
The Georgia Guitar Quartet has emerged as an exciting new voice in today's chamber music scene. These four young men from the American South deliver a high-energy blend of breathtaking virtuosity and imaginative programming while taking an adventurous approach to classical music. Borrowing from both the past and present, the GGQ draws inspiration from the ever-evolving palette of music that has influenced them: classical masters such as Bach and Brahms, experimentalists in the vein of Cage, Bartók, and Stockhausen, and contemporary rock icons like Radiohead and Led Zeppelin. Audiences at a GGQ concert experience an exciting musical journey through an expansive array of genres, continents, and time periods. Rousing Irish folk music and late Impressionistic masterpieces share the stage, while the sublime beauty of Chopin rubs shoulders with groundbreaking contemporary works. Accomplished composers themselves, the Quartet members frequently incorporate their own unique works into their dynamic concert programs. The incredible range and interactive spontaneity of a performance by the GGQ continually leaves audiences with something to remember, resulting in a thrilling new way to experience chamber music in the 21st century.
Formed in 1996 and hailing from Athens, Georgia, the Quartet performs throughout
the nation in venues ranging from concert halls to popular music clubs. Recent
concert highlights include performances in New York, Los Angeles, and an appearance
at the Deer Valley Music Festival in Park City, Utah where they performed Rodrigo's
"Concerto Andaluz" with the Utah Symphony Orchestra. The GGQ has been
featured on American Public Media's "Performance Today" and has released
four critically acclaimed recordings, the most recent consisting exclusively
of music composed by the Quartet. In addition to receiving praise for its members'
original compositions and inventive arrangements of preexisting works, the Georgia
Guitar Quartet has also been recognized for its novel interpretation of guitar
quartet staples. Several notable composers have dedicated new works to the GGQ,
including Russian composer Nikita Koshkin. The group has collaborated with modern
dance groups and visual artists to produce multimedia performances and has recently
embarked on a new collaboration with lyric baritone Robert Sims. In 2001, the
Quartet was invited by Christopher Parkening to perform as the guest artists
at his twenty-seventh annual masterclass in Bozeman, Montana. A review of their
Piccolo Spoleto Festival performance in Charleston, South Carolina, described
the concert as "a dazzling display of technical prowess, versatile programming,
and audience rapport." The town of Athens, which boasts a rich musical
heritage, has honored the ensemble by awarding them "Best Classical Artist"
in Athens five years in a row at the Athens Flagpole Music Awards.