Classical Guitarist David Russell to Host Masterclass at UTSA Downtown

On Friday, February 3, undergraduate and graduate students from the Guitar program at the University of Texas at San Antonio will participate in a master class with famed classical guitarist David Russell from Galicia, Spain. This master class will be held in the Buena Vista Theater on the UTSA downtown campus. The class is at 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

This master class is provided by nonprofit organization ARTS San Antonio through its educational initiative ARtsTEach. In the past year, ARTS San Antonio delivered more than 100 ARtsTEach arts-education workshops and master classes to 3,600 students and senior citizens in four school districts, social-service agencies and senior living centers in San Antonio.

"One of the things that ARTS San Antonio has specialized in is creating connections between globally significant performances and members of the community," said John Toohey, executive director and president of ARTS San Antonio. "ARTS San Antonio is proud to support master classes through our educational ARtsTEach program, which is a unique opportunity for students and members of the community to meet and engage with these performers. We think this is just as important to the community as experiencing a performance in a venue hall."

The master class will feature David Russell, a Grammy-award winner, world renowned for his superb musicianship and inspired artistry. His album Aire Latino: Latin American Music for Guitar won a Grammy award in 2005 for best classical soloist performance. He has earned the highest praise from audiences and critics alike. In recognition of his great talent and his international career, he was named a Fellow of The Royal Academy of Music in London in 1997. He performs classical music, Celtic music and music by Latin American composers.

In collaboration with the UTSA Department of Music, the master class performance will feature seven students performing a piece that they have been studying for Russell. They will receive one-on-one instruction by Russell, in front of an audience. At the end of the class, there will a brief question and answer session from the audience.

Dr. Matthew Dunne, guitar studies coordinator of the UTSA Department of Music, organized the master class. He said, "This master class will be a life-changing experience for these students. David Russell is one of the most respected master-class teachers in the world ...he is the pinnacle."

Dunne's relationship with ARTS San Antonio goes beyond the role as host to this master class. He is a guitarist and composer who has written critically acclaimed music for several of the world's leading guitarists and ensembles.

This Saturday evening's sold out performance at the Ruth Taylor Recital Hall at Trinity University will include the world premiere of this piece, which embraces music traditions that reflect both Dunne's and Russell's background. Dunne composed the three-movement work Landmarks that straddles three influences; Jazz, Spanish, and Celtic music. The work was written Dunne for and dedicated to Russell in 2016.

"The first movement, "Camilliola," recalls the rhythmic and harmonic expansions that I experimented with on a long-running jazz gig at a restaurant in San Antonio. The second movement, "Cancion," borrows characteristics from traditional Spanish songs. The third movement, "Reel Variations," begins with a reel in which I tried to capture the spirit of this traditional Celtic dance form. The four variations draw on folkloric elements and re-visit some of the music in the prior movements," said Dunne.

Dunne has won three awards from the Artist Foundation of San Antonio and composed music for the Grammy award-winning album Los Angeles Guitar Quartet Guitar Heroes. He also directed the Southwest Guitar Festival for many years. He directs the guitar program at UTSA, where his students excel in competitions and elite graduate programs.

David Russell's professional evening debut will be held on Saturday, February 4 at 7:30 p.m. at the Ruth Taylor Recital Hall at Trinity University.

This initiative supports the nonprofit mission of ARTS San Antonio to entertain, enrich and educate the people of San Antonio and South Texas.

ARTS San Antonio's mission is to entertain, enrich and educate the people of San Antonio and South Texas by bringing exceptional and meaningful arts experiences to the people, stages, and classrooms. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, ARTS San Antonio continues to inspire its audiences by presenting globally significant performances for the benefit of the community.

Through ARTS San Antonio's education initiative ARtsTEach, the nonprofit organization delivers special arts-education services, workshops, master classes and performance tickets to senior citizens and students in schools, community centers and senior living facilities throughout San Antonio.

For more information about ARTS San Antonio and the ARtsTEach program, visit www.artssa.org.

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