Backstage meeting leads to recording for Southeastern Guitar Quartet
Contact: Tonya Lowentritt
12/1/11
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REVIEWING THE MUSIC– Guitar arrangements by members of Southeastern Louisiana University’s Guitar Quartet will be featured on a holiday CD called “Christmas with Los Romeros.” Reviewing the music are, from left, David Bryan and Patrick Kerber, Southeastern music faculty members and two composers for the CD.
HAMMOND – Christmas arrangements by Southeastern Louisiana University guitar faculty members Patrick Kerber and David Bryan have been selected to be part of Holiday CD for Los Romeros, a Grammy-award winning group.
“Produced by Deutsche Grammophon, the premier recording label for classical music, ‘Christmas with Los Romeros’ is a combination of four pieces previously recorded for a Southeastern Holiday CD,” Kerber said. “When the group heard the recordings, they asked for more.”
It all started when the Southeastern Guitar Quartet – former Southeastern graduate student Matthew Aguilar of Walker, former music major Matthew Spears of Shreveport, and guitar faculty members Bryan and Kerber -- was invited to perform at the University of Southern California in 2008. There Los Romeros heard them play and members of the group were impressed.
Last January Los Romeros came to play with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, where Kerber went for a backstage visit. The conversation eventually led to a request for music from the quartet.
“They asked how the quartet was doing; at the time, we had disbanded,” Kerber recalled. “They were disappointed to hear that, because they wanted some music from us. That’s how it all came together to use some of our previously recorded arrangements.”
The pieces featured on the CD include Kerber’s arrangements of “The Little Drummer Boy,” Christmas Time is Here,” and “Joy to the World,” and Bryan’s arrangements of “Carol of the Bells,” and “Away in a Manger.”
Kerber said some of the pieces are available for preview at www.deutschegrammophon.com.
“The original CD, ‘Holidays at Southeastern,’ which also features the Concert Choir and other Southeastern student soloists, can be heard each year during the holiday season on the university phone system,” Kerber added. “Call and ask to be placed on hold.”
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