Internationally acclaimed Eastman professor celebrates with some very special guests
Features rarely performed live “Electric Counterpoint” by Steve Reich
Nicholas Goluses, Professor of Guitar at the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music, will celebrate a big birthday this year with a special Faculty Artist Series concert, Nicholas Goluses and Friends: A 70th Birthday Concert, in Hatch Recital Hall on Wednesday, April 16, at 7:30 PM. General admission tickets are $10 and available for purchase at the Eastman Theatre Box Office website. This concert is free for URID holders.
“Much of the performing that a classical guitarist does is as an unaccompanied soloist,” explains Goluses. “But I wanted to have a musical party for my birthday, so I asked some of my dearest friends on the faculty to play with me.”
The eclectic and entertaining program opens with American composer Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint (first recorded in 1987 by guitarist Pat Metheny, for whom it was written), which will feature 13 classical guitarists, two electric guitarists, two electric bass guitarists, and a conductor – “all squeezed onto the Hatch stage,” jokes Goluses.
Guest artists for the piece include Eastman deans Matthew Ardizzone and Petar Kodzas, Eastman Jazz Guitar Professor Bob Sneider, Eastman Jazz Bass Professor Jeff Campbell, Eastman Community Music School Guitar Professor Lynn McGrath, and several of Goluses’ graduate and undergraduate students.
“Not only is it extremely rare to perform this piece totally live – as opposed to using a backing track – but, for me, it’s so very special because I’m sharing it with a group of guitarists who mean so much to me and symbolize the gift that has been the past 32 years of working here at Eastman.”
Next, Eastman Professor Bonita Boyd – Goluses’ favorite flutist – joins him for Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla’s “Histoire du Tango.”
“Bonnie was one of the first people that I contacted when I came to Eastman in 1993,” Goluses points out. “Since then, we have performed, toured, and recorded together all over the world.”
Another good friend and frequent collaborator, Eastman Professor of Voice Robert Swensen, will perform Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo’s “Three Spanish Songs” with Goluses.
“I have always loved the repertoire for tenor and guitar, and for many years Robert – one of the world’s great tenors – and I have performed recitals of a rich repertoire.”
Lastly, the world-renowned Ying Quartet (Eastman’s quartet-in-residence) will join him for “Introduction & Fandango” by Italian composer and cellist Luigi Boccherini.
“We’re delighted to join Nicholas in this special musical birthday celebration,” says David Ying, the group’s cellist. “He has been not only a valued longtime colleague but also a great friend. I can’t think of a better way to wish him a happy birthday than by sharing the special privilege of making music with him!”
The concert is a fitting kick-off to a special year for Goluses, who will be releasing his tenth album, Across the Horizon, this June. He has no plans to retire from performing, recording, or his beloved teaching.
“Having ‘looked at life from both sides now,’ I appreciate the gift of music more than ever,” notes Goluses. “It has enriched my life beyond words, and this ‘senior’ recital gives me the hope to continue for years to come.”
Visit Goluses’ website for additional information.
Media Only: Sally Cohen, 585-749-1795, sally@sallycohenpr.com
Jessica Kaufman, 585-278-4743, jkaufman@esm.rochester.edu
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About Nicholas Goluses:
Nicholas Goluses’ concert tours as soloist, with orchestra, and as chamber musician have taken him across North America, South America, Europe, Australia, and the Far East to critical acclaim. “Nicholas Goluses reached the highest levels of instrumental virtuosity,” says Generalanzeiber (Bonn, Germany), while Twentieth Century Guitar writes, “Nicholas Goluses is a true American master,” and the Star-Ledger calls him “dazzling.” He has recorded extensively for NAXOS, Albany, BMG and Linn, and his forthcoming album, Across the Horizon, will be released later this year on Parma. “Goluses is masterly, a musician’s musician,” writes American Record Guide. Committed to performing new music for the guitar, Goluses has given world première performances of more than 100 works. His 2023-24 season was highlighted by a performance and premiere recording of a new concerto by Stephen Goss in Glasgow, Scotland; a Fulbright Residency in Ibagué, Colombia; and festival residencies in Colima, Mexico and Malibu, California. Goluses is Professor of Guitar as well as the founder and director of guitar programs at the Eastman School of Music, where he is the recipient of the Eisenhart Award for Excellence in Teaching. Additionally, he was the inaugural Andrés Segovia Professor at Manhattan School of Music, where he received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree, the Pablo Casals Award for Musical Accomplishment and Human Endeavor, the Faculty Award of Distinguished Merit, and the Centennial Distinguished Alumni Award. His students have won major competitions and professorships throughout the world. He is a Fulbright International Specialist Professor and serves as the external examiner for doctoral dissertations throughout the British Isles. He has been a voting member of The Recording Academy (Grammy®) since 2012.
About Eastman School of Music:
The Eastman School of Music was founded in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman (1854-1932), founder of Eastman Kodak Company. It was the first professional school of the University of Rochester. Mr. Eastman’s dream was that his school would provide a broad education in the liberal arts as well as superb musical training. More than 900 students are enrolled in the Collegiate Division of the Eastman School of Music—about 500 undergraduates and 400 graduate students. They come from almost every state, and approximately 23 percent are from other countries. They are taught by a faculty comprised of more than 170 highly regarded performers, composers, conductors, scholars, and educators. They are Pulitzer Prize winners, Grammy winners, Emmy winners, Guggenheim fellows, ASCAP Award recipients, published authors, recording artists and acclaimed musicians who have performed in the world’s greatest concert halls. Each year, Eastman’s students, faculty members and guest artists present more than 900 concerts to the Rochester community. Additionally, more than 1,700 members of the Rochester community, from young children to senior citizens, are enrolled in the Eastman Community Music School.
About the University of Rochester:
The University of Rochester is one of the nation’s leading private research universities, one of only 62-member institutions in the Association of American Universities. Located in Rochester, N.Y., the University gives undergraduates exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close collaboration with faculty through its unique cluster-based curriculum. Its College, School of Arts and Sciences and Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences are complemented by the Eastman School of Music, Simon School of Business, Warner School of Education, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, School of Nursing, Eastman Institute for Oral Health, and the Memorial Art Gallery.