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William Paterson University to Host Guitarfest 2014 on April 26

William Paterson University’s music department will host its 19th annual guitar festival, Guitarfest 2014, on Saturday, April 26 in Hobart Manor on the University’s campus in Wayne. The day’s events include a concert and master class presented by guitarist Carlos Barbosa Lima.

Admission is $20 for one or more events, and free for William Paterson University students.  The fee for students who wish to participate in the master class is $40.

Festivities begin at 11 a.m. with a performance by William Paterson University students studying in the guitar program. At 1:30 p.m., guitarist Bradley Colten will perform works by the American composer Ernst Bacon. At 3 p.m., William Paterson faculty member Seth Himmelhoch will present “The Sounds of Success,” a video and seminar on the Suzuki Guitar School. Carlos Barbosa Lima will conduct a master class from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. and will perform with Larry Del Casale at 8 p.m.

Brazilian guitar virtuoso Barbosa Lima began playing the guitar at age seven. He has performed internationally and regularly appears as a soloist with major orchestras. His fiftieth recording release, “Merengue,” marked a major triumph for Barbosa Lima’s enduring musical career. He frequently performs with Del Casale.

Colten is a young guitar player who has appeared around the United States and internationally as a soloist and chamber musician. He is a founding member of the critically acclaimed, award-winning flute and guitar partnership Arc Duo, a pair whose debut CD was hailed in Soundboard Magazine as an “indispensable addition to the guitar's discography.”

Himmelhoch is a veteran faculty member in the William Paterson music department, as well as the founder and director of the Suzuki Guitar Program at the JCC/Thurnauer School of Music in Tenafly and chair of the guitar development committee of the Suzuki Association of the Americas. He played an essential role in the development of the Suzuki Guitar School repertoire by performing on the listening CDs, and as an instructor.

Guitarfest 2014 is dedicated to the memory of John “Jack” Villani. The William Paterson University music department announced the launch of the John Villani Memorial Fund, established in his memory and provided as a support for guitar-related activities at the University.

No reservations are necessary for Guitarfest 2014. For more information or to participate in the master class, please contact Gabriel Handy at 646.382.1190 or Seth Himmelhoch at 201.928.1641.

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