News

Spring 2013 CGA Community Outreach / Music in Medicine program

One of Classical Guitar Alive's main projects is its Community Outreach / Music in Medicine program, which presents classical music performances at no cost to audiences in hospitals, hospices, shelters and more. Our program is earning rave reviews from patients, their families, and staff at each venue. CGA's outreach performers include: Tony Morris, guitar, James Fenner, percussion, and Jennifer Bernard, oboe. Classical Guitar Alive will present 50 performances between February 8th-April 3rd. Here is an update of scheduled performances for Spring 2013 in Austin, TX:

Classical Guitar Alive Community Outreach Program
Performance Schedule, Spring 2013:
8-Feb-2013 2:00pm St. David’s Medical Center-5th floor waiting
10-Feb-2013 12:00pm Hospice Austin’s Christopher House
13-Feb-2013 10:00am Seton Hospital-day surgery waiting
13-Feb-2013 12:00pm Seton Hospital-cafeteria
13-Feb-2013 2:00pm Seton Hospital-day surgery waiting
15-Feb-2013 10:00am St. David’s Medical Center-4th floor waiting
15-Feb-2013 12:00pm St. David’s Medical Center-atrium
15-Feb-2013 2:00pm St. David’s Medical Center-5th floor waiting
17-Feb-2013 12:00pm Hospice Austin’s Christopher House
20-Feb-2013 10:00am Seton Hospital-day surgery waiting
20-Feb-2013 12:00pm Seton Hospital-cafeteria
20-Feb-2013 2:00pm Seton Hospital-day surgery waiting
22-Feb-2013 10:00am St. David’s Medical Center-4th floor waiting
22-Feb-2013 12:00pm St. David’s Medical Center-atrium
22-Feb-2013 2:00pm St. David’s Medical Center-5th floor waiting
24-Feb-2013 12:00pm Hospice Austin’s Christopher House
27-Feb-2013 10:00am Seton Hospital-day surgery waiting
27-Feb-2013 12:00pm Seton Hospital-cafeteria
27-Feb-2013 2:00pm Seton Hospital-day surgery waiting
1-Mar-2013 10:00am St. David’s Medical Center-4th floor waiting
1-Mar-2013 12:00pm St. David's Medical Center-Atrium
1-Mar-2013 2:00pm St. David’s Medical Center-5th floor waiting
3-Mar-2013 12:00pm Hospice Austin's Christopher House
6-Mar-2013 10:00am Seton Hospital-day surgery waiting
6-Mar-2013 12:00pm Seton Hospital-cafeteria
6-Mar-2013 2:00pm Seton Hospital-day surgery waiting
8-Mar-2013 10:00am St. David’s Medical Center-4th floor waiting
8-Mar-2013 12:00pm St. David's Medical Center-Atrium
8-Mar-2013 2:00pm St. David’s Medical Center-5th floor waiting
10-Mar-2013 12:00pm Hospice Austin's Christopher House
13-Mar-2013 10:00am Seton Hospital-day surgery waiting
13-Mar-2013 12:00pm Seton Hospital-cafeteria
13-Mar-2013 2:00pm Seton Hospital-day surgery waiting
15-Mar-2013 10:00am St. David’s Medical Center-4th floor waiting
15-Mar-2013 12:00pm St. David’s Medical Center-cafeteria
15-Mar-2013 2:00pm St. David’s Medical Center-5th floor waiting
17-Mar-2013 12:00pm Hospice Austin's Christopher House
20-Mar-2013 10:00am Seton Hospital-day surgery waiting
20-Mar-2013 12:00pm Seton Hospital-cafeteria
20-Mar-2013 2:00pm Seton Hospital-day surgery waiting
22-Mar-2013 10:00am St. David’s Medical Center-4th floor waiting
22-Mar-2013 12:00pm St. David's Medical Center-Atrium
22-Mar-2013 2:00pm St. David’s Medical Center-5th floor waiting
24-Mar-2013 12:00pm Hospice Austin's Christopher House
27-Mar-2013 10:00am Seton Hospital-day surgery waiting
27-Mar-2013 12:00pm Seton Hospital-cafeteria
27-Mar-2013 2:00pm Seton Hospital-day surgery waiting
29-Mar-2013 10:00am St. David’s Medical Center-4th floor waiting
29-Mar-2013 12:00pm St. David's Medical Center-Atrium
29-Mar-2013 2:00pm St. David’s Medical Center-5th floor waiting
31-Mar-2013 12:00pm Hospice Austin's Christopher House
3-Apr-2013 10:00am Seton Hospital-day surgery waiting
3-Apr-2013 12:00pm Seton Hospital-cafeteria
3-Apr-2013 2:00pm Seton Hospital-day surgery waiting

Classical Guitar Alive is supported by the Kodosky Foundation, Charles and Taako Parker, and is funded and supported in part by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts and the City of Austin through the Cultural Arts Division believing an investment in the Arts is an investment in Austin’s future. Visit Austin at NowPlayingAustin.com. Thanks to your support, Classical Guitar Alive continues to serve more people than any other guitar nonprofit organization in the world: http://tinyurl.com/CGAcontribute

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This transcription was made from both recordings and is for educational purposes only. I make no commercial claim on the music of Agustin Barrios Mangore. I first performed “Bicho Feo” in concert benefiting the Hospice Austin charity at Laguna Gloria Art Museum in Austin, Texas on June 4, 2009, which was, to my knowledge, the modern-day premiere/first post-Barrios performance/USA premiere of the work. There was a great deal of spontaneous laughter from that audience at that performance, and I hope that many, many more audiences and guitarists will equally enjoy it.

Tony Morris, Executive Producer, Classical Guitar Alive! radio program www.guitaralive.org

Bicho Feo- tango humoristico

Musical notes regarding this transcription: “Bicho Feo” by Agustin Barrios Mangore is an early Argentine-style tango in the key of A major. It is a rondo form, AABACADA(brief coda). Barrios proves himself to be a very thorough and inventive composer, as the A sections are slightly different from each other. The characteristic humorous staccato portamento effect of the A theme changes as well. In later appearances of the A theme, the portamento very deliberately slides to an F natural, which is a “wrong” note- I believe this is intentional, and for humorous effect. The staccato portamento effect is very brief, and difficult to discern, but when playing the recordings at 25% tempo, it is very apparent that it is indeed an F natural. However, to the modern performer, this distinction may or may not matter, as the overall gesture is perhaps more important than a note which may not even be clearly perceived.

Technical notes regarding this transcription: This transcription was made in part by using the Transcribe! software, available from SeventhString.com, which allows the user to play a recording at 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% tempo without affecting the pitch of the recording. Although the software cannot notate rhythms, it can do an audio frequency analysis of a chord or other sonic event as brief as a millisecond, thereby displaying individual notes and notes in a chord. This is a very helpful software, but it is not foolproof, as it sometimes “hears” the perfect fifth harmonic of lower notes as an actual fundamental. Additionally, it should be noted that no transcription based solely on an audio recording can guarantee 100 % accuracy. The only ultimate authoritative source will be the composer’s original manuscript, if one ever surfaces. Nevertheless, a composer’s recording is a valid document that can be used to deduce artistic intent. Editorial notes regarding this transcription: I have attempted to notate what sounds are actually present on the recordings, and not to attempt to notate what I think the composer might have intended. There are instances where voices in a melodic line drop out, or chords are “missing” notes, such as seventh chords which may have a tonic and a seventh, but no third or fifth. This is notated this way on purpose- I started with two assumptions: 1) That Barrios was a very competent composer who knew what he wanted, 2) That Barrios was a very competent guitarist who probably did not make very many errors on his recordings.

Essential, must-have resources for those serious about the music of Agustin Barrios Mangore:

“Six Silver Moonbeams” by Rico Stover, Querico Publications. Biography of Agustin Barrios.

“El Inalcanzable” by Carlos Salcedo and others, Cabildo Museum, Asuncion, Paraguay. The most recent Barrios biography and pictoral essay with scans and photographs.

“Agustin Barrios plays his own compositions and other works.” CD box set published by Chanterelle Verlag. Available at Chanterelle.com.

In addition to all the names and organizations mentioned previously, special thanks to Federico Sheppard for generously sharing his Barrios discoveries and vast knowledge, Matanya Ophee for his expansive knowledge and expertise in the subject of early tangos, composer Marian Budos for his music notation expertise, Jose Lezcano for his truly amazing ears and knowledge of Latin American music, John Hedger and Carlos Barrientos for their experience and expert help with the intricacies of working with the Finale notation software, and David Russell for first telling me in 2001 the mysterious story of the long-lost famous Barrios encore piece, “Bicho Feo.”

Tony Morris, Executive Producer, Classical Guitar Alive! radio program www.guitaralive.org

Classical Guitar Alive's Community Outreach program presents vibrant classical music performances at no cost to hard-hit, under-served audiences in hospitals, hospices, childrens shelters, and more. We’ve played at the White House, for dignitaries, etc., but this is the most important performing we will ever do. Here's what we've been up to recently:


James Fenner, Renata Green, Tony Morris,
White House debut, East Ballroom, 2002

Classical Guitar Alive's Community Outreach schedule: October 1, 2008-December 23, 2009 Performers included: Renata Green, flute; Tony Morris, guitar; James Fenner, percussion; Elise Winters, violin; Christopher Haritatos, cello; Helen Bravenec, violin; Leah Zeger, violin; Jennifer Bernard, oboe

Date Venue Ensemble
10/01/2008 Dell Children's Hospital Flute/guitar/percussion/violin
10/08/2008 Dell Children's Hospital Flute/guitar/percussion/violin
10/10/2008 Heart Hospital Flute/guitar/cello
10/11/2008 World Hospice Day Flute/guitar
10/13/2008 Seton Hospital Flute/guitar/cello/violin
10/20/2008 Hospice Austin Flute/guitar
10/27/2008 Parkside School Violin/guitar/percussion
11/21/2008 Seton Hospital Flute/guitar
11/24/2008 Dell Children's Hospital Flute/guitar/cello
11/24/2008 Heart Hospital Flute/guitar/percussion
12/12/2008 Heart Hospital Flute/guitar
12/12/2008 Dell Children's Hospital Flute/guitar/percussion
12/15/2008 Dell Children's Hospital Flute/guitar/percussion
12/15/2008 Heart Hospital Flute/guitar/violin
12/15/2008 Hospice Austin Flute/guitar
12/19/2008 Dell Children's Hospital Flute/guitar/percussion/violin
12/19/2008 Heart Hospital Flute/guitar
12/19/2008 Hospice Austin Flute/guitar
12/22/2008 Dell Children's Hospital Flute/guitar/percussion
12/22/2008 Heart Hospital Flute/guitar/violin
12/24/2008 Dell Children's Hospital Flute/guitar/percussion/violin
1/26/2009 Hospice Austin Flute/guitar/percussion
1/28/2009 Dell Children's Hospital Flute/guitar/violin
1/28/2009 Heart Hospital Flute/guitar/violin
5/01/2009 Brook Army Med Center Flute/guitar
5/27/2009 Heart Hospital Flute/guitar
5/28/2009 Heart Hospital Flute/guitar/cello
5/28/2009 Hospice Austin Flute/guitar
6/17/2009 SafePlace Shelter Flute/guitar/percussion
12/16/2009 Heart Hospital Flute/guitar/percussion
12/21/2009 Heart Hospital Flute/guitar/percussion/oboe
12/21/2009 Hospice Austin Flute/guitar/percussion
12/21/2009 Heart Hospital Flute/guitar/percussion/oboe
12/23/2009 Heart Hospital Flute/guitar/oboe
12/23/2009 Hospice Austin Flute/guitar

Meet the performers of Classical Guitar Alive’s Community Outreach Program

Tony Morris, guitar, White House East Ballroom, 2002

Tony Morris, guitar, is the Executive Director of Classical Guitar Alive. In addition to his outreach work, he is also heard each week by over one million listeners on over 200 radio stations nationwide as the host of Classical Guitar Alive! radio program. In 2002, he became the first Austin classical musician invited to perform at the White House in Washington, DC, and returned for encore performances in 2004 and 2005. Composers including Jorge Morel, Kaare Norge have dedicated works to him, and he has premiered newly-discovered works by composers including Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Agustin Barrios, and Germaine Tailleferre. In 2006, he joined the music faculty of Texas Lutheran University. He has been twice honored with having a Day in the City of Austin proclaimed in his honor by Austin mayors Bruce Todd and Gus Garcia. He received his Master of Music degree from UT Austin in 1993. [entire cycle repeats]

Renata Green, flute; Concert film at TX Governor's Mansion, 2002

Renata Green, flute, is the Director of Outreach and Development of Classical Guitar Alive. She has performed three times (2002, 2004, 2005) at the White House with Tony Morris & Friends and was also featured in a concert filmed at the Texas Governor’s Mansion. The famed Argentine composer Jorge Morel co-dedicated his “Rapsodia Latina” for flute, guitar, and cello to her in 2001.

Letter of support of Classical Guitar Alive's Community Outreach Program from the Dell Children's Medical Center.

Letter of support of Classical Guitar Alive's Community Outreach Program from Hospice Austin.

James Fenner, percussionist, and Tony Morris, guitarist; Red Room, East Wing of the White House, post-concert tour 2002

James T. Fenner, Jr., percussion, has performed in Classical Guitar Alive’s community outreach program since 2004. In the late 1970s-early 1980s, he toured the world in sold-out stadium concerts with platinum-selling recording artist Christopher Cross, and can be seen performing in the music video to “Arthur’s Theme,” which won the Academy Award for Best Song in 1981. He is highly sought as a studio musician, and performed on the Grammy-winning CD “Ah Via Musicom” by guitarist Eric Johnson.. He has performed three times (2002, 2004, 2005) at the White House with Tony Morris & Friends. In 2007, he performed a concert tour of Texas with legendary singer Aretha Franklin. He is Percussionist for the Music Ministry at the Mt. Sinai Baptist Church in Austin.

Jennifer Bernard, oboist

Jennifer Bernard, oboe, became the newest addition to Classical Guitar Alive’s Community Outreach Program in 2009. She currently serves as Principal Oboist for the Victoria Symphony and Laredo Philharmonic, and as music instructor at Texas Lutheran University. She has performed with the Austin Symphony, Austin Lyric Opera, Nashville Symphony, Air Force Band of the West, Corpus Christi Symphony, and Mid-Texas Symphony. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music with honors in 2003, and completed her Master of Music degree from UT Austin in 2007. She has also worked as a translator and coordinator at the Boston Records Oboe Orchestral Repertoire Festival in France, and will be making her European recital debut in June of 2010, with performances in Paris and Germany.

Christopher Haritatos, cellist

Christopher Haritatos, cello, has performed and recorded with Fiori Musicali-Barockorchester Bremen, Andrew Lawrence-King's "The Harp Consort," Tafelmusik, the New York Collegium, Pegasus, ARTEK, Brandywine Baroque, Concert Royal, the Dallas Bach Society, and Apollo's Fire. He is a former member of the Austin Symphony Orchestra, Austin Lyric Opera Orchestra, and was professor of cello at Texas State University-San Marcos from 2003-2009. In 2009, he won a national audition to join the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. He received in Doctorate from the Eastman School of Music, and was a Fulbright Scholar in Germany.

Elise Winters, violinist

Elise Winters-Huete, violin has performed with the Austin Symphony Orchestra, Conspirare, the Austin String Quartet, Austin Lyric Opera, and the Austin Chamber Music Center. She began her violin studies at age 4, performed as orchestral soloist at age 14. She can be heard as violin soloist on several movie scores, including Once a Nation and Samuel DeMango. She has degrees in both music (Rice University) and social work (UT Austin.)

Helen Bravenec, violinist

Helen Bravenec, violin, began her violin studies at age 2 with the Suzuki method. She gave her first solo performance at the age of 3 in Monterrey, Mexico and performed several years later at the Round Top Festival in Round Top, Texas. She later studied in Europe with Edouard Grach, and members of the Vienna Philharmonic. She received her Bachelors in Violin Performance from UT Austin, and her Masters Degree from the Eastman School of Music. She has performsed with the Allentown Symphony Orchestra and the Binghamton Symphony Orchestra and currently plays with the Austin Symphony and the Austin Lyric Opera.

Leah Zeger, violinist

Leah Zeger, violin, comes from a family of classical musicians and began playing violin at age six. In addition to her work as a classical performer with the Austin Symphony, she demonstrates her versatility in many musical styles including bluegrass, flamenco, jazz, and blues. She has performed across Europe, Asia, and North America with international world-touring fiddle concert sensation Barrage, and at the Eric Clapton Crossroads Blues Festival in Chicago in July 2007.