Arts & Entertainment
World-Class Talent at Oakton’s Annual Guitar Festival Sept. 13-14
The Oakton Annual Guitar Festival, a premier two-day musical event, has something for every guitar lover.
Some of the world’s greatest guitarists will perform and demonstrate string- bending sorcery at the Oakton Community College Guitar Festival Friday, Sept. 13, and Saturday, Sept. 14, at Oakton’s Studio One Theater, 1600 E. Golf Road, Des Plaines.
“Oakton’s festival brings top professional talent to campus to perform with local and faculty talent,” says Chair of Performing Arts John Frisco, professor of speech and theater. “Over the two days, the community can mingle with talented faculty, get to know local artists and attend free workshops with top professional guitarists.”
The festival begins at 2 p.m. Friday with a free technique workshop by Peppino D’Agostino. He emerged on the acoustic guitar scene in the late 1980s and was part of the second wave of great acoustic fingerstylists that helped redefine the instrument during the 1990s.
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The first day ends with a concert featuring Kim Perlak and Dan Schwartz at 8 p.m. Perlak is the assistant chair of the guitar department at the Berklee College of Music. Her performances of new classical works and collaborations with jazz and traditional players have been featured on National Public Radio, at the Yale Guitar Extravaganza and at Boston GuitarFest. Schwartz has written and released nine CDs and has been featured on several internationally released acoustic guitar compilations including Narada Records “Masters of Acoustic Guitar.” His recordings have earned him a nomination for guitarist of the year by the Minnesota Music Academy.
The festival continues Saturday with a series of free workshops starting at noon, led by Roddy Ellias, noted composer and improviser who performs a contemporary new music, jazz and classical repertoire. At 2 p.m., Schwartz displays his talents. The workshop concludes with a demonstration by Perlak at 4 p.m.
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The celebration of guitar virtuosity concludes with a concert featuring D’Agostino and Ellias Saturday at 8 p.m.
Tickets for the individual concerts are $12 for general admission and $10 for students and seniors.
“Whether you love to listen to great music or want lessons from some of music’s top performers, this festival has something for everyone,” Frisco adds.
To order tickets, visit www.oakton.edu/tickets or call 847-635-1900.