Program for Holiday Guitars with Larry Ferrara

Friday, December 3, 2021 at 8 pm

download a copy of this program here.

Holiday Guitars

Larry Ferrara, guitar
Sandra Betti, flute
Zachary Donaldson, guitar
Ava Latz, guitar
Guitars À La Mode

Program

Music of the 16th and 17th Century

John Dowland (1563–1626)
Allemande (1610)

anonymous
Greensleeves (1580)

Luys Milan (1500–1561)
Pavanas III, IV, and V (1535)

Gaspar Sanz (1640–1710)
Canarios (1674)

Larry Ferrara, guitar

Jacques Ibert (1890–1962)
Entr’ Acte (1935)

Music from Brazil and Argentina
Jayme Ovalle (1895–1955)
Azulao (1948)

Celso Machado (b. 1953)
Pacoca (Choro) (1997)

Astor Piazzolla (1921–1992)
Libertango (1974)

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895–1968)
Sonatina, Op. 25 (1965)
    Allegretto grazioso
    Tempo di Siciliana (Andantino grazioso)
    Allegretto con spirito (Scherzo-Rondo)

Sandra Betti, flute & Larry Ferrara, guitar

Intermission

João Pernambuco (1883–1947)
Sons de Carrilhoes (Sounds of Bells) (1930)
with obligato by Blas Sanchez

Zachary Donaldson and Ava Latz, guitars

J. S. Bach (1685-1750)
Prelude from Cantata No. 140, Wachet Auf! (Sleepers Awake) (1731)
Allegro from Concerto in D, after the Violin Concerto, Op. 3 of Vivaldi (1711)

Zachary Donaldson and Larry Ferrara, guitars

Fernando Sor (1778–1839)
Etude in B minor, Op. 25, No. 2 with obligato
Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741)
Concerto for Lute in D major, RV 93 (1730)
    Allegro
    Largo
    Allegro

Livingston and Evans (1915–2007)
Silver Bells (1950)

Traditional Jewish folk song
Hava Nagila (Let us rejoice) (1918)

Martin and Blane (1914–2011)
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (1943)

Traditional English Carol
We Wish You a Merry Christmas (1826)

Guitars A’ La Mode

About the artists

Distinguished as a performer and teacher Larry Ferrara has the distinction of being the first guitarist to receive a master’s degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. His teachers have included Julian Bream in master classes, and George Sakellariou in studio lessons. A committed educator himself, Mr. Ferrara taught for many years in the collegiate division at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and full time at City College of San Francisco. In addition to currently teaching at San Francisco State University, and the Spindrift School of Performing Arts in Pacifica, Mr. Ferrara also teaches part time in the Pre-College, and Continuing Education divisions at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Mr. Ferrara has served on the Music Advisory Panel to the National Endowment of the Arts and is the author and performer of a best-selling sequence of music books titled The Student Repertoire Series for Guitar Vol. 1, and 2, with accompanying CD’s, published by Guitar Solo of San Francisco. Mr. Ferrara has a solo CD of American Guitar Works on the VGo label and a guitar ensemble CD with the Pacific Guitar Ensemble playing along with David Tanenbaum and Peppino D’Agostino. In addition, while teaching online Mr. Ferrara won the top humanities prize in the California Virtual Campus (CVC) competition for, “Best Online Teaching Website,” based on his course in Music Appreciation.

Sandra Betti holds a Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance degree from San Francisco State University. She has studied with Paul Renzi, former principal flute with the San Francisco Symphony, and Leone Buyse, assistant principal flute with the Boston Symphony. She has performed with the Cal Berkeley Symphony and the Artesian Pops Orchestra in Los Angeles, and toured Europe with classical guitarist Sergio Funes. Since relocating to Sonora CA, she has become a major figure in local musical circles, including serving as Music Director at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church and playing principal flute in the Mother Lode Friends of Music Orchestra. She’s on the board of the Sonora Bach Festival, serves as Artistic Director for the Mother Lode Friends of Music, and teaches flute to local young musicians. She has performed in the St. James Concert Series in Sonora, the Sonora Bach Festival, and for the Mother Lode Friends of Music Chamber Music Series in Sutter Creek.

Zachary Donaldson is currently studying music at San Francisco State University. He will complete a Bachelor of Music degree in 2022 at SFSU where he is currency studying guitar with Larry Ferrara. Past guitar teachers included, Michael Goldberg of UC Berkeley and Marc Teicholz of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and master class with Jason Vieaux. Zachary has traveled to Spain, Portugal, Chile, and Brazil and is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese. He has a deep passion for Brazilian music, and the works of Villa-Lobos, Garoto, and João Pernambuco. In 2019 and 2020 he completed an academic year abroad where he took classes in music and language at the University of Chile.

Ava Latz is a nineteen year old classical guitar major at San Francisco State University, currently studying guitar with Larry Ferrara. Having a liking for the music of J. S. Bach, Leo Brouwer and Antonio Lauro, Ava regularly performs on the San Francisco State University campus. Before college, Ava studied guitar with early music specialist Jon Mendle, and while in High School played guitar in the campus Jazz ensemble. Interested in many different genres of music, including classical, jazz, punk rock and metal, Ava’s aspirations are to continue studying, and performing on classical guitar, as well as to create a feminist punk rock band.

Guitars À La Mode is a guitar ensemble led by Larry Ferrara and formed at City College of San Francisco. All guitar players perform as a group where multiple guitarists reading music and playing en masse create a mini guitar orchestra. Guitars À La Mode meet every week and work collectively to become better musicians, guitarists, and ensemble players. They find encouragement from each other and maintain a productive outlook while working together. The name À La Mode, means “in a fashionable way,” or “up to date.” Members include: Larry Ferrara, Jill, and Allen Chan, William Carpenter, Tim Hall, Tuan Huynh, Leala Jew, David Melamed, Oscar Melara, Deborah Owen, Katie Taylor, Mel Wong, and Bill Young. Guitars À La Mode performs throughout the Bay Area at Hospitals, Community and Recreation Centers, Care Communities, as well as on College Campuses.