Guitar quartet to perform at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

ALBANY — The Texas Guitar Quartet, a Grammy-nominated group from the Lone Star State, will perform classical music ranging from Beethoven to modern works Thursday evening at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at 212 N. Jefferson St.

The latest in a series of free concerts at St. Paul’s made possible by the Sharpe family, the 7:30 p.m. event is free and open to the public.

“The Texas Guitar Quartet is one of the finest guitar quartets I have heard, and they will be playing an exciting and diverse program of music,” Robert Sharpe, who also is an accomplished guitarist, said. “With four guitars, they are able to perform repertoire that is impossible for solo guitar.”

Sharpe was a classmate of one of the quartet members, Joseph Palmer, at Columbus State University, where they were frequent musical collaborators. He met Isaac Bustos in 2004 when they competed at a Montreal guitar festival, and Alejandro Montiel hosted Sharpe’s former Sharpe-Zohn Duo for concerts at Sam Houston State University. The fourth member was a more recent acquaintance.

“I saw the quartet play in North Carolina in July of this year, and met Jay Kacherski then,” Sharpe said. “After that concert, I learned they would be playing in Columbus on Sept. 15 and asked if they could add Albany to their tour.”

Montiel said the group is looking forward to returning to the Peach State and to their first visit to Albany.

“We’re very excited to come back to Georgia, as it is one of our favorite places to visit,” he said. “The last time we were there was to perform Joaquin Rodrigo’s ‘Concierto Andaluz’ with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra back in 2019, so, needless to say, another visit has been long overdue.

“The main difference this time around is that we’re coming to Albany for the very first time. Robert has told us that audiences in Albany are very warm and welcoming, so we are thrilled to share our program with them.”

The concert will feature music from the Classical and Romantic eras, but also modern masterpieces.

Formed in 2009, the Texas Guitar Quartet, hailed as “impeccable in every respect” by Classical Guitar Magazine, has performed throughout the United States, Central America, Spain, and China. Recent highlights include performances for the Encuentro Internacional de Guitarra 2016 (Nicaragua), Victoria Bach Festival, Guitar Foundation of America Convention, Festival Internacional del Noreste (Mexico), and Texas Music Festival.

During the summer of 2015, the quartet presented a series of concerts in historic cathedrals along the Camino de Santiago, Spain.

The quartet premiered a landmark new work by lauded American composer Nico Muhly in collaboration with Grammy-winning chamber choir Conspirare, Grammy-winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, and the Dublin Guitar Quartet.

“From a personal perspective, if you had told my 15-year-old self that I would be performing with an established chamber group with three other incredible musicians, I would have laughed in disbelief,” Montiel said. “I get to travel the world, meet and work with wonderful people, eat amazing food, learn about other cultures and perspectives — things I feel are essential to the human experience — all through the lens of music. We should all be so fortunate.”

Described by Soundboard Magazine as a “flawless musician, filled to the brim with polished technique,” Montiel’s career has taken him throughout the United States, China, Mexico, Central and South America, and Europe. He holds graduate degrees from the Peabody Conservatory and the University of Texas at Austin.

In addition to performing, arranging and recording, Montiel, highly sought after as a chamber musician in Texas, is on faculty at the University of Texas San Antonio and Lone Star College Montgomery.

Palmer, an award-winning guitarist, has earned a reputation as one of the most highly engaging and dynamic performers on the American guitar scene. His performances have captivated audiences in cities throughout the U.S and abroad.

He has won 17 top prizes in international guitar competitions, including the World Guitar Competition and Guitare Montreal. He holds degrees in Music Performance from Columbus State University and the University of Texas at Austin. In recent years, Palmer has devoted himself to sharing classical music with diverse populations. As the “Performance Engagement Artist” for Austin Classical Guitar, he gives more than 50 interactive concerts each year throughout the public schools and under-served communities.

Isaac, a top prize-winner in 13 international guitar competitions, enjoys an extensive performing career that has taken him all over the world. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree in guitar performance from the University of New Hampshire, where he was the only guitarist to ever hold a full scholarship, and a Master of Music degree from the University of Texas at Austin, where he also completed a Doctor of Musical Arts degree under the tutelage of world-renowned American guitarist Adam Holzman.

Bustos is on faculty at the University of Texas-San Antonio, where he is director of guitar studies. Additionally, Isaac directs the UTSA International Guitar Symposium & Competition.

Kacherski, a Fulbright Scholar, is described by the press with words including “virtuosismo” and “technical dominance.” A native of New York, he has performed around the world as a soloist, a member of the Texas Guitar Quartet, and with other chamber ensembles.

He is currently on the guitar faculty at Loyola University of New Orleans, the University of New Orleans, and McNeese State University, and the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. He is also the artistic director of the Houston Classical Guitar Festival and Competition and the Loyola Guitar Festival. Kacherski holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music, Florida Southern College, and the University of Texas at Austin.

“Red,” the quartet’s first album, was released to critical acclaim and was praised by Guitar International as a “tremendous accomplishment for the classical guitar,” adding that the quartet “performs with virtuosity, clarity, balance, and a refined character which will no doubt help to establish them as one of today’s leading guitar quartets.” Their follow-up 2017 album, “Icon,” features the complete 40th Symphony by Mozart.

Photo by Trish Badger, Courtesy of the Texas Guitar Quartet