Guitar duo performs at house concert in King

Written By MARK PAVILONS

A renowned guitar duo from Ottawa will perform in an intimate setting June 1 in King.

Duo Waqay, a young Latin guitar duo, will perform at an afternoon concern, organized by Caledon's Heather Morand Clark.

They will perform at Winsong Farm at 2 p.m. that day. The farm is located on the 15th Sideroad of King.

Guitarists Gabriela Iznardo and Alejandro Vega have been performing alongside one another since early adolescence and are both graduates of the University of Ottawa in Performance Guitar. While growing up playing together, they developed an inseparable bond; they quickly discovered their passion for Latin American and Spanish rhythms. The fusion of Alejandro's Cuban heritage and Gabriela's Peruvian and Argentinian background led to the creation of a unique sound which sparks energy and creativity into the hearts of their audience. It is this fusion of culture which created their name “Waqáy,” a Quechuan word that means “the cry and timbre of a musical instrument.”

You can see the Duo in action here: 

YouTube Video: YouTube.com/watch?v=c2DmQUYctPc ¹

Tickets are $20 (cash only at the door) and include the concert and post concert refreshments. Concert proceeds will go directly to the artists.

 Reserve your spot early, as seating is limited to approximately 20. To make a reservation contact Winnie at winsong.farm@gmail.com or by phone 905-859-6282.

Clark is a classical guitarist who lives and teaches in the area. She's also the president of the Guitar Society of Toronto, and they present international artists in Toronto for six regular season concerts, as well as a weekend festival with two more. Part of their mandate is to promote young talent, and as such, are bringing back the house concert.

Clark said having small, intimate venues accomplishes a couple of things – opefully people who might not want to travel all the way into downtown Toronto will be happy to have the opportunity to attend a cultural event close to home.

“I also hope to provide exposure to classical guitar to people who may not have heard it before, particularly some of my students who have probably never seen a live performance,” she said. “The charm of a house concert is of course the intimacy of the surroundings.  Classical guitar is particularly well-suited, being rather a quiet instrument.”

Clark said she saw Duo Waqay perform in Ottawa, and was impressed by their energy, love the music they play, and they are just a very engaging young Duo. Their program is Latin music, which is lively, and they are very impressive both technically and musically. 

As a classical guitarist, she became involved in the Guitar Society of Toronto as a volunteer, about 10-12 years ago.

“It has become an important part of my life, sharing my love of the instrument with our audiences. I believe anyone who likes guitar would like this type of guitar music, and anyone who likes music (which is pretty much everyone!) but in particular classical music, will love classical guitar.   I would love to see it expand from something only available in the city.”

Clark herself has been playing classical guitar most of her life, and she's been teaching in the Caledon area for almost 20 years. She has attended numerous guitar festivals in Canada, the U.S. and the UK, and her articles on international festivals have been published by Classical Guitar Magazine (UK), Soundboard (USA), on line at www.thisisclassicalguitar.com

For more, contact her at hmorandclark@guitarsocietyoftoronto.com

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2DmQUYctPc
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4VbqUfN3Po