- A Remembrance

Next year, 2007, marks the 20th anniversary of the death of Andres Segovia, the father of the classical guitar for almost the entire 20th Century. This remembrance of what was to be one of his last concerts, a 1985 performance at the Arlington Centre, Santa Barbara, is a tribute to his extraordinary and ground-breaking influence on the classical guitar repertory.

Segovia was born in Linares, a village in southern Spain. Originally he was taught to play the violin, but after discovering a guitar at the home of a friend he rebelled, determined to make the guitar a "respectable" instrument on the concert stage. Both his family and teachers at the Granada Institute of Music objected, but to no avail. Unable to find a teacher capable of instructing him, the young Segovia became his own guide. "To this day," he has commented wryly, "teacher and pupil have never had a serious quarrel." >>>

Part 1 of a trip to Caracas which led to a world of discovery.
The Future Of Classical Music Is In Venezuela.
If you could create a culture of classical music from scratch, how would you do it? That’s precisely the sort of question Venezuelan José Antonio Abreu asked himself 30 years ago when he began his classical music course which would evolve into what is now the Fundacion del Estado para el Sistema Nacional de las Orquestras Juveniles e Infantiles (Foundation of the State for the National System of the Orchestras Youth and Children), which is commonly referred to in Venezuela as FESNOJIV. >>>

All you need is love. A popular saying as well as the title of a Beatles hit that became the anthem of an entire generation. With all the sex and violence prevalent in today’s music its hard to believe there is still a progressive rock superstar who has never stopped writing about positive things like hope, love, understanding and positive changes, even after more than 40 years in the business.
Despite his diminutive size he is a giant in the music industry and an inspiration for his millions of fans around the world. This remarkable man is a soloist, a musician, composer, and best known as the co-founder of the British rock band YES. If you haven't guessed by now, I'm talking about the multi-talented Jon Anderson. >>>

Take a classically trained piano virtuoso, who also happens to be a pioneer in the use of electronic keyboards. Add to that a stand up comedian, father, actor, inventor, composer and raconteur (story teller). Throw in a little party animal and sometime volatile personality. Top it all off with a splash of showmanship and enormous talent, and what do you have? Rick Wakeman, the long time, silver capewearing keyboardist for the legendary progressive British rock group YES. >>>

Gibson guitars have been around forever. It's funny, but although Gibson has produced some of the most amazing guitars in history, perhaps the company's largest contribution to music has been through their advancements in pickup technology. Gibson's first electric guitar the ES-150 was produced in 1936, and is still considered one of the best sounding electric jazz guitars in the world. In 1946 Gibson introduced the P-90 single coil pickup, which was eventually used on the first Les Paul model in 1952. The Les Paul was Gibson's first solid body electric guitar. In 1957 Gibson introduced the legendary Humbucker pickup on the Les Paul model, and an instant classic was born. The P-90 and the Humbucker quickly became the pickups of choice for Gibson's expanding line of solid body electric guitars. >>>

Electronic music has become synonymous with all forms and styles of music. From Techno, to psychedelic, symphonic and rock, country to classical, synthesizers, computers and sequencers have revolutionized the music industry. Composers can now create and listen to full orchestral pieces at the touch of a button, whereas in years past they would have had to wait for an orchestra to decide to play their music before they would ever get to hear it. Composers, thanks to electronic innovations, now have total control over their music and the way it sounds. Whether you are formally trained or not, the only limitations in music you may have is your own creativity. Electronic music got its' start earlier than one might imagine. >>>