Saturday, March 1 – Sunday, March 2, 2025
The Rivers School Conservatory, Bradley Hall
Featured Artists: João Luiz, Ceili Connors, Benjamin Tint, Gef Fisher, and Catherine O’Kelly
Rivers and RSC students are admitted for free.
About
Join RSC for a weekend filled with events featuring the guitar, including master classes, concerts, workshops, and a student recital. All styles and levels of playing are welcome!
This year, Brazilian guitarist João Luiz will be visiting Boston to perform in a concert organized by the Boston Classical Guitar Society on Saturday, March 1 at 7:30 p.m. and will be joining us on Sunday, March 2 to give a master class. If you are interested in performing in João Luiz’s master class at RSC Guitar Weekend, please email Guitar Department Chair Catherine O’Kelly. Space in the master class is limited.
RSC Guitar Weekend is supported in part by The Augustine Foundation.
Schedule
10:00 a.m. | Bradley Hall, Room 300
Caring for your Guitar, How, and Why (Instructor: Gef Fisher)
Luthier Gef Fisher will discuss guitar construction and the properties of tonewood, and how this relates to proper guitar care and maintenance. Topics will include humidity control and why it matters, changing strings safely, and caring for your guitar’s finish. The lecture will end with an open Q&A session.
11:00 a.m. | Bradley Hall, Room 300
Dynamic Exploration (Instructor: Ceili Connors)
This workshop will cover the full spectrum of dynamics available to us on the classical guitar! Focus will be on different tone colors that we can achieve on our instrument, and how to apply them to repertoire. Feel free to bring solo pieces to experiment with during the workshop, but they are not required. We will also analyze compositional techniques, and how to interpret dynamic markings within our scores.
1:00 p.m. | Bradley Hall, Rivera Recital Hall
Faculty Concert (Performers: Gef Fisher, Ceili Connors, Catherine O’Kelly)
3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. | Bradley Hall, Room 300
Master Class (Instructor: Ceili Connors)
Each performer will have 20 minutes to work with Ceili Connors. If you wish to perform in this master class, please email Catherine O’Kelly at c.okelly@rivers.org to reserve your spot. Space is limited to six performers. There is no additional cost to perform in this master class.
10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. | Bradley Hall, Rivera Recital Hall
João Luiz Master Class
Each performer will have 30 minutes to work with Joao Luiz. If you wish to perform in this master class, please email Catherine O’Kelly at c.okelly@rivers.org to reserve your spot. Space is limited to six performers. The cost to perform is $75 in addition to the All-Access Pass.
2:00 p.m. | Bradley Hall, Rivera Recital Hall
El Decamarón Negro: A Stylistic, Musical, and Cultural Exploration (Instructor: Benjamin Tint)
Join guitarist Benjamin Tint as he explores the connection between the history of Cuba, the merging of cultures, and the symbolism behind Leo Brouwer’s El Decameron Negro. After the presentation, Tint will perform El Decameron Negro in its entirety.
3:30 p.m. | Bradley Hall, Rivera Recital Hall
Student Recital
Open to all Guitar Weekend participants.
Participate in João Luiz Master Class
Perform in a master class with guitarist João Luiz!
Each performer will have 30 minutes to work with João Luiz. If you wish to perform in this master class, please email Catherine O’Kelly at c.okelly@rivers.org to reserve your spot. Space is limited to six performers. The cost to perform is $75 in addition to the All-Access Pass. After confirming with Catherine O’Kelly that you’ll be performing in the master class, please write a $75 check to: “The Rivers School Conservatory.” On the memo line, please write “João Luiz Master Class.”
Ticket Registration
