February 21, 2008
8 p.m.
UMBC Fine Arts Recital Hall

Contact: Thomas Moore
Director of Arts & Culture
410-455-3370
tmoore@umbc.edu

Note: You may view or download this release as a pdf file.

UMBC's Department of Music presents classical guitarist John Schneider in concert on Thursday, February 21st, at 8:00 p.m. in the Fine Arts Recital Hall.

John Schneider is an internationally recognized guitarist, composer, author and broadcaster whose weekly television and radio programs have brought the sound of the guitar into millions of homes for the past twenty years. He holds a Ph.D. in Physics & Music from the University of Wales, music degrees from the University of California and the Royal College of Music (London), and is past president of the Guitar Foundation of America. A specialist in contemporary music, Schneider authored The Contemporary Guitar (University of California Press), which has become the standard text in the field.

For the past two decades, the artist has performed almost exclusively on the Well-Tempered Guitar which uses different patterns of fretting according to the key or tuning system required. Recitals include Renaissance and Baroque repertoire in their original temperaments, as well as contemporary music in alternative tunings by such composers as Lou Harrison, Ben Johnston & others. Since 1991, Schneider's concerts also include vocal works of the pioneer American composer Harry Partch (1901-1974), which he sings while accompanying himself on replicas of Partch's Adapted Guitars, steel stringed instruments refretted in just intonation. The 1990s also saw the creation of his chamber group Just Strings, a quartet of guitar/harp/cello/percussion devoted to the performance of music in alternative tunings. In 1995, they were invited by the Japanese Embassy to present a series of lectures and concerts throughout Japan under the auspices of the prestigious Interlink Festival which annually selects one American ensemble to represent new trends in American music.

Schneider has performed in Europe, Japan and throughout North America, and has been featured soloist at New Music America, and on NPR's Performance Today and PRI's New Sounds. Most recently he has been featured by New York's American Festival of Microtonal Music, Denver's Microstock, California's Mozart Festival, the DaCamera Society, Southwest Chamber Music, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and a recent BBC documentary on the music of Harry Partch. He works as a music Professor at Pierce College in Los Angeles, is music director for Just Strings, and is the artistic director of MicroFest, an annual festival of microtonal music. He radio show Global Village can be heard weekly on Pacifica Radio's KPFK at 90.7 FM in Los Angeles & worldwide at www.kpfk.org.

The artist's program, entitled Made in California, will feature:
Serenade (1978) by Lou Harrison
Suite for National Steel Guitar (1952-1992) by Lou Harrison
Listening to Lu Tzu-Hsün (2002) by John Schneider
New Work (2004) by David Doty
Barstow: Eight Hitchhiker's Inscriptions (1941) by Harry Partch
Quando Cosas Malas caen del Cielo (2003) by Terry Riley
7 Lyrics of Li Po (1933) by Harry Partch
Lament (1981) by John Schneider
Scenes from Nek Chand (2002) by Lou Harrison

Admission
Admission is $7 general, $3 for senior citizens, free for all students, and free with a UMBC ID.
Tickets are available through MissionTix at www.missiontix.com or by calling MissionTix at 410-752-8950.
Tickets will also be available at the door (cash or check only) immediately prior to the concert.

General Public Information
UMBC Arts Website: http://www.umbc.edu/arts

Directions
-- From Baltimore and points north, proceed south on I-95 to exit 47B. Take Route 166 toward Catonsville and then follow signs to the Fine Arts Building.
-- From I-695, take Exit 12C (Wilkens Avenue) and continue one-half mile to the entrance of UMBC at the roundabout intersection of Wilkens Avenue and Hilltop Road. Turn left and follow signs to the Fine Arts Building.
-- From Washington and points south, proceed north on I-95 to Exit 47B. Take Route 166 toward Catonsville and then follow signs to the Fine Arts Building.
-- Daytime metered visitor parking is available in Lot 10, near the Administration Building. Visitor parking regulations are enforced on all University calendar days. Hilltop Circle and all campus roadways require a parking permit unless otherwise marked.
-- Online campus map: http://www.umbc.edu/aboutumbc/campusmap/

Images for Media
High resolution images for media are available online:
http://www.umbc.edu/newsevents/arts/hi-res/
or by email or postal mail.