Tonight's guitar extravaganza brings three virtuosos of fingerstyle guitar to our stage for an evening of lush, thought-provoking music, both in solo sets and collaborations.

Since as far back as the 1970s, Peter Finger has had a reputation extending far beyond his native Germany as one of the world's best acoustic guitarists. Creating a sensual, adventurous tapestry of rhythm, harmony, and melody, Peter draws inspiration from a boundless musical cosmos; the attentive listener will encounter the tonal language of Debussy, Ravel, or Stravinsky side by side with echoes from the realm of rock. In addition to his celebrated performances, both live and on numerous recordings, Peter is an award-winning composer, the publisher of Akustik Gitarre magazine, and head of the Acoustic Music Records label.

Harmonically rich and rhythmically compelling, the compositions of Gyan Riley reveal both instrumental virtuosity and a breadth of imagination and depth of spirit that are frankly awesome. His original pieces mingle influences of jazz and Indian classical music with classical and Spanish traditions, all colored by his passionate, intricate guitar work. A rising figure of guitar and contemporary music, both as a performer and composer, Gyan tours regularly with the Los Angeles-based Falla Guitar Trio, the Feinsmith Quartet, and with his father, the minimalist composer/pianist Terry Riley.

Weaving together elements of folk, jazz, classical, and world music into a seamless style that is uniquely his own, Teja Gerken's playing reflects his diverse musical interests. Many of his compositions employ alternate tunings, two-handed tapping, and percussive effects; others simply rely on his keen sense of melody and movement. Teja's repertoire, while focusing on his fiery originals, is augmented by Irish traditionals, the occasional jazz standard, and improvisations on themes by classical composers.

Peter will be teaching a Guitar Workshop on Composition, Interpretation and Tone on Thursday, March 18 at 4:00 pm.

Visit Peter's website

Visit Gyan's website

Visit Teja's website

Listen to a track from Peter Finger:

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Listen to a track from Gyan Riley:

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Listen to a track from Teja Gerken:

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