PHOTO COURTESY HECTOR RODRIGUEZ
The UTRGV School of Music will hold its annual “Día de la Guitarra” Guitar Ensemble Competition and Festival open to the public on Friday and Saturday in the Performing Arts Complex on the Edinburg campus.
The two-day event kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Friday with a pre-concert performance by the UTRGV Guitar Orchestra in the lobby.
After the showcase, guest artists Richard Knepp and Manuel Espinás will perform a featured concert at 7 p.m., presenting works by Leo Brouwer as well as other classical and modern composers.
On Saturday, the festival continues at 9 a.m. with middle school and high school groups from around the region participating in the Guitar Ensemble Competition, which will be open to the public.
In addition to performances, the festival includes educational programs for students and teachers.
Hector Rodriguez, a lecturer for the School of Music, will lead a “Guitar Gymnastics” technique workshop at 10 a.m. Saturday in the PAC Choir Room on the Edinburg campus.
In an interview with The Rider, Rodriguez said the workshop focuses on “finger independence.”
Participants will have the chance to learn flexibility and vertical exercises made popular by guitarist Evangelos Boudounis.
“When we’re performing, we don’t want to be thinking of ‘Oh, I have a technical problem here,’” he said. “Just as any other athlete prepares, and while music isn’t a sport, it helps to be physically prepared because the instrument is very demanding.”
Hector Silva, a lecturer for the School of Music, will give a session on “Guitar Maintenance” at 11 a.m. Saturday in the PAC Choir Room on the Edinburg campus.
Rodriguez explained this is an important lesson for students, since they might think their playing technique is the problem, when it could actually be a technical issue with the guitar.
He added Silva will offer real-time solutions, covering everything from basic to advanced guitar advice, such as how to string a guitar correctly and how to tighten the strings.
Rodriguez said the competition will resemble a “normal recital or concert,” featuring quartets, trios and large guitar ensembles. Judges will assess consistency within the ensembles, including ensemble cohesion, conductor following, dynamic and expressiveness.
“With any instrument, [a] guitar, violin, etc., the main purpose of the instrument is to imitate the human voice,” he said. “So, as a guitarist, I want to sound like a singer … so that’s a way to describe what expressiveness is.”
Rodriguez said he looks forward to students enjoying the music of Knepp and Espinás.
“I think it’s good for students to see an international artist on stage so they can say, ‘This is the way I should be performing; this is the way I should visualize myself in the future,’” he said.
Espinás will host a masterclass at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in the PAC Choir Room on the Edinburg campus. Knepp will also host a masterclass at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday in the PAC Mariachi Room on the Edinburg campus. Both workshops are open to the public.
Rodriguez said students get excited about the competition because it gives them a chance to perform somewhere new and get feedback.
He said activities such as this help young musicians build their skills and motivate them to keep learning.
When students receive trophies, it helps them see how much effort they put in to reach this milestone, Rodriguez said.
He added playing in a guitar ensemble is a unique challenge.
Unlike instruments such as the violin, which can hold notes for a long time, the guitar’s sound fades right after a string is plucked, Rodriguez said.
Because of this, guitarists need to be very precise with their timing. If they are not perfectly in sync, the sharp attacks of each note can make the music sound choppy instead of smooth, according to the lecturer.
To keep the music interesting and avoid a flat sound from having many of the same instruments, players often change their hand positions.
For example, playing near the bridge gives a bright, sharp tone, while playing closer to the fingerboard creates a warmer, softer sound. This helps add contrast and depth to the music, Rodriguez said.
He also said music can be described in terms of color, such as having a brighter or warmer sound.
“That’s the beautiful thing about the guitar,” Rodriguez said. “It’s a very expressive instrument. It’s versatile in style, but it can also play the same note in many different ways. It’s like a painter who uses different brushes. It’s the same for us.”
For more details about the schedule or how to watch the competition, visit its Instagram @utrgvguitar.
