THE LEDGER:Concert Preview

by Cary McMullen

Like another famous musical group (the rock band R.E.M.), the Georgia Guitar Quartet was formed by four students at the University of Georgia in Athens. The ensemble has taken a page from the popular Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, bending genres by playing everything from Bach to contemporary classical works, from jazz to arrangements of folk and rock songs.

"I heard them two years ago in New York, and they blew me away," says Lake Wales Arts Center Director Bill Dickinson. "They have amazing technique, and their performance is very exciting. They talk about the pieces they're playing, they're very personable onstage. You know some groups, when they play, you can tell they're having fun."

THE PROGRAM
Arrangements of dance music are a big part of the guitar repertoire. The concert Saturday is no exception. Among other works on the program are: Four dances by Michael Praetorius; Quartet in D by Georg Philipp Telemann; "Anitra's Dance" from "Peer Gynt" by Edvard Grieg; three Argentinian dances by Alberto Ginastera; "Linus and Lucy" by Vince Guraldi, the jazzy theme from the "Charlie Brown" cartoons; and "Oriental Dance" by Enrique Granados. Works by members of the Georgia Guitar Quartet are also on the program: "Sketches" by Brian Smith and "Flight" by Kyle Dawkins.

March, 2007