Athens Guitar Trio In Concert

May 16, 2008 - 8:00pm

Formed in 2005 under encouragement from John Sutherland, the Athens Guitar Trio has quickly found their musical stride. Each of the three members, Rylan Smith, Dusty Woodruff, and Matt Anderson, bring talent and work ethic to the group, resulting in highly musical and technical performances.

The Athens Guitar Trio has performed for many prestigious occasions. In 2006, they were chosen by the University of Georgia Composition Studio to perform for renowned composer William Bolcom. For four consecutive years, the members of the Athens Guitar Trio have been chosen to play in the final recital at the Christopher Parkening Masterclass in Montana, as well as studying as a group with Christopher Parkening in his masterclass in 2005. Collectively, the members of the group have performed for Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, as a guest artist in Cortona, Italy for the 2001 University of Georgia Study Abroad Art Exhibit, as well as appearing as a featured artist in the 2005 documentary film “Alvar Sunol: His Vision and His Art.” The trio actively performs on the UGA campus and has performed for UGA President Michael Adams. The trio members have won three GMTA Spring Competitions, one in each of lower, middle, and upper college divisions.

The Athens Guitar Trio encourages the forward growth of music. Besides guitar performance, members of the group have studied music theory, music composition, and electronic music. They have premiered several pieces composed specifically for them. They also believe in educating within and promoting the area of classical guitar. All three members of the trio have private students throughout Georgia, and they hold assistantship and faculty positions at Augusta State and the University of Georgia in the areas of guitar performance, guitar methods, and music theory. The Athens Guitar Trio is the resident trio at the Georgia Academy of Music in Atlanta. They arrange most of their repertoire themselves, except for the pieces that are written for them! This repertoire ranges from Renaissance to contemporary styles.

The Trio performs on custom-made guitars built by Kenny Hill, including a rare eleven-string guitar.