Duo Melis will perform at Bethlehem Guitar Festival's 10th anniversary event at 8 p.m. on Saturday, June 5, 2010, at Moravian College's Peter Hall.
By JERRY DUCKETT
Special to Lehigh Valley Source
One of the best kept secrets in the Lehigh Valley art world is the Bethlehem Guitar Festival, and its 10th anniversary event, with the theme of performing married couples, is slated for Friday and Saturday, June 4 and 5, 2010, at Moravian College, Bethlehem, Pa. Presented by Moravian College’s classical guitar program and Martin Guitar Co., the event will include recitals, concerts, workshops, guitar expos, and master classes featuring the world’s most renowned guitar craftsmen.
The event is directed by John Arnold, the college’s classical guitar instructor. Well known in guitar circles, Arnold taught at Bennington College in Vermont prior to coming to Moravian. In addition to being an active musician nationally, Arnold is also an active member of the Pennsylvania Symphonia Orchestra and Satori. During a recent solo performance at Bethlehem’s Godfrey Daniel’s, Arnold premiered “Gut, Nylon, and Steel,” part of his Martin Guitar Suite, which tells the guitar company’s history. Also performed was “Michael Goodnight,” written by Arnold and dedicated to his friend Mischael Hedges, who died in an automobile crash in 1997.
The festival kicks off in a big way on Friday, June 4, at 7:30 pm., when Thom Bresh—son of Country Music Hall of Fame legend Merle Travis—performs on the college’s Foy Concert Hall stage.
Bresh was born in Hollywood and made his debut at age 3, singing “Your Cheatin’ Heart” at the Corriganville Movie Ranch in Simi Valley, Calif., where most of the great western programs, including “The Lone Ranger,” were shot. His film debut soon followed at age 7, and, at the early age of 15, he replaced the retiring Roy Clark in Hank Penny’s band. His career then took another path, and, for 10 years, he worked as an actor/stuntman.
During his career, he played nine instruments, including tuba, and excelled in his impressions of celebrities. His wealth of musical talent led him to leadership, and, in 1970, he formed his own road band, with which he toured before returning to Los Angeles. He recorded his first single, “D.B. Cooper, Where Are You,” for Kapp Records in 1972, and two more for MGM three years later. He is a finger pickin’ guitarist who brings his father’s legacy to new highs.
The festival jumps into high gear on Saturday, June 5, beginning at 8:30 a.m. with registration and a guitar exposition, followed by a recital by Mayes Guitar Duo (Kathleen and Joseph Mayes) performing on guitars and lutes, and a lecture by Dick Boak at 10 a.m.
In addition to the morning recitals and clinics, major highlights of the festival are a master class by Duo Melis (Susana Prieto and Alexis Muzurakis) at noon on Saturday in Peter Hall and their featured concert at 8 p.m., also in Peter Hall.
It was 1999 at the International Guitar Festival in the unique small city of Volos,
Greece, that a very young, but talented Spanish guitarist, Susana Prieto, and a Greek guitarist, Alexis Muzurakis, made their debut as a duo, and launched a career which has taken them through the world’s most prestigious concert halls. Those glorious musical Meccas include the Concetgebouw, a famous concert hall in Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Megaron in Athens; and the Merkin Concert Hall in New York City.
Duo Melis performs works from the Baroque period to the 20th century, using both period instruments and modern concert guitars. The duo has performed and given master classes across the United States and Europe and collaborated with orchestras in Germany, Romania, and Greece among others. They have been teaching at the Conservatoire de Strasbourg in France since 2006.
“We had won numerous prizes individually and as a duo, and have also collaborated with international orchestras, such as the Berliner Symphoniker, the Radio Orchestra of Bucharest, and the National Orchestra of Thessalonika,” Prieto said during a recent telephone call from her and Muzurakis’ home in Strasbourg. “In 2003, we recorded our first CD after winning the recording prize, Cutta di Verona at the International Chamber Music Competition Gaetanp Zinetti [in Italy]. In 2005, we successfully auditioned for the Yehudi Mennhin Society Live Music Now.”
“The biggest problem we have had with our careers was finding the dates that are available to play together, since we have had so many solo professional dates. It is also very hard to answer the question when asked, ‘What is the most prestigious or memorable professional appearance you have played?’,” she continues. “We have played so many different places that each eclipses the other, and it is hard to find one better than the next. Also, it took us 10 years to become known with a fan base by performing in one competition after another, that now we only do master classes and concerts, and don’t have time for competitions.”
For the guitar festival’s schedule and admissions fees, call 610-861-1650 or visit http://home.moravian.edu/public/music/guitar/index.htm.
Jerry Duckett is a freelance writer who lives in Allentown, Pa.
