Grand Rapids Guitar Quartet

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1. Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K 525: W.A. Mozart
2. Miriors: V La Vallée des Cloches, M. Ravel
3. Dances from Terpsichore, M. Praetorius
4. Ma mère L’oye: Laideronnette Impératrice des Pagodes, M. Ravel
5. Drottningholm Music, J.H. Roman
6. Pavane pour une infante défunte, M. Ravel

The Grand Rapids Guitar Quartet is comprised of four award-winning guitarists who currently make their homes in the West Michigan area, Andrew Bergeron, Brian Morris, Michael Stockdale, and Jason Werkema. For the past several years, they have received an overwhelmingly positive response from audiences at their sold out performances at colleges, universities, art centers, chamber music series, and community concert series. This season the Quartet will present a program of a variety of transcriptions of Masterworks and music originally written for guitar quartet, along with entertaining, informative, and often humorous explanations about the music. The CD contains exquisite classical masterpieces beautifully performed on four guitars.

 Suite Music for the Classical Guitar

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1. English Suite/Prelude
2. English Suite/Folk Song
3. English Suite/Round Dance
4. Suite del Plata/Preludio
5. Suite del Plata/Tango
6. Suite del Plata/Milonga
7. Suite del Plata/Murga
8. Suite del Plata/Candombe
9. Suite in Popular Style/Prelude
10. Suite in Popular Style/Bittersweet
11. Suite in Popular Style/May Dance
12. Suite in Popular Style/Canzona
13. Suite in Popular Style/Vals Latino
14. Requiem for a Goldfish/Allegro Moderato
15. Requiem for a Goldfish/Adagio
16. Requiem for a Goldfish/March
17. Suite del Recuerdo/Evocacion
18. Suite del Recuerdo/Zamba
19. Suite del Recuerdo/Chacarera
20. Suite del Recuerdo/Carnivalito
21. Suite del Recuerdo/Evocacion and Joropo

Guitarist / vocalist Brian Morris's programs of classical guitar, jazz, blues, original and folk songs have received enthusiastic approval from music scholars and elementary school children alike. His past performances include performances with the West Shore Symphony, at Notre Dame University, The Biltmore International Art Expo in Asheville, NC, the College Music Society's Regional Conference in Madison, WI and the Kennedy Center. He is currently on the music faculty of Grand Rapids Community College, where he teaches guitar and other music courses. Earning music degrees from both Florida State University and Montana State University, Brian's past teachers include Christopher Parkening and Bruce Holzman. He has participated in masterclasses with Manuel Barrueco, David Russell and Michael Lorimer. He is the author of The Real Guitar Method and has recorded two CD's, Are We All the Same Age?, a CD of original songs for Shakti Recordings and Ballet Burlesque, a CD of music for two guitars for Liscio Recordings. His newest recording is entitled Suite Music for the Classical Guitar.

From 1985-89 Brian was an Artist-in- Residence for the State of North Carolina where he maintained a very active performing schedule. He was also a member of the Les Deux Amis Guitar Duo with his good friend Joseph Hoey. In 1985 they won third prize in the Guitar Foundation of America's International Guitar Duo Competition, and released a CD of music for two guitars in 1989. After hearing the CD, Francis Kleynjans, the noted Belgian composer whose composition is included on the recording, promptly wrote and dedicated a new work to the duo.

Brian began his musical studies with the organ and cornet at the age of 8, although his fascination with the guitar did not start until age 13 when he began playing folk, rock and blues. Deciding to pursue a degree in music, he attended Grand Rapids Junior College where he studied classical guitar. After two years of study, he was one of 10 guitar students accepted to be in Christopher Parkening's guitar studio at Montana State Unversity, where he earned a BME in 1979. Returning to Grand Rapids, Brian taught and performed in the area, while continuing his studies in guitar master classes and with prominent local musicians. In 1981 he became the first guitarist to ever be selected to perform at the Kalamazoo Bach Festival's Young Artist Concert. After which he was invited to teach at Kalamazoo College. Receiving a Graduate Fellowship from Florida State University, Brian returned to school and completed his MM in 1985.

 Are We All the Same Age?

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1. Do You Talk to Me in Stereo?
2. Are We All the Same Age
3. Rock 'n' Roll Still Callin' Me
4. I Don't Need to Hear That You Love Me
5. Never Wanted to Be An Elvis Impersonator
6. Waterman
7. Bottle of Zen
8. Precious Lies
9. Livin' in a Woody Allen Flick
10. One Night Stand

This album contains an eclectic mix of popular folk-jazz-rock style ballads, featuring wonderful jazz and classical muscians. Several of the musicians perform with the Grand Rapids Symphony.