Half & Half
Tuesday 20 September, 7.30pm
St Thomas Church, Lymington
Two concerts for the price of one! In the first half you will hear British classical guitarist Gary Ryan, who currently pursues a busy and highly varied international career as a performer and composer. Gary is also Professor of Guitar at the Royal College of Music. In the second half accordionist Djordje Gajic will perform an eclectic programme ranging from Bach and his famous Toccata and Fugue, to Piazzola. They will end the concert by performing together.
J.S BACH transcribed by Gary Ryan: Cello Suite No. 1 BWV 1007
Folksong Arrangements arranged by Gary Ryan
Shenandoah
El Testament d’Amelia
Scarborough Fair
ASTOR PIAZZOLLA: Verano Porteño
ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM: Felicidade (arr. Roland Dyens)
ISAAC ALBENIZ: Mallorca
GARY RYAN: Benga Beat
Gary Ryan, guitar
Interval
J.S. BACH Toccata and Fugue d minor BWV565
SCARLATTI Sonatas in F major K107 and E major K162
ALBENIZ Asturias and Cordoba
SEMYONOV Fantasy
SEMYONOV Rhapsody
Djordje Gajic, accordion
Gary Ryan
The British classical guitarist Gary Ryan currently pursues a busy and highly varied international career as a performer and composer and is Professor of Guitar at the Royal College of Music, London.
Ryan is regularly invited to perform all over the world with recent appearances in Australia, China, Denmark, Germany, India, New Zealand, Malaysia, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK. He is also in great demand as a chamber musician and regularly performs with John Williams and John Etheridge in the Guitar Trio 6 Hands at UK venues including St George’s Bristol, the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, King’s Place in London and the Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh.
As a composer Ryan has numerous best-selling publications to his name. One of his most recent is Guitar Star (ABRSM), a highly entertaining book for young guitarists to help inspire the next generation of players. In 2020 he established his own company, Gary Ryan Music, which has already published 18 new pieces for solo guitar, guitar ensemble and piano, including a set original and evocative arrangements for guitar of Folk Songs from Britain and around the world.
Dgorje Gajic
Djordje Gajic began his musical studies in Serbia at the age of six, finally graduating from the Russian Academy of Music in 1993 with a Master of Music degree and the Honorary Title of Solo Performer. He continued his post-graduate studies at the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music and was appointed Assistant to Professor Yuri Dranga.
Djordje has performed with several acclaimed orchestras and ensembles including the Russian State Symphony Orchestra (under the baton of Yvgeny Svetlanov), Royal Scottish National Orchestra,BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra (BBC Proms, London), the Fibonacci Sequence Ensemble, Locrian Ensemble, Research Ensemble and Hebrides Ensemble, et al. He is a prolific recitalist throughout Europe (Andorra, Holland, France, Germany, Poland, Latvia, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Italy, Malta, Norway and Britain) and also in Australia, Russia, Bahrainand Tunisia.
Since arriving in Britain Djordje has given solo recitals across the United Kingdom and performed at many of the international music festivals including: Darlington, Norwich, Salisbury, Buxton, Birmingham.
Djordje currently teaches at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Edinburgh University, Douglas Academy and St.Mary’s Music School. He gives masterclasses in the UK, Italy, Germany, China, Serbia and Russia, and is frequently invited to sit on the jury for international competitions. In 1988 heco-founded the International Summer School and Competitions in Kragujevac, Serbia, and in 2013 started Scotland’s first international summer school for classical accordion at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He regularly participates in seminars and workshops for composers, and promotes classical accordion in schools, universities and festivals. Djordje performs as a soloist and in duo AdLibitum with the violinist Andrea Gajic.
