Andrew Blanch

Andrew Blanch is bringing his Latin American Guitar Recital to the Franklin Palais Theatre Sunday 29th May 2022

Doors 230pm Music 3pm

Tickets $20

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/andrew-blanch-latin-american-guitar-recital-tickets-318717050277?aff=palais

Experience the extraordinary depth and exceptional beauty of music from Latin America.

From the festive cross-rhythms of Venezuelan Joropos, to the bittersweet serenatas of Mexico and the nonchalant bossa-novas of Brazil, Latin American guitar music has proved a hit with audiences the world over. The notion and sounds of a ‘Latin American guitar’ have appeared in feature films, tv shows, advertisements. Classical guitar heroes of the last hundred years such as John Williams and Julian Bream have all released recordings with their interpretations of this music, and arguably the guitar has never sounded better.

These very recordings were some of the first classical guitar recordings I listened to when I was younger, and helped me fall in love with the instrument. The collection you’re hearing today is my little compilation. I used the original repertoire of John Williams and his contemporaries (repertoire I grew up listening to) as a starting point, and set out to find works and arrangements of equal and better charm that don’t have the same notoriety. It was a lot of fun and I’m sure you’ll experience that for yourself as you hear the music.

ABOUT ANDREW Armed with formidable talent, passion, and conviction, guitarist Andrew Blanch has carved out his own path with a musical vision that equally values both the tradition and the inherent potential of this continuingly evolving artform. Andrew’s 2015 debut album Spanish Guitar Music was described by Jim McCutcheon for Soundboard Magazine (USA) as “one of the best debut albums I’ve ever heard.”

He has claimed more than ten prizes in international music competitions including first place at the Adelaide International Guitar Competition in 2019, and was featured on the cover of Limelight Magazine that same year, as one of the rising stars of Australian classical music. His 2020 release on the ABC Classic label with long-time collaborator, guitarist Ariel Nurhadi was selected as Limelight Recording of the Month andFeatured Album on ABC Classic.

Recent highlights include collaborations with leading new music group Ensemble Offspring, harpist Emily Granger, guitarist Vladimir Gorbach and pianist Daniel Rojas, in performances for Sydney Festival, Musica Viva Australia, UKARIA, Canberra International Music Festival, Phoenix Central Park, Adelaide Guitar Festival and more, as well as performances as orchestral soloist performing Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez. “From his first notes, guitarist Andrew Blanch drew the audience in.” Angus McPherson, Limelight “Blanch’s wide dynamic range and tonal ranges bespeak a deep understanding of the music… This is one of the best debut albums I have ever heard.” – Soundboard (US classical guitar journal) “Andrew Blanch is that truly rare musician, who combines profound musical intelligence, curiosity and passion with a technique that allows anything. A complete artist.” – Howard Penny (Head of Strings at ANAM and Member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe)