SBC News: Georgia Guitar Quartet Puts ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’ in Chamber Music

by Suzanne Ramsey

What do you get when you mix four young, hip guitar virtuosos with the plucky sound of the Appalachians, mournful Latin melodies, rousing Irish folk songs, timeless classics and contemporary rock and roll? You get the Georgia Guitar Quartet, an Athens, Ga.-based group that will bring its adventurous repertoire to Sweet Briar College at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 29, in Memorial Chapel.

Borrowing from the past and present, this Southern foursome takes audiences on a musical journey, traversing continents, eras and genres. As comfortable playing Chopin as they are Zeppelin, the GGQ appeals to a wide range of music lovers and was voted “Best Classical Artist” five years in a row by the Athens Flagpole Music Awards in Athens, a city that boasts a rich musical heritage.

John Sutherland, a guitar professor at the University of Georgia who was instrumental in the formation of the quartet, says his protégés are putting a new, passionate spin on classical music. “They play music they believe in and that they want to be playing,” Sutherland said. “They connect with tradition – they have by no means severed their ties with the past – but they are pushing forward in new and unique directions. I had always encouraged them to put a little ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ into their interpretation of classical works.”

Equally at home in downtown clubs and classical music halls, the GGQ is energizing audiences – from college students to seniors – all over the country. Joan Little, fine arts chair at Erskine College, said they’ve performed twice at the Due West, S.C., school. “They gave us excellent programs, and their youthful energy combined with expertise appealed greatly to our college audience as well as older members of the community,” she said.

Whether you’re a classical music connoisseur or a guitar lover – or both, or neither – a GGQ concert offers something for everyone. Music from classical periods falls on the heels of bluegrass, jazz, ragtime or even cartoon music, and unorthodox techniques keep the audience on their toes. “Most people are surprised when they see what the quartet is all about,” Sutherland said. “I think their kind of ensemble can help to create new fans of classical music.”

Tickets for the performance go on sale Monday, March 20, at the Sweet Briar College box office, in the front lobby of the Babcock Fine Arts Center. Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for seniors, $3 for non-SBC students, and free for SBC staff, faculty, students, alumnae and children younger than 12.

The quartet also will conduct a guitar master class at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, March 29 in Babcock 127. Admission to the master class is free.

March 8, 2006