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A group of diverse guitar virtuosos who each come from a widely different musical background will be bringing their collective talents and unique styles to Livermore’s Bankhead Theater on Feb. 23 as part of the 24th annual International Guitar Night.
According to the International Guitar Night website, the show is part of a larger 40-city North American tour. The tour has been a staple since it was first founded in the late ’90s as it focuses on showcasing the world’s “established virtuosos and rising stars, consistently providing audiences with an unparalleled musical experience.”
“It’s an honor to be chosen, to be invited, together with these amazing musicians,” Luca Stricagnoli, an Italian fingerstyle guitarist, told Embarcadero Media Foundation. “Seeing them perform always reminds me what kind of incredible players are all over the world, how much talent there is out there and how different everybody is.”
Stricagnoli, who returned to play in the guitar night tour for the fourth time, is a widely known guitarist with over 700,000 subscribers on YouTube. His videos, which have millions of views, feature his dynamic use of guitars that range from having one neck, to as many as three necks, as he covers all different types of songs spanning all genres.
From hard-hitting songs like Linkin Park’s “Point of Authority”, to the famous “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” song from the popular 1987 movie “Dirty Dancing”, Stricagnoli is not afraid to pluck, tap and hit his guitar in order to create unique interpretations through intricate melodies and percussive sounds.
“I like so many different styles of music,” he said. “It’s fun when you try to do different things. It can be challenging, in a way, and it makes it more interesting.”
The next virtuoso performing is renowned guitarist Thu Le, who is known for her dedication to staying true to her classical roots.
Originally from Vietnam, Le was introduced to the guitar at a very early age. Her father, who was a painter and guitarist himself, was the first one to teach her at the age of 3.
Then when she turned 4, she began taking her lessons seriously before being the youngest student ever to be admitted to the National Conservatory of Music in Hanoi at the age of 7.
“Classical music takes a long time,” Le told Embarcadero Media. “It’s … not an easy journey.”
But despite the countless hours of practicing and missing out on time with her friends as a kid, Le said that she is grateful for where she is now as a professional musician because now she gets to travel the world to perform solo concerts and do what she loves, which is playing guitar.
She also said that while she knows playing some of her favorite classical compositions from people like J.S. Bach isn’t as catchy as doing classical interpretations of pop songs, she still loves playing those classical pieces for the people who do appreciate that type of music.
“Classical concerts, we don’t get much of an audience. You don’t have a big crowd like a rock concert,” Le said. “But I do it because I love (classical music), because it’s my passion.”
Marco Pereira, a Brazilian guitar player, is also another virtuoso with an extensive classical background who will be performing at the Bankhead that night.
Another renowned guitarist who attended the Music and Drama Conservatory of São Paulo before moving to France to obtain a master’s degree in classical guitar and musicology, Pereira has worked with legends like Gal Costa, Milton Nascimento and Antônio Carlos Jobim.
The first musician in his family, Pereira told Embarcadero Media that he first started playing guitar by chance after he saw a friend with a guitar when he was a kid. He first thought it was a great way to pass the time, but after spending countless hours practicing in his room and developing a love for the instrument, he soon found himself being sent by his mom to the music conservatory.
Fast forward to now, he is now performing in the International Guitar Night tour for the fifth time and hopes to continue bringing his Brazilian roots and modern classical style of guitar playing to as many stages as he can.
“I think that’s what I have been doing most of my life, is taking Brazilian roots and using the classical technique … to try to have a beautiful sound,” Pereira said.
The last performer who will be taking the stage is Australian blues musician Minnie Marks, who calls herself the black sheep of the group.
Different in more than one ways from the rest of the group, Marks is known for winning the Bluesfest Busking Competition in 2011 and for winning best guitarist at the Open Arms Festival competition.
She will be the only performer at the Bankhead show who will be singing and using her one-of-a-kind floor drum as she runs through original songs that combine old-school blues and rock with her own singer songwriting style.
That “swampy blues” style of playing is something she says is very typical back at home in Australia and is what she has been used to playing ever since she first got on the road at the age of 12.
She said that even though her music does stand out from the rest of the guitarists, she was happy to get the call and get the chance to perform alongside the others.
“It’s an absolute honor to try and hang in there with these incredible musicians,” Marks said. “They blow my mind every single night and it’s really beautiful for me to be able to see this part of the world as well and to do what I love with that kind of caliber of musicians on the road, it’s a dream come true.”
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