THREEFIFTY Guitar

Tuesday November 17, 2009
7:30 pm

Beckwith Recital Hall, Cultural Arts building, Randall Drive

$5 general public / free to students with valid UNCW ID

Tickets are available at the Cultural Arts building box office 1 hour prior to the performance.

For more information, call the Department of Music at 910.962.3415.



ABOUT THE ARTISTS

It's easy to continue describing Threefifty Duo as a "classical guitar duo with a rock edge," as musicians Brett Parnell and Geremy Schulick seamlessly weave their contemporary rock sensibilities into the rich texture of classical guitar. But after years of writing and performing together and with a second album under Threefifty's belt, the duo's stylistic tendencies have expanded beyond their initial categorization, with genre blurred by an intensely personal sound.

Their debut album marked the duo as innovators in classical guitar programming, moving effortlessly between the compositions of their classical heroes, contemporary counterparts, and their own creations. While the album captured the verve and enthusiasm of a well-practiced and polished duo, it is Threefifty's sophomore effort, Circles, that presents the listener with a volume of all original compositions and a full emergence of the duo's distinctive voice, highlighted by Dominic Frasca's sumptuous production.

The result is a realization of a lifetime of experiences, both personal and professional. Formed in the halls of the Yale School of Music, taught by renowned classical guitarist Benjamin Verdery, and molded by the multi-faceted music scene of their hometown New York City, Threefifty has gone on to play in many respected venues and festivals, such as The 92nd Street Y, Southpaw, Pianos, The New York Guitar Festival, The Monkey, Bennington College, Connecticut Guitar Society, and a recent run of shows at California State University at Long Beach where choreography was set to their music. This past December Threefifty Duo set off for Bosnia and Herzegovina where they played a nationally televised concert organized by The America-Bosnia Cultural Foundation in Sarajevo's celebrated Dom Armije, with a member of the presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina in attendance.

These experiences, along with the guidance of producer Dominic Frasca's intensely creative and passionate hand, mark Circles as the next level of Threefifty's evolution. The songs span a full spectrum of colors: the emphatic strokes of Victory Drill descend into a dark reprieve midway, only to reemerge back into exuberance, with its catchy refrain of a driving, lively chord progression and melody. Zane Dancing relies on a staccato, rhythmic relentlessness, representative of Threefifty's energetic fervor. The album possesses a humble confidence, an electric and contagious appreciation for beautiful imperfections, and a true and deep admiration for all things musical.