Programme

Albeniz – Asturias from Suite Espanola
Dyens – Libra Sonatine

  1. India
  2. Largo
  3. Fuoco

Reinhardt arr. Roland Dyens – Nuages
Gary Ryan – Hot Club Français
Gary Ryan – Benga Beat

Performer

Jon Gjyalci Guitar

Regarded by The Guardian as ‘’impressively expert” and by Classical Guitar Magazine as ‘’a highly talented player’’, Albanian-born Jon Gjylaci is in increasing demand as a performer due to his wide ranging repertoire, “brilliant interpretations”, “compelling quality to his guitar playing” and his ability to connect with the audience.

Jon has given concerts, recitals and masterclasses across the UK and Europe and has appeared in venues such as The Bridgewater Hall, Cadogan Hall, Liverpool University and Newcastle Cathedral. He has also given solo performances at Manchester Guitar Circle, Chester Guitar Circle and London’s Ealing Guitar Society.

In recent years, Jon has given several world premieres of new guitar works such as Ray Kohn’s ‘Dances in the Dark’ and Mark Houghton’s ‘Sonatine’. During last season he performed as a soloist with RTSH Symphony Orchestra of Albania and Bolton Chamber Orchestra. He has also collaborated with Manchester String Orchestra and the award-winning Northern String Quartet.

Jon has performed live on BBC Radio 3 and was selected as one of their ‘BBC Classical Introducing Artists’. He was also a leading feature in Classical Guitar Magazine Spring 2017 and his latest album ‘Edges of Thought’ was named by the magazine as one of the Top 10 best classical guitar recordings of 2017.

Jon has released two critically acclaimed solo albums and Classical Guitar Magazine has commented on his “…very impressive technical ability, which enables him to flash around the fingerboard in an apparent effortless manner.”

The Guardian wrote ‘’…when in the impressively expert hands of Jon Gjylaci, [the guitar’s] versatility is immediately apparent.’’

Jon studied at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester under the internationally acclaimed guitarist Craig Ogden, gaining his Bachelor of Music degree and his Postgraduate Diploma in Performance with distinction. Jon plays a 2007 Greg Smallman guitar.