaux concert booking.
-Roma will head up the fundraising for the Vieaux concert and will continue to nail down the details of booking his concert date.

7. Concert Series Brochure:
Joe agreed to get a start on the brochure. It should include:
-Intro
-Player's bios and photos
-Spaces for ads
-Catagories for donors


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Agenda for the June 1st JCGS Meeting

Greetings, guitar enthusiasts!

Yes, of course there is a meeting of the JCGS on June 1st, the first Tuesday of the new month. Just because your loyal secretary allowed himslef to get distracted and he neglected to send out a notice in a timely manner, doesn't mean that there is no meeting. There is always a meeting. It is like the sun rising and setting. It will happen whether anyone talks about it or not.

That being said, our next meeting is June 1st (today) at Paschal Winery in Talent. Please note the start time at 6pm. This will allow people a half-hour to socialize before the meeting proper, which starts at 6:30. Try to get there and settle in before 6:30 so we can start on time. We will deal with business starting at 6:30 and get right to the music at 7:00pm. For directions to Paschal, go to: http://www.JeffersonGuitar.org/meetings.html For more information, call 552-9515. And remember, an easy way to contribute to the success of the JCGS is to show up at the monthly meetings. You are encouraged to invite a friend. If you do so, they might want to show up at 7pm to avoid the society business discussions.

JCGS WEB SITE UPDATE: The new music page is up and running. I would appreciate any feed back on how the control panels are functioning. These panels are an easy way to play the sound files that accompany the written music files. If you are having any problems playing them, I would love to know about it. Also, if they are working well, it would be helpful to know that also.

REVIEW OF JCGS BUSINESS ACTIVITY since the last meeting: The JCGS Board of Directors held a meeting on May 20th. We discussed the 2004-2005 Concert Season. This will include:
-Michael Partington on Friday, Oct. 29, 04 evening concert c. 8:00pm? with a Saturday morning, Oct. 30 master class.
-Martha Masters on Friday evening, January 14, 05 with a class Saturday morning, Jan. 15.
-Jason Vieaux on Friday, March 11 with a master class on Saturday March 12.

HERE'S THE ACTUAL AGENDA for the meeting:

-Membership performances: who's playing when and where?
-Upcoming concert with David Rogers
-2004-2005 JCGS Concert Season
-JCGS Fundraising concert and activities
- Announcements?

-PAYING YOUR DUES: If you paid your $10 annual dues ($5 for students) at any
time last year, they were good up until December 31, 2003. To remain a
member in "good standing" (what ever that means), you need to cough up some
more bucks pronto, preferably at the next meeting. Any money from dues or
other contributions paid to the JCGS is fully tax deductible. Reasons to be
a dues paying member include: 1.) tax deductable, 2.) ability to vote on
JCGS matters requiring the full attention of the membership, 3.) it feels
good to support an organization dedicated to the instrument we love, 4.)
first shot at tickets to JCGS sponsored events.

 

 

UPCOMING EVENTS:
David Rogers
World Classical Guitar

Our next concert will be by Eugene guitarist and Ashland legend, David C. Rogers. The performance will be on the evening of Saturday, June 19th at 8:00 pm at Headwaters Gallery, 84 Fourth Street, in Ashland.

Combine virtuoso classical guitar technique with a wide knowledge of world music, and the result is the amazingly versatile guitar music repertoire of David Rogers. Here are settings of Balkan Gypsy dances, Irish harp music, and pieces from Spain and South America, punctuated with amazingly lively rhythm and beautiful, expressive quality of tone. Here also are driving renditions of American fingerstyle masterworks by Leo Kottke, John Fahey, Duck Baker and originals, done with full presence on nylon string guitar using classical technique but leaving out none of the driving style. Add to this the polished performances of selected classics by Bach, Weiss, Sor, Tarrega, Villa-Lobos and others, plus adaptations from such jazz masters as Django Reinhart and Thelonious Monk. Rogers' setting of Scott Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag" has received no less praise from his fellow guitar soloists than his high-Baroque harmonizations of airs by the Irish harper Turlough O'Carolan, and the Scottish composer James Oswald. Dave provides wide stylistic variety to provide listeners with the most varied listening experience possible.

 

PERFORMANCE:

Every month, the JCGS meetings offer an opportunity for folks to play for an
attentive, appreciative, supportive and understanding audience. The
following are potential categories in which members might considering making
a musical offering. These are not in any particular order, and they may be
performed by soloists, duets, trios, quartets, etc.:

- Original Compositions/Arrangements
People seem to like this segment a lot. Folks are encouraged to have one
or more pieces prepared if they wish.

- Interpretive Works
Folks interested in performance experience are encouraged to prepare one
or more works by other composers.

- Works in Progress
Show us what you've got so far! You might even want to show how the piece
is coming along in future meetings.

As always, you don't have to play if you show up, but the more the merrier.

See you Tuesday!
And remember, stay tuned!

Joe

p.s. Bring a friend!

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======================================================

Minutes to the June 1st JCGS Meeting

Greetings, guitar enthusiasts!

I was worried about this most recent meeting because of the lateness of my e-mail notice (agenda). I hope nobody missed it because of my tardy reminder. I was pleased to note, however, that many of our attendees seem to be on automatic pilot when it comes to attending the first Tuesday JCGS meeting at Paschal Winery. Thanks to all of you who were there and my apologies to any who missed a great evening because of my distractions. I would like to offer a warm welcome to Webster Young, a composer from New York City who was with us on Tuesday evening. He brought along one of his tremelo compositions for guitar of which he had numerous copies that he generously gave out to interested guitarists. Another warm welcome to Matthew Fujikawa who played a stirringly virtuosic "Patriotic Medeley" on the ukelele that included themes from "America the Beautiful", "The Star Spangled Banner", "Yankee Doodle Dandy", and "The Red, White, and Blue".

Attendees included: Steve Berman, Grant Ruiz, Liz Vesecky and Hersch King, Jerid Simons, Margaret Gelatt, Joe Thompson, Marcy Greene, Lee Van Duzer, Bil Leonhart, Randy Mason, Haila Williams, Francie Buckley, Roma and Al Sprung and their friend Uma, Dennis Kambury, Bruce Smith, Terry Petty, Tom Rose, Matt Dorris and his wife Rene, Mike Brown and his wife Jane Corlett, Tess Dunaway, new attendee, composer Webster Young from NYC, new attendees from Hawaii, Matthew Fujikawa and Krystle Katahira, Bil Leonhart, Vanessa, Betty McName, De de Dubbs, Komac Tapp and four new folks from out of town whose names I never got, for a total of 37. I hope I didn't miss anyone.

UPCOMING EVENTS:
- Our next concert will be by Eugene guitarist, musicologist and Ashland legend, David C. Rogers. The performance will be on the evening of Saturday, June 19th at 8:00 pm at Headwaters Gallery, 84 Fourth Street, in Ashland. Tickets are $10 with discounts for students. Children under 12 are admitted for free. For more info, go to: http://www.JeffersonGuitar.org/events.html

David Rogers World Classical Guitar
Combine virtuoso classical guitar technique with a wide knowledge of world music, and the result is the amazingly versatile guitar music repertoire of David Rogers. Here are settings of Balkan Gypsy dances, Irish harp music, and pieces from Spain and South America, punctuated with amazingly lively rhythm and beautiful, expressive quality of tone. Here also are driving renditions of American fingerstyle masterworks by Leo Kottke, John Fahey, Duck Baker and originals, done with full presence on nylon string guitar using classical technique but leaving out none of the driving style. Add to this the polished performances of selected classics by Bach, Weiss, Sor, Tarrega, Villa-Lobos and others, plus adaptations from such jazz masters as Django Reinhart and Thelonious Monk. Rogers' setting of Scott Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag" has received no less praise from his fellow guitar soloists than his high-Baroque harmonizations of airs by the Irish harper Turlough O'Carolan, and the Scottish composer James Oswald. Dave provides wide stylistic variety to provide listeners with the most varied listening experience possible.

DISCUSSIONS:

-The new Music Page is up on the JCGS Website. It is a collection of free printable music files (pdf) and playable sound files (mp3 or midi) from composers and arrangers who have submitted their work. To visit, go to http://www.JeffersonGuitar.org and click on the "Music" link in the navigation bar.

-The JCGS Board of Directors had a meeting on May 20. Our discussions centered around our very first official "Concert Season". We also discussed fundraising ideas to help implement the concerts and a brochure for promotion. Our artist line up for the 2004-05 JCGS Concert Season are:
-Michael Partington, October 29, 8:00pm, (Masterclass Oct.30)
-Martha Masters, January 14, 8:00pm (Masterclass January 15)
-Jason Vieaux, March 11, 8:00pm (Masterclass March 12)

-If you haven't paid your dues yetwellyou know. Suffice it to say, you don't want that knock on your door at 3 in the morning.

-New attendee, Webster Young, a composer from New York City was with us on Tuesday evening. He brought along one of his tremelo compositions for guitar of which he had numerous copies that he generously gave out to interested guitarists.

-LOCAL PER