Jørgen Skogmo
Jørgen was born in Norway in 1982 and began studying guitar when seven years old. with Jarl Strømdal. He then studied guitar with Robert Brightmore and theorbo and chamber music with David Miller at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama obtaining his Bachelor's and Master's degrees. Jørgen has given performances in such prestigious venues such as the Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room, Royal Opera House and, as part of a 'Composer Portrait' Prom broadcast on BBC Radio 3, the Royal Albert Hall. Jørgen has performed with ensembles such as the London Handel Orchestra, English Touring Opera, English National Opera, Canzona, Armonico Consort, and during the 2006 Spitalfields Festival with I Fagiolini. As a guitarist he has recorded for René Gruss Records with violinist David Frühwirth and as mandolinist he was invited to record with the Philharmonia Orchestra for EMI Records. During the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall he performed with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain directed by Sir Simon Rattle and broadcast on BBC2 Television. Jørgen has also achieved success in the competitive field both nationally and internationally including 1st prizes in the Admira Young Guitarist of the Year Competition in Bath and the Ivor Mairants International Guitar Competition in London. He was awarded 3rd prize in the IV Certamen Internacional de Guitarra Clasica 'Julian Arcas' (Almeria, Spain) and in 2005 he was a finalist and 'Premio del Publico' prize winner in the XXXIV Certamen Internacional de Guitarra Classica 'Francisco Tarrega' (Benicassim, Spain).
Peter Barton
In 1987 Peter Barton submitted three instruments for assessment by a distinguished panel of Luthiers, including Jose Romanillos, David Rubio and Stephen Gottlieb, for the biannual Craft Council Awards for musical instrument makers. His application was successful and he received a grant to assist in the development of his work and inclusion on the Crafts Coucil Register of Makers.
Since 1986 he has concentrated on making classical guitars, but has also made a number of steel string acoustic guitars.
He has I have the pleasure of moving into a purpose built workshop and am looking forward to guitar making more than ever. It's not always the stress free occupation that some romantics might imagine. However, it is an absolute pleasure to make a guitar from some of the most beautiful woods in the world and then to hear it played in concert. That is job satisfaction!
Earl Marsh
Earl Marsh was first introduced to the guitar (Tatay) when he was just five and there has always been a love for, and link with, the guitar during the last 55 years. He operates from his workshop in Boston, Lincolnshire, where he concentrates on making classical guitars to traditional methodology and enthusiasts are always welcome to visit and play, or chat about, guitars in the comfort and quiet of his purpose built studio. Earl has visited various guitar societies and colleges to display and give talks on the guitar. His guitars have sold in: England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Belgium, Japan and the USA. Each year his enthusiasm for the guitar leads him to attend the West Dean Guitar Festival where he displays his guitars at the open day and indulges his love of playing and learning for the rest of the week.
John Compton
John Compton took up the classical guitar at 17, being taught by John Cadman. John is now the Guitar Specialist Team Leader at High Wycombe Music Centre. He has been both an EGTA Executive Committee member and a core member of the FMS Classical Guitar Faculty . He publishes music for Guitar Solo (Scenes & Themes) and Ensemble and his Ensembles have been NFMY finalists on several occasions, most recently 2006. Whilst continuing his continual professional development, John maintains his performing skills playing with the Aragon Quartet. To relax, John enjoys building and flying large radio controlled model aircraft. (when he wins the Lottery, it’ll be the real thing…)
Antonis Hatzinikolaou
Antonis was born in Greece and studied with Alexandra Christodimou at the Philippos Nakas Conservatory (Athens), where he was awarded a full scholarship “in recognition of his eminent artistic and performing abilities”. In 2004 he moved to London to pursue a Postgraduate Diploma in Performance at the Royal Academy of Music with Michael Lewin, Timothy Walker and John Mills. The R.A.M has recently accepted Antonis request of an extra year in order to complete a Master of Music Concert Project with a research project looking at the depict of melancholy in the music of John Dowland through Benjamin Britten’s Nocturnal op.70 for guitar. Over the years Antonis has also attended and played in master classes with world leading guitarists John Williams, Manuel Barrueco, David Russell, Roland Dyens, Hubert Käppel, Ruberto Aussel, David Leisner, Fabio Zanon and Jonathan Leathwood. Antonis has received distinctions at national and international guitar competitions and festivals, including 1st prize in “Patras National Guitar Festival Competition 2001” (Greece), 3rd prize at the “International Koblenz Guitar Competition “Hubert Käppel 2004” (Germany), 3rd prize at the “Ivor Mairants International Guitar Award 2005” (London), and the prestigious “Julian Bream Prize 2006” at the Royal Academy of Music awarded by Julian Bream himself. This coming January Antonis will make his debut at the Purcell Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall, after receiving the “Park Lane Group Young Artist Award 2007”.
James Westbrook
James Westbrook is a graduate in music performance and a noted guitar tutor of various styles. His lecturing positions have included London Metropolotian University, and he has given many lecture-recitals on the history of the guitar, including the 1995 Classical Guitar Festival of Great Britain, the Guild of American Luthiers 2004 convention, and the Guitar Research Association 2007 conference in Germany. His broad knowledge of guitars is often called upon by other authors and James was consulted for the first Eric Clapton Guitar Auction held at Christies, New York. After working as a specialist for the auctioneers Bonhams (London), organising numerous successful guitar sales and evaluation days, James went on to work for Mick Fleetwood's internet based auction team as their foremost authority on guitars and American fretted instruments James has given numerous interviews for guitar magazines, newspapers, radio, and television, and was programme consultant to the Six Silver Strings project commissioned for the BBC. Currently, he is writing the Classic Classics column for the British magazine Classical Guitar. James is also the author of the very popular books; Guitars through the Ages (2002) and The Century that Shaped the Guitar (2006). James has been a Section Secretary and committee member of Springboard the Brighton & Hove performing arts festival for more than twenty years. In 2001 James created the Guitar Museum, which specialises in the guitar of the 19th century. Since then, many students and scholars have travelled from afar to inspect his rare collection of guitars and manuscripts. James is currently working towards a pending PhD placement, which will involve an in-depth three year research into the Panormo school of guitar making.
Eileen Guppy
has an eclectic background currently specializing in jazz piano playing and arranging. She performs in the North West in ensembles from duos to big bands, in jazz clubs, festivals (most recently Lancaster and Keswick) and other venues. She teaches Musicianship at RNCM, is tutor for jazz piano, and runs jazz activities in the Saturday Junior Department, as well as teaching piano privately. She has been a lecturer at the Leeds College of Music, and an Open University tutor. Advocating a holistic approach, Eileen employs strategies such as improvisation and playing by ear to integrate the basics of theory, embracing it as a practical subject rather than "the written work".
Luke Dunlea
Luke has received an advanced diploma from the British Kodály Academy and teaches Kodály musicianship to post graduate students at the Royal Northern College Of Music in Manchester. Currently he also runs The First Guitar Experience at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Previously he lectured on the Principles Of Teaching to guitarists at Trinity College London as a result of his unique Guitar Method Jigsaw Guitar Course which combines the systematic musicianship training offered by the Kodály Method and the fundamentals of guitar technique. He was the British representative at the European Guitar Teachers Association International Congress in Eindhoven in 1998 were he offered a paper entitled "The combined sequencing of musicianship and guitar pedagogy using a Kodály approach" Exploring the Use of Relative Solfa in Improvisation. This presentation will stimulate the interest of those who know nothing about relative solfa and its many uses including note function and inner hearing. It will explore how we can imaginatively use the guitar in ear training and how relative solfa can be used in the higher positions on the guitar. Also it will offer an approach to develop polyphonic hearing as needed when playing contrapuntal music. This presentation will reintroduce our ears to transposable finger patterns using the pentatonic as a beginning and give all teachers of varying experience more musical ideas to take home.
Stephen Gordon
Stephen has worked in many areas of music education. As guitar tutor he taught for many years at Dartington College and conducted guitar ensemble classes at various institutions including the Welsh College of Music and Drama ,Tilburg and Gronningen Conservatories and Iserlohn Guitar Symposium. He was founder and director of the Prussia Cove Guitar Seminar.
More recently he became music lecturer at Exeter College where he conducted the Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra and Choir. Stephen now plays continuo arch lute in various period instrument ensembles.
Tony Johnson
Tony is based in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire. He started playing the guitar at the age of nine and studied with Keith Overton throughout his school years. A keen interest in woodwork combined with his musical interest led to him making musical instruments. He studied at the Newark School of Violin Making and continued his classical guitar studies with Rob Johns.
After leaving college he concentrated his efforts on making and repairing violins. He eventually started making guitars in 1986 and this became his main occupation. He began playing the lute in 1991 and later the Theorbo. In 1999 he began part time lecturing at Newark School of Guitar Making, and later at Manchester College of Instrument Making but is now a full time guitar and lute maker.
Tony’s interest in lutes led to him examining historical examples and making copies. He is a member of the Lute Society. He has been invited to play and give demonstrations of his instruments. In 2005, he was commissioned by the Horniman Museum, London to do a drawing of a Baroque Lute and he gave a presentation on this in 2006.