By Vanessa Sage

Let us introduce you to Guitar Hamilton. This new initiative is a non-profit organization promoting and fostering the classical guitar in Hamilton. Locally born Artistic Director Emma Rush completed her MA in Germany, and it was Europe’s lively classical guitar scene that inspired her to form Guitar Hamilton in 2009. As well as putting on four concerts this year, Rush has reached out to the community by offering free concerts in schools and senior’s homes and by giving tickets to organizations such as Big Brother’s. She hopes to form a community guitar orchestra in the future. Vanessa Sage asked Rush a few questions about Guitar Hamilton (GH).

H: How have the concerts gone so far?

GH: We’ve had two concerts so far (Laura Young and Johannes Moller) that were quite successful.  We’ve had a great turnout and a lot of enthusiasm from the audience. Everyone who has attended the concerts has been very impressed with the high level of musicianship on stage at the Conservatory.

The guitar is an instrument everyone can relate to and I think this accounts for some of the success we’ve had.  It might take longer for a different kind of classical music organization to get started but because the guitar is really an instrument of the people GH has had a broader appeal.

H: What major successes and challenges have you had?

GH: The biggest success we have had so far is the concerts themselves – not just the audience response, but also how much the artists themselves have enjoyed their experiences in Hamilton. Aside from the great venue we have, they were struck by how friendly everyone was and how diverse and “funky” the city is. Both performers said they felt a real connection to the audience.

Another success is the level of support we have had from the Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts, where we hold most of our concerts.  They have been very generous with their advice and also things like space on their website, promoting the gigs in their newsletters, etc.  The biggest challenge is (of course!) funding. It has also been a personal challenge for me to get to know different aspects of directing a concert series—everything from printed material, accommodations for the artists, getting in touch with the media, and postering, etc.

H: What are you looking forward to in the future?

GH: We want to continue to bring world-class talent to the stage in Hamilton, expanding from four to six concerts a year.  We would also like to further our relationships with different guitar societies in Canada and the world.  We have been working on different levels of partnership with various groups in Canada in order to share resources/talent.  More networking with groups representing various artistic disciplines within the city is also a goal.  One of our most exciting plans is to establish a festival of the classical guitar in Hamilton, which would bring students from around the world to our city (working on this for 2011).

There are still two more concerts this season:  Amadeus Duo (March 22) and a Spring Gala Concert featuring Danielle Cumming, Emma Rush and Henderson-Dolk Duo (April 25). Visit Guitar Hamilton’s website for more details.