Our new Strings Fellow, world-renowned classical guitarist Craig Ogden, paid a visit to the Music School, where he spent the day listening to and advising many of our guitar pupils, on Friday 27 January.
We are delighted that Australian-born Craig Ogden, one of the world’s finest classical guitarists, has joined our Music Fellowship Programme this year. The programme gives boys opportunities to work with some of the finest musicians in their field.
Craig spent the majority of the day taking individual lessons with guitarists from across the Upper School. During lunch, he spent time with the Segovia Guitar Ensemble, where he focussed on skills particularly relevant to ensemble playing. The boys were rehearsing an arrangement of Pavane, in five parts, by Spanish Baroque composer Gaspar Sanz. He encouraged the boys to play confidently, to not worry about playing the wrong notes when sight-reading, as long as the rhythm is correct, as the ability to play in time together is so vital in groups such as theirs. With no conductor, the ensemble have to rely on each other to keep time. Craig suggested they pencilled in some spectacles on their scores to signal when to look up, and who to look at for their cues, at particular key points! During the rehearsal, Craig remarked that, due to guitars being plucked, it is far harder to be completely together in comparison with bowed instruments. Therefore, when it is together, it is amazing!
We are already looking forward to Craig’s next visit on Friday 17 March, when his schedule will include masterclasses with boys from the Prep School, as well as a lunchtime recital for all to attend.
About Craig Ogden
Craig is one of the UK’s most recorded classical guitarists; his most recent recordings are a solo recital disc for Chandos, Craig Ogden in Concert, and a new arrangement of the Goldberg Variations by J.S. Bach with violin and cello. He also makes regular solo and chamber appearances at major concert venues worldwide. In recent years, he has performed with the Hallé Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica de Navarra (Spain), Darwin Symphony Orchestra (Australia), Spanish Symphony Orchestra, RTÉ Concert Orchestra (Dublin), London Philharmonic, Ulster Orchestra, Orchestra of Opera North and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, to name but a few. He is also Director of Guitar at the Royal Northern College of Music, and lives in a village in Oxfordshire, which he says is a perfect base for travelling around the UK for recitals
