Classical guitarists to perform at Tree of Life's 'Summer With Music' series

On Sunday, July 22, classical guitarists Bert Lams and Fabio Mittino will perform at a musical worship service at 10:45 p.m. at Tree of Life Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 5603 Bull Valley Road in McHenry.

The worship, part of a "Summer with Music" series, also will feature a message of community and wisdom by Worship Committee chair M.E. Tanabe.

Lams and Mittino will present a program of music from their album "Long Ago," featuring compositions by G.I. Gurdjieff and Thomas De Hartmann arranged for two steel-string acoustic guitars by the duo.

Mittino is Italian and began his study of classical guitar at age 13. In 1998, he attended a Guitar Craft course presented by renowned English guitarist Robert Fripp. Since then, he has continued studying and playing with the Guitar Craft technique.

Lams is originally from Belgium. In 1984, he graduated with honors from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Brussels, where he studied classical guitar. Shortly after that, he became involved with Fripp and the Guitar Craft school where he met Mittino.

They successfully perform as a duo internationally and recording their unique guitar stylings.

This is their second visit to Tree of Life.

The exotic music they will feature Sunday features the work of G.I. Gurdjieff, a philosopher of Russian/Armenian descent who had the remarkable gift of remembering music he had heard during his travels in Asia and the Middle East: Armenian songs, Hindu melodies, Kurdish melodies, an Orthodox Hymn, Sayyid dances, and others. Many years later, he sang and played the melodies to Russian composer Thomas De Hartmann. Together, they created over 300 pieces between 1918 and 1927.

The service is open to the public. Coffee and refreshments will be shared in a social hour after the service.

Child care for infants and toddlers is available.

For information, call the church at (815) 322-2464, e-mail office@treefolifeuu.org or visit treeoflifeuu.org.