14 UMaine students play guitar concert

Guitar Ensemble skillfully perform in Minsky Hall

By Alex Tranchemontagne

Posted on Dec. 05, 2011, at 12:45 a.m.

The University of Maine was treated to a performance by Guitar Ensemble in Minsky Hall on Wednesday night. The talented group is made up of 14 UMaine students.

The performance began with a set of beautiful solos. The show continued with a striking performance of “Margarita y Linda Ballesteros” by a group of five guitarists, and a performance of “Sevilla” by a group of four. “Fuoco,” composed by Roland Dyens, was played flawlessly by Evan Pollard, who closed the show with one of the most interesting pieces of the night. The evening exhibited the skill of each guitarist.

Throughout the night, the audience was treated to beautiful pieces. Emotion poured out of them, giving audience members the opportunity to close their eyes and let their imaginations run wild to the rhythm of the music.

These songs packed a unique punch, unrivaled by modern pop music, that contributed importance to the performance that may have fallen flat if the songs had simply been reproduced.

Each song was free of noticeable errors. At times, the guitarists’ facial expressions gave the impression they felt they had made a mistake, but it was not evident to the general audience.

Each student was talented and had no trouble performing to an audience. The pieces were of many different styles. One student didn’t strum his guitar at all; he played the body of the guitar like a bongo drum.

Others plucked their guitars with so much virtuosity it was hard to keep up. Often it sounded as though two or more students were playing when, in reality, it was only one.

The song choices were outstanding. Each song had a very distinct sound to it. Classical music can sound similar to certain people, but these pieces sounded dark, fast-paced and everything in between.

The Guitar Ensemble is one of the most talented acts Minsky has seen in a long time. It’s too bad they only played two songs as a whole, but the show was great. The talent from these young musicians can be compared to that of older, world-renowned groups who have performed in Minsky. It may only be a matter of time before these students will play for huge crowds.

The group expects to perform again in the spring.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 5th, 2011, 12:45 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.