Our first fall semester Ensemble program took place, for the first time ever, in Warner Concert Hall—our performance site for the Conservatory’s large ensembles and piano concerts, instead of in the smaller, more intimate Kulas Hall. To our delight, the guitar sounded excellent in the room—large, reverberant and warm. We featured music for guitar duet as well as guitar (and lutes) in combination with violin, piano, and voice. The full program is at the end of the post.

Sam Schollenberger and Solis Goldsmith on the Warner Concert Hall stage.

We began with two freshmen, Sam Schollenberger and Solis Goldsmith. They played two duets by Mertz, demonstrating a highly refined command of the delicate and complex passagework and showed considerable ensemble sympathy as they traded capo use, each taking a turn at the ‘terz guitar” part.

From there, we moved back in time for two songs by Henry Purcell, as presented by soprano Isabella Lopez and Nik Divall on the archlute. (The program states vocalist Rowan Taymuree, but he had to withdraw; Isabella took over one week before the concert). They played with compelling stylistic nuance and expressive energy. Nik’s comfort with continuo playing has grown so much in the last year, he sounded every bit the pro. And Izzy’s singing matched his professionalism in spite of having only had the songs a few days.

Nick Divall, archlute, and Isabella Lopez, soprano, on the Warner Concert Hall stage.

The songs were followed by another guitar duet, this time performed by juniors Damian Goggans and Rio Manzanares—Images do Nordeste by Celso Machado. One of my favorite works in this vein, the piece was presented energetically and with numerous colorful details. It was a great pleasure to hear.

Damian Goggans and Rio Manzanares on the Warner Concert Hall stage.

Nik Divall returned to the stage then, this time with the theorbo, for a pair of Baroque works with violin. The violinist, Gabe Roth, was a stunning virtuoso on his instrument, while Nik again, proved himself fully up to the task, improvising around and interacting with Gabe’s violin expertly. The pieces, the Mystery Sonata by Heinrich Biber and the Sonate Prima of Dario Castello (not listed on the program), gave a lovely insight into less-often heard music of the period.

Nik Divall, theorbo, and Gabe Roth, violin on the Warner Concert Hall stage.

Our program ended with the entire Concerto d’Aranjuez of Rodrigo, as performed by guitarist Suvan Agarwal, assisted by pianist Ishan Loomba. Suvan, gently amplified to match the piano’s volume, played with impressive command and control. He sounded like a comfortable virtuoso in this, his first outing with the entire piece. The audience erupted with enthusiasm at the work’s conclusion.