Classical Guitar Festival 2023 Tutors
Acclaimed international artists (UK, Australia, NZ)
Vincent Lindsey-Clark
English guitarist Vincent Lindsey-Clark is well known for his compositions for the instrument. He writes music for both students and professionals, much of which, has been used extensively by the major exam boards and performed all round the world. He has also written two guitar concertos. Distinguished performers who have played his music include The English Guitar Quartet, David Russell, Gary Ryan, Craig Ogden Amanda Cook, Detlev Bork, Davis Owen Norris, Roland Gallery, Roland Chadwick, Duolism, John Couch, The Trio Jackson, Rachel Scott and The Agostino Duo and many more.
His debut was at the Wigmore Hall, London in 1983. He then became a member of the Segovia Trio in 1987 and currently the Modern Guitar Trio. He has travelled extensively around the world performing his own music. His composition ‘Fiesta Americana’ was written for Berta Rojas, who’s recording of the work was nominated for a Latin Grammy Award. In 2003 his work March on the Red Planet was performed by 100 guitarists at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Vincent has been a regular tutor and performer at the Sydney Guitar Summer School in Australia and was invited to the Taranaki Guitar Summer School in 2016. This year he performed and was a tutor at the inaugural Nelson Classical and Flamenco Guitar Festival in New Zealand’s beautiful South Island.
He currently has positions at London’s Centre for Young Musicians, The University of Southampton and England’s most famous
school, Eton College.
.....Lindsey-Clark has an extensive knowledge of repertoire to fuel a very inventive compositional engine. Lindsey-Clark seems to revel in the guitar’s most vital qualities. He uses dissonance only when needed and as with greats such as Maurice Ravel the form of these miniatures is always concise....Tim Panting Classical Guitar Magazine.
Isabelle Héroux
Isabelle Héroux is a Canadian virtuoso classical guitarist with unparalleled charisma on stage. Her performance experience has led her to research and understand the creative process. Her passion for pedagogy drives her!
An active player in the international scene, Isabelle Héroux regularly performs as a soloist or as part of a duet. She has performed in France, Italy, Germany, Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Ecuador, Tunisia, Turkey, Mexico, Brazil, Burkina Faso, the United States and Canada, among others. In addition, she has been recorded for Radio-Canada and Bravo! television channel as a soloist as well as a chamber musician.
Her ¡Viva Espana! album, which she recorded on the ATMA label as part of the Duo Alba guitar duet, was very well received by critics, who deemed the group “masterful.” Recorded on the XXI-21 Productions label, her solo album Regard was called “a beautiful album to be savoured” by Christophe Rodriguez edition of the Journal de Montréal. Another one of her albums, titled Georges Delarue, musique pour guitar et flûte (DCM), features solo guitar works and pieces for guitar and flute. Her latest album, Tango classico, featuring the late Patrick Healey, earned her an Opus prize nomination in 2013.
Arguably one of the most talented artists of her generation, her virtuosity and stage presence make her an active player in the international classical music scene. When she isn’t performing, she frequently hosts master classes and appears as a panelist on many juries. Notable awards include scholarships from the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec, the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications, the Fondation McAbbie and the O.F.Q.J. She was a finalist in the “Concours International de la Havane” in Cuba. She received second prize at the 8th annual “Concours International d’Ensemble de l’UFAM” in Paris.
Isabelle received a unanimously decided first prize for classical guitar from the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal under the tutelage of Jean Versailles. She perfected her style while learning under Alberto Ponce at l’École Normale de Musique de Paris. She has also studied under such masters as Alvaro Pierri, Manuel Barrueco, David Russell, Ako Ito, Henri Dorigny and Stepan Rak.
Isabelle Héroux is a professor of classical guitar and pedagogy at the UQAM music department. She has a Ph.D. at Université Laval in music education and two performance degrees in classical guitar. She is an active member of such research groups as the Groupe de recherche interdisciplinaire sur les arts vivants (GRIAV), the Laboratoire de recherche en formation auditive et en didactique instrumentale (RFADI), the Observatoire interdisciplinaire de création et de recherche en musique (OICRM) and the UQAM music department research facility on music education. She has published many pedagogical articles and guitar method books, including her method for college students À vos guitares! Prêts? Partez! Her main areas of focus are the field of music pedagogy and what her primary instrument, the guitar, can bring to that field. She also studies the role that the creative process plays in the area of music performance, more precisely, the different creative processes at work while performance is being executed.
Andrew Blanch
Armed with formidable talent, passion, and conviction, guitarist Andrew Blanch has carved out his own path with a musical vision that equally values both the tradition and the inherent potential of this continuingly evolving art-form. His sought-after performances are delivered with great personal warmth and artistic consideration, and acclaimed for their ability to enhance the audience's connection with the music and the moment.
Andrew’s debut album Spanish Guitar Music (2015) was described by Jim McCutcheon for Soundboard Magazine (USA) as “one of the best debut albums I’ve ever heard.” He boasts more than ten prizes in international music competitions including first place at the Adelaide International Guitar Competition in 2019, and was featured on the cover of Limelight Magazine that same year, as one of the rising stars of Australian classical music.
In 2020, Andrew released his debut album on the ABC Classic label with long-time collaborator, guitarist Ariel Nurhadi.
The album was selected as Limelight Recording of the Month, Featured Album on ABC Classic, and was one of just a handful of albums nominated for the AIR Best Classical Album Award that year.
Highlights for 2021/2022 include collaborations with leading new music group Ensemble Offspring, harpist Emily Granger, guitarist Vladimir Gorbach and pianist Daniel Rojas, in performances for Sydney Festival, Musica Viva Australia, UKARIA, Canberra International Music Festival, Music in the Regions, Phoenix Central Park and more to be announced, as well as performances in Australia and Spain as orchestral soloist performing Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez. 2022 will also be a busy year in the studio with a number of upcoming solo and ensemble recording releases due out in 2023 that are sure to delight audiences, including an album with harpist Emily Granger.
Andrew plays a 2014 Greg Smallman and Sons guitar, is based in Sydney, Australia, and is managed by Tier 1 Arts. He is acting president of the Sydney Classical Guitar Society and an enthusiastic tennis amateur.
Julian Raphael
(B.Mus, M.Phil, PTCS) is a highly experienced community musician, music educator, composer, and performer who works alongside children and grown-ups with a philosophy and teaching style that is influenced and informed by music-making of the world's cultures. He is director of Community Music Junction which started operating in Wellington for enabling both children and adults to sing together and learn a variety of musical instruments.
Julian founded the Wellington Community Choir and was their director for fourteen years, plus the men’s vocal ensemble MaleVocale as well as several daytime social-singing groups. The organisation relocated to Taranaki in January 2020, where it has established a community choir (The Taranaki Singing Venture) and marimba, mbira, and drumming classes. Julian also works with several schools in the area offering guitar tuition plus vocal and percussion workshops.
As a song leader Julian works nationally running choir workshops for mixed voices and is spear-heading a movement to get more men involved in group singing in a social environment. He was appointed musical director of the
Taranaki Male Choir in Jan ’22. Since 2012 Julian has worked with Chamber Music NZ facilitating the IHC-funded relaxed concert projects around New Zealand.
Dominique Blatti
Born and raised in Switzerland, Dominique started to learn the classical guitar at age 9 followed by a stint at the Music Conservatory of Geneva cut short by her immigration to NZ with her parents when she was 18 years of age.
Dominique has been teaching and performing classical guitar full time for over 20 years. She founded and conducts a variety of guitar ensembles, and has enjoyed performing in several collaborations, including string quartet, duets with flute, cello, recorder, violin, voice and guitar.
She is the vocalist in French Cafe group ‘La Mer’. She has been the president of the Classical Guitar Society of New Plymouth for many years.
In 2011, Dominique initiated, and is the coordinator of the successful Taranaki Classical Guitar Summer School (TCGSS), www.taranakisummerschool.com, a biennial event held in New Plymouth since 2012. Due to Covid, 2022 has been cancelled, focus now being on TCGSS 2024.
Dominique is co-founder and co-director of the NCMA Classical Guitar and Flamenco Festival, held in Nelson, a week long event. The inaugural festival was held in 2019 and 2021 took place despite Covid19 putting many hurdles in the planning. This is a biennial event, held on the off years of TCGSS. Planning for 2023 in full swing. https://ncma.nz/festivals/
Dominique is an Associate Member of the Institute of Registered Music Teachers of New Zealand (IRMTNZ).
Dominique has a real passion for the instrument, and is dedicated to foster a classical guitar culture throughout New Zealand. Her formative years working for international companies as PA to CEOs and HR Manager equipped her well in delivering successful and well planned events.
Learn more about Dominique at: guitartaranaki.com
Miles Jackson
MILES JACKSON is one of New Zealand's most accomplished guitarists. He began his musical training on the violin, changing to classical guitar in 1965. He has studied with a number of distinguished teachers and several periods in Spain have allowed him to explore and develop considerable expertise in Flamenco techniques. An intense period of study with world-renowned Czech guitarist Vladimir Mikulka took place in the summer of 1982. This was followed with three years of study with the English master guitarist John Mills, which has provided Miles with a technical facility and musicianship of the highest standard.
He has been working as a professional musician since 1972. Apart from solo performances, he has performed with many different chamber music groups and has been a member of the John Mills Trio and the Delphinos Guitar Duo. However most of his work has been with violinist Margarita Jackson as Duo Jackson. They have given concerts and workshops in many countries, made numerous TV & Radio broadcasts and recorded many albums of their music. Miles founded the Goya ensemble - strings and guitar- and has given many concerts featuring chamber music for guitar. More recently his focus has been on Trio Jackson - two violins and guitar.
Miles has always had a keen interest in raising the levels of the teaching and performance of the classic guitar in New Zealand and since 1974 has been actively involved in creating and pioneering ways to achieve this goal. He attaches a special importance to the teaching of technique. A priority for Miles is to bring students together to make music in enjoyable ensemble situations and to perform as often as possible.
He has introduced and tutored classic guitar courses at:
- The Kerikeri music schools
- The Dunedin University music schools
- Nelson School of Music winter music schools
- The Nelson summer festival The Nelson Centre of Musical Arts
- The Southland Polytechnic
- The Rotorua Music School
- The University of Singapore
- The Taranaki Classical Guitar Summer School
Director of The Inaugural NCMA Classical Guitar and Flamenco Festival / Summer School 2019 & 2021 Classical Guitar Festival.
In 1974 he was a founder and Vice President of the New Zealand federation of Classical Guitar Societies and its President from 1979 -1984. During this time he has also been a founding member of the Classical guitar society of Auckland, and founded the Guitar Societies of Dunedin and Nelson. He has been Musical director and organiser of four New Zealand Federation summer music schools. He has also organised concert tours and workshops for many outstanding Guitarists from other countries.
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