New Plymouth Dances to its Very Own Seventy Guitars 

On 16 January 2012 over seventy classical guitar players converged on the Highlands Intermediate School in New Plymouth. Professional guitar teachers and musicians, as well as amateur enthusiasts flew in from as far afield as South America. From 9 am Monday morning until 10 o’clock Saturday night; fingers flew, brains buzzed and memories did overtime to polish pieces that ensembles and the orchestra had to learn and perform by the end of six days. In one week a concert of international standard was put together under the keen direction of Australian-based Kiwi guitarist John Couch. 

The school brought to New Plymouth an impressive lineup of concerts, featuring some of the worlds leading guitarists from New Zealand and Australia. Tears were brought to the eyes of concertgoers when John Couch and Prof. Matthew Marshall (Dean, School of Creative and Performing Arts, Central Queensland University) performed ‘Ask Me Tomorrow’, a piece written to celebrate a life battling cancer. Hushing an audience with his self-composed ’37 Nights in Scotsmans Valley’, Kotaro Nishishita proved to be an up and coming guitarist not to miss.

In addition to public concerts, students were treated to a range of diverse topics from flamenco techniques for classical players, to conquering stage fright. The school also promoted luthiers (local and international), running a workshop on the design and construction of guitars by Auckland-based luthier, Rod Capper. The workshops were well received with participants finding presenters “excellent” and the workshops “professionally run”.

Owen Moriarty, Jane Curry and John Couch promoted their homegrown talent through the direction of ensembles. “Great leader”, “highly commended” and “interesting and inspirational” were just some of the praise these ensemble directors received for their hard work. Included for participants, was the possibility to approach these three leading guitarists, as well as all masterclass and workshop presenters for private tuition. This opportunity was taken up my many of the students attending the summer school.

Notable for their range in age (10 – 83), students held high expectations for this, the first guitar summer school held in New Zealand for 20 years.  Some were starting out on careers in music performance, whilst others were professionals in medicine, architecture and engineering. A founding member of the New Zealand Federation of Guitarists, John Turner privileged the school by attending as a student.

There are an increasing number of young musicians taking up careers in classical guitar and Prof. Matthew Marshall stressed the need for players of the instrument to both compose and commission works for the guitar. In his concert performance he played the winning three compositions from the recent 2011 Classical Guitar Composition Competition designed to promote New Zealand professional guitar.

The week culminated in an opportunity for the school to give back to the community that has hosted it in a performance on the Hatchery Lawn at the Pukekura Park Festival of Lights. Over seventy guitarists were pictured on the front page of the Taranaki Daily News performing to a crowd that exceeded the expectations of the Festival of Lights organisers.

The inaugural Taranaki Classical Guitar Summer School was so well received that enquiries have already been made into the 2014 school from both students and overseas talent wishing to perform and teach. This event made clear that classical guitar is an instrument of unparalleled musical versatility, and one with a unique capacity to capture the mood of the New Zealand landscape just as it has captured for centuries the sounds of Spain.