Prominent Guitarist-Composers to Gather at C.W. Post for 16th Annual Long Island Guitar Festival, March 6-9

Gyan Riley	Hayley Savage	Jennifer Cable	Boris Gaquere

Brookville, N.Y. – Internationally renowned musicians will teach and perform at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University at the 16th Annual Long Island Guitar Festival March 6-9, 2008.

The festival will feature performances, workshops and master classes by renowned guitarists-composers including English composer Hayley Savage, classical guitarist Boris Gaquere, rising figure of guitar and contemporary music Gyan Riley and the celebrated Becker/Cable Duo, (Harris Becker, guitar and lute, Jennifer Cable, soprano). Renowned composer Frederic Hand will lead a workshop on composition and improvisation and then perform for participants. Grammy-winning guitarist/composer Andrew York (formerly of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet) will close the festival on Sunday, March 9 with a concert in the Hillwood Recital Hall.

The festival will also include a workshop in music technology, a high school ensemble workshop, master classes, two Emerging Artist Concerts and “A Look to the Future” concert featuring students from the pre-college division of the Juilliard School. Also scheduled is a master class with violinist Dale Stuckenbruck on “Interpreting the Music of J.S. Bach” with a special segment on Bach’s “Chaconne.”

The Long Island Guitar Festival, directed by Harris Becker, is an annual international festival presented by the Department of Music of the School of Visual and Performing Arts at C.W. Post, with sponsorship from The D’Addario Foundation for the Performing Arts, The Augustine Foundation, Savarez and Long Island University’s John P. McGrath Fund. The festival represents the ongoing commitment of Long Island University to reach out to the artistic community and continue an established tradition of excellence in guitar performance and pedagogy.

Workshops at past festivals have addressed computer music notation, high school guitar ensembles, sight reading skills, fingerboard harmony and chamber music. Special concerts have included the “Legacy of Segovia” with Andres Segovia protégé Michael Lorimer, the U.S. debut of guitarist- composer Carlo Domeniconi, Manuel Barrueco, Eduardo Fernandez, Roland Dyens, Raphaella Smits, Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, C.W. Post alumni concerts and new music concerts. The festival has established partnerships with high schools including Greenwich High School and the United Nations International School, Curtis High School, Brentwood High School, Weaver Academy as well as local community colleges.

Attendees can purchase an All-Event Pass for $110, or buy tickets for individual events with discounts available for members of guitar societies, students and senior citizens. Concert tickets are $20 per person, except for tickets for the Andrew York performance which cost $25 and the Emerging Artists Concerts which cost $10. Tickets are $20 for the Frederic Hand workshop, $15 for the technology workshop and $10 each for other master classes and workshops.

For information on tickets, concerts, master classes and workshops, call the C.W. Post Department of Music at (516) 299-2475 or (516) 299-3181 or visit the festival’s Web site at www.liu.edu/gfest. Tickets for concerts and All-Event Passes can be purchased through Tilles Center by visiting or calling the box office at (516) 299-3100 or visit www.tillescenter.org.