We are excited to let you know about our music programs at Portland Classic Guitar.

Whether you’re a complete beginner or you are looking to improve your skills on the guitar, William Jenks and his staff have a great program for you.  Our program is designed to work around your busy schedule with private one on one classes scheduled once per week at a time of your choice.  When you are ready, we encourage you to participate in our student recitals held four times per year at the beautiful Marylhurst University campus.  For intermediate to advance players, we now offer a guitar ensemble class with performances at each student recital. William Jenks will also be teaching private guitar lessons through Marylhurst University this fall for young students and adults.   Click here for more informaion on our lessons.

Portland Classic Guitar Announces Venue Change for Acclaimed Series

Portland Classic Guitar is pleased to announce a concert by guitarist Alfredo Muro, who will perform on Saturday, May 19th, 2012, at Marylhurst University’s St. Anne’s Chapel (starting at 8 PM). This concert is now a rare opportunity for Portlanders to hear this brilliant artist: Muro, since his relocation to Boulder Colorado. Muro will perform a diverse program of solo guitar works by Baden Powell, Luiz Bonfa, Paulinho Nogueira, Isaac Albeniz, and more and he will be joined by the Sellwood String Quartet and upright bassist Brian Healy where they will perform the Concierto in D major by Vivaldi, the Fandango by Boccherini, and more.  Muro will also be debuting two of his own compositions:  Valsa Dos Amantes (Waltz of the Lovers) and Ecos de Amor (Echoes of Love) and his new arrangement of the Lenda do Berimbau (Legend of the Berimbau).
      Born in Lima, Peru, Muro has an impressive artistic range. The Oregonian once wrote that “he plays all styles with skill and feeling […] his attack precise and dramatic, his touch elegant, the effect both sophisticated and soulful.” But he is perhaps best known among modern classical guitarists for of his mastery of Brazilian music, and in particular the choro, samba, frevo, bossa nova and Afro-samba styles. Muro began playing the guitar at the age of ten, and by thirteen he had won his first competition (a performance aired nationally on Peruvian television). He would go on to study with a series of important teachers (first in Peru, and later, in the US), including Octavio Ticona, Carlos Hayre, Manuel Lopez Ramos, Frank Costa, and John Doan.

     Muro’s touring schedule has taken him to prominent guitar festivals and other prestigious performance settings throughout the world (including Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Canada, and, of course, the United States). Honors have accrued both near and far: in March 2005, Muro was selected by the Jazz Society of Oregon for the Jack Rosenberg Memorial Musician of the Month Award; two years later he was the featured artist at the Kennedy Center for the Millennium Concert Series in Washington D.C. Muro has released six CDs; his latest, Latin Impressions, was described by Jason Simms (of the Oregonian) as “romantic without being cheesy and virtuosic without being over the top.”

Marylhurst University’s St. Anne’s Chapel is located at 17600 Pacific Highway(Hwy. 43), Marylhurst, OR 97036 .  General admission for the concert is $25 ($20 for students, seniors, and Portland Guitar Society members) and reserved seating is $30. Tickets and information can be found by clicking here or by calling 503-654-0082.