Herberger College School of Music announces spring 2004 Guitar series

TEMPE, Ariz. – The popular guitar concert series presented each year by ASU’s Herberger College School of Music continues this spring with two concerts, one featuring guitar soloist Cem Duruöz, the other violin and guitar duo Finn Svit and Jochen Brusch.

The series has been coordinated by Frank Koonce, professor of guitar, for nearly 20 years. It features musicians who play the guitar, as well as those who play guitar-related Renaissance and Baroque instruments such as the lute and the vihuela.
“ Every year we try to bring in diverse musicians, and we often showcase some of the outstanding young talent who are rising to prominence,” Koonce says.

The 7:30 p.m., Feb. 5, concert by Turkish-born guitarist Cem (pronounced “Gem”) Duruöz, will give Valley audiences a chance to see and hear this rising star before his Carnegie Hall Debut Recital as an award recipient of Artists International in April.

His ASU recital, in Katzin Concert Hall, will include a variety of pieces written by composers from the seventeenth century to the present. Works will include Variations sur “Les Folies d’Espagne,” Opus 45, by Mauro Giuliani, Mood Swing, written specially for Duruöz by Jody Rockmaker, and a set of traditional Argentine tangos.

Duruöz, who won first prize in the Turkish National Guitar Competition at the age of 17 and studied at Juilliard with Sharon Isbin, has appeared at festivals in Brazil, Greece, Peru, Turkey and the United States, and as a soloist with the Turkish Presidential Symphony Orchestra.

The spring season’s second event features a pair of musicians who were highly recommended by world famous violinist Yehudi Menhuhin before his death. Violin and guitar duo Finn Svit and Jochen Brusch, who have played together since 1992, will give a recital at 7:30 p.m., March 3, in Katzin Concert Hall. They are widely sought musicians in their native countries of Germany and Denmark, as well as Bulgaria, Austria and Spain.

The duo have two CDs, Treasures for the Violin and More Treasures, both of which have been highly acclaimed by a number of international music publications.

Details of the two spring guitar concerts follow. For more information on the guitar season, the public should call (480) 965-TUNE or visit the Herberger College Web Site at http://herbergercollege.asu.edu and click on “Things to Do.”

Cem Duruöz, Guitar Recital
7:30 p.m., Feb. 5 
Katzin Concert Hall
Admission Price: $14 general, $12 faculty/staff/senior citizens, $10 students
Tickets: 480-965-6447

Finn Svit and Jochen Brusch, Violin and Guitar Duo
7:30 p.m., March 3
Katzin Concert Hall
Admission Price: $14 general, $12 faculty/staff/senior citizens, $10 students
Tickets: 480-965-6447

The School of Music in the Arizona State University Herberger College of Fine Arts is one of the top music schools in the nation. More than 100 music faculty artists and scholars work with approximately 800 music majors each year in research, performance and scholarly activities. It presents approximately 700 concerts and recitals each season. To learn more about the School of Music, visit http://music.asu.edu.

Media Contact:
Jennifer Pringle
480-965-8795
jennifer.pringle@asu.edu