Classical guitarist joins McHenry County Youth Orchestra
The McHenry County Youth Orchestras will feature two special guests on their Pops Concert titled "Hispanic Hits" at 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22 at the Raue Center for the Arts, 26 N. Williams St. in downtown Crystal Lake. The concert will feature guitar virtuoso Norman Ruiz and Abel Garcia Ayala, classical guitar prodigy.
Norman Ruiz has established himself as a master teacher and a virtuoso of the classical guitar. He has appeared with some of the most esteemed classical musical groups in the Midwest, including an appearance with the Chicago Symphony as soloist performing the "Canario" movement of Rodrigo's "Fantasia para un gentilhombre." In 1997, he appeared with nine other members of the CSO performing Luciano Berio's rarely heard and technically demanding Sequenza for guitar at Northwestern University's Pick-Staiger concert hall. The Guadagnini Ensemble, made up of members of the CSO, chose him to perform the guitar part of Arnold Schoenberg's Serenade in a concert held in the Symphony Center's Grand Ballroom. His talents as soloist with orchestra are in constant demand and his specialties, the Concertos of Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Joaquin Rodrigo have led to appearances with numerous orchestras in the Chicago area, including the Illinois Philharmonic, directed by Carmen De Leone, and the Elmhurst Symphony conducted by Dale Clevenger.
Abel Garcia Ayala, was born in Paracho, Michoacan, in 1996. He began his studies in guitar in 2004 at the Center for the Investigation of the Development of the Guitar de Paracho, Michoacán, with Maestro Jaime Gómez. He won first prize in the National Competition of young guitarists in the Juvenile category in 2007. He won second place in the First National Guitar Competition of Puebla in 2007. He has taken master classes with many of the finest guitarists, including Pablo Garibay and Antonio Lopez. He has opened for the concerts of John Williams and Berta Rojas. He recently performed a private recital for the students of Norman Ruiz at Columbia College, Chicago. He currently resides in Paracho and is continuing his studies with Roberto Neftali in Morelia, Mexico.
The orchestra draws members from 28 towns throughout McHenry, Lake and Kane counties. Tickets are $15 to $18. For tickets, call the box office at (815) 356-9212.