Classical Guitar Immersion ’13 Student Recital – Free Admission

Posted on June 13, 2013 by

The 9th Annual Classical Guitar Immersion Student Recital will take place on Thursday, June 2oth at 7:30 pm at the Community Music Center located at 3350 S.E. Francis in Portland, Oregon.

Performers will include: Yen Nguyen from Newport, Oregon; Sunny Mudge from San Luis Obispo, California; James Walker, from Seattle, Washington; Tom Page from Baltimore, Maryland; Doug Campbell from White Salmon, Washington and Michael Hermes from Portland, Oregon. The program, which features works by J.S. Bach, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Francisco Tarrega, Fernando Sor and others, is free and open to the public.

Classical Guitar Immersion is a week-long immersion into technique, musicianship, practice development and performance development for the serious classical guitar student. Don’t miss the culmination of the week of intense work put in by these dedicated players! For more information on CGI please go to Classical Guitar Immersion. This year’s event takes place at the Menucha Retreat Center in Corbett, Oregon. 

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Pepe Romero Master Class and Concert

Posted on April 24, 2013 by

Just a quick post to remind everyone of the rare opportunity we have coming up April 25th & 26th. One of the most recognized guitarists in the world, Pepe Romero is being presenting both in master class and concert by William Jenks and the Portland Classic Guitar.

Pepe Romero, Scott Kritzer and Michael Hermes

I’m honored to say that I’ve been chosen to perform in the master class which will take place on Thursday, April 25th at 7:00 pm at Marylhurst University’s Wiegand Hall. Master Classes taught by such great artists are always a treat – even if you are only a guitar hobbyist or aficionado. You’ll watch five guitarists (yours truly, William Jenks, my new prodigy Michael Hermes, John Huntsman and Frank Armenta) get public lessons from Pepe Romero.

Michael Hermes plays in his first master class

Each player will work with the maestro personally and as an ‘auditor’ you’ll get great insight into the artistry, musicianship and pedagogy of a legend. Fascinating stuff! For us performers it’s rather nerve-racking and if you are a student of mine I can’t imagine you won’t want to see me on the hot seat! Cost to audit is $20 and can be purchased at the door or by going to the Portland Classic Guitar.

My first master class with Pepe Romero

I saw Pepe teach a master class while I was attending the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in the late 1970’s. His warmth and love for the instrument and it’s music were quickly apparent. His graciousness and care for each player made me an instant fan of this great guitar ambassador. And I’m not just saying this because I’m playing in the class (but hey, I won’t mind if he goes easy on me!). Since that moment I always wanted to play for him and thanks to William I get that chance!

To learn more about master class formats you can read my article Getting More from a Master Class

In one quick lesson the Maestro changed my sound! I was so thankful!!

And don’t miss the concert on Friday, April 26th, 2013 at 8:00 PM at the First Congregational Church- folks, these are the types of concerts that just a few years ago we’d have to travel to Seattle or San Francisco for – BRAVO for all the hard work that William Jenks does in bringing us such great talent. Get your tickets in advance by going to the Portland Classic Guitar website.

Check out Pepe’s performance of Leyenda!

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The Music of J.S. Bach: Short Reflections

Posted on January 22, 2013 by

One of the great benefits of being musicians is that our work is associated with trying to understand the music written by brilliant and creative souls like Johann Sebastian Bach.

A few weeks ago as I started practicing Bach’s Allemande from the 1st Cello Suite, and even after playing this work, off and on, for over thirty years, I have asked myself “What new insight am I going to learn today?” Unlike the music of any other composer, the music of J.S. Bach can, with a simple inflection, transform and enlighten, much like the changing view in a kaleidoscope generated by a slight twist of the wrist. These new reflections give deeper meaning to the music and to the player’s own soul. When I’m playing my best ‘Bach,’ I become aware of what Bach is saying. This has little to do with my playing and more to do with Bach. I’m often reminded of a quote I heard by a fellow musician: “No matter how well you play Bach, the music is always better.” Continue reading →

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Getting More from a Master Class

Posted on January 6, 2013 by

Table of Contents for Getting More

  1. Getting More out of Your Guitar Lessons
  2. Getting More from a Master Class

1980 Year-Long Michael Lorimer Master Class, Wrightsville Beach, NC

When preparing for a master class, whether you plan on auditing or performing, proper preparation can make a big difference in what you learn from the masters. The following are ideas I’ve gained from decades of auditing and performing in master classes, as well as giving them. My hope is to show you how to best prepare, whether you plan to audit or to perform.

Audit or Perform?

The first thing to decide is whether to audit the master class or perform. Auditing means that you won’t be playing for the artist, which doesn’t mean you’ll learn any less. In fact, so much attention is spent on the issues of performing, that a performer can become distracted and miss what is said to other performers. As an auditor, you’re in the “cat bird seat” — you get to watch all the action without suffering the pangs of performance anxiety. In fact, with some preparation, you can learn a tremendous amount from auditing. Here are some points to make auditing more effective. Continue reading →

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Grow your Guitar Playing in 2013 with Three Steps to Success!

Posted on December 31, 2012 by

First off, welcome to the New Year — always a great time to look forward and make some positive changes in our lives. I’d like to offer three steps that will help your guitar playing development over the next year: small steps, medium steps, and large steps.

Small steps are the ones we take regularly. They’re easy to manage, and an effective way to grow our playing. The power of small steps comes from a consistent march towards a goal. With small steps, we look to maintain a consistent and effective practice that will help to develop technique and repertoire.
Continue reading →

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Christmas Youth

Posted on December 24, 2012 by

Christmas Youth was written by yours truly for my CD Classical Guitar Christmas but published under the names of my boys David Kritzer and Andrew Kritzer. They appear with Santa at about a minute into the video. Arrangement available at http://scottkritzer.com/store/.

 

 

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Classical Guitar at Garrison’s Fine Wines – Friends of Chamber Music Benefit

Posted on November 6, 2012 by

I’ll be performing a benefit for the Friends of Chamber Music at Garrison’s Fine Wine located at 1401 SE Morrison. I’ll be performing and talking about the works of JS Bach, Manuel de Falla, Villa-Lobos and more.

For more information go to this Guitar at Garrison’s

Thanks there are a handful of tickets still available and hope to see you there!

Scott

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Kritzer’s Fall Schedule Preview – The Oregonian

Posted on September 20, 2012 by

Don’t miss the rest of my fall concerts including the return of the Chvatal/Kritzer Duo to Portland on Thursday, October 11th at 7:30 pm. Here’s the Kritzer Fall Preview written by David Stabler of the Oregonian.

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Chvatal/Kritzer Duo Reunites with Special Guest in Rare Portland Appearence

Posted on September 10, 2012 by

After a long hiatus from their international touring the Chvatal/Kritzer Duo reunites for their first Portland performance in over eight seasons. Scott Kritzer teams up with coloratura soprano Janet Chvatal and special guest baritone Marc Gremm for a concert of romantic arrangements for voice and guitar at Portland State’s Lincoln Hall Auditorium located at 1620 SW Park Avenue on Thursday, October 11th at 7:30 pm.

The Portland concert features the transformation from duo to trio (to be officially named later as ‘The Miramont Trio’) with the addition of baritone Marc Gremm. Featured on the program will be works from the Chvatal/Kritzer Duo’s popular Songs of the Americas and In the Blue Hour recordings, as well as fresh arrangements of works by Franz Schubert, W.A. Mozart, and the Bach/Gounod Ave Maria. Tickets are $25 General Admission, $20 Seniors, and $17 Students, and can be purchased at Ticketmaster or by calling the PSU Box office at 503-725-3307. For more information you can go to Portland State University Box Office.

To hear some of the music that will appear on these programs, you can to go LISTEN.

The transformation of the Chvatal/Kritzer Duo to the Miramont Trio found its roots in last summer’s performances at the Neuschwanstien Castle where Janet, Marc and Scott performed together for the first time. For the story you can go to Neuschwanstein or watch the Neuschwanstein Castle Performance 2011 Slide Show.

Below you’ll find a detailed listing of other Pacific Northwest dates and ticket information for the Chvatal/Kritzer’s and Scott Kritzer’s performances in the month of October!

Sunday, October 7, 3:00pm at The Freed Gallery in Lincoln City

Tickets can be purchased by calling 541 994 5600. For more information please go to the Freed Gallery.

Thursday, October 11, 7:30 pm at Lincoln Hall Auditorium at Portland State University

The Miramont Trio makes its Portland debut in PSU’s Lincoln Hall Auditorium, 16 years after the Chvatal/Kritzer Duo Portland debut. Tickets are $25 General Admission, $20 Seniors, and $17 Students, and can be purchased by at Ticketmaster or by calling the PSU Box office at 503-725-3307.

Friday, October 12, at 8:00 pm at The Water Music Festival, Long Beach Washington (The Miramont Trio)

For more information please go to the Water Music Festival.

Saturday, October 13, at Noon at the Water Music Festival, Long Beach Washington (Scott Kritzer, solo guitar)

Scott Kritzer appears in Oysterville’s historic church for the Water Music Festival on Saturday, October 13th, in a program of mostly Baroque music, arranged for guitar by Michael Lorimer. Works on the program include Tombeaux by four

Kritzer performs at Oysterville Church

Baroque harpsichordists/lutenists (Froberger, Couperin, Gaultier, and Dufault); the Passacaglia and Sonata in Eminor by Sylvius Leopold Weiss; and the Prelude and Fugue BWV 539a and First Cello Suite by JS Bach. In Mr. Kritzer’s Carnegie Recital Hall debut, Bernard Holland of the New York Times stated that “Scott Kritzer created an inner life in his playing of Bach“.

For more information please go to the Water Music Festival.

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Scott Kritzer performs in Gresham, Oregon

Posted on August 21, 2012 by

St. Aidan’s Epsicopal Church, Gresham, Oregon. Sunday, September 16th, 3:00 pm

Scott Kritzer will perform his only solo performance of the year in the Portland area when he appears the innagural performance on St. Aidan’s @ 3:00 Series. St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church is located at 17405 NE Glisan Street in Gresham, Oregon. Tickets for the concert are $18 general admission, and $15 for students (with school ID) and seniors (60 or older). For ticket information go to St Aidan’s Episcopal Church. Click for DIRECTIONS.

For ticket information go to and scroll down to ‘Upcoming Events’.

“A guitarist in the best modern American mold, clean and accurate in technique with a welcoming warmth and sensitivity to color.” Colin Cooper, Classical Guitar Magazine, London

The program will feature works by Manuel de Falla, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Francisco Tarrega, and others featured on his popular recording Romance for Guitar. To hear excerpts from the program, please go to LISTEN.

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