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THURSDAY OCTOBER 24, 2013 The modern-day Canadian Guitar Quartet performs at a recent private house concert at group member Philip Candelaria’s home in Arnprior. From left are Candelaria, Julien Bisaillon, Louis Trepanier and Bruno Roussel. Two retired members of the CGQ will rejoin Candelaria and Trepanier to team up with the Austrian/German Salzburger Gitarrenquartett to form the G8 for a Canadian tour that includes a performance Nov. 1 in Arnprior. Tickets are available at the Arnprior Book Shop and at the door. PHOTOS BY SHERRY HAAIMA/METROLAND
Classical guitar great Philip Candelaria calls Arnprior home Sherry Haaima Sherry.haaima@metroland.com
Arts – If you were walking along a quiet Gary Street on a Friday night in early October, you may have heard an unusual and lovely sound coming from one of the homes. Classical guitarist Philip Candelaria has been making his home in Arnprior for the past few years. Founder of the Canadian Guitar Quartet (CGQ), an internationally-renowned ensemble, and a performer and music instructor for many years, Candelaria has only good things to say about the town that has become a welcoming home for he and wife Iris and daughter Valentina. On that Friday night, Candelaria hosted a private concert in his home, inviting friends and community members to enjoy an evening of impressive guitar performances courtesy of the CGQ. While Candelaria actually bought his home at the end of 2008, it wasn’t until the past few years that he and his family really settled in. “I’d been commuting to Ottawa from Sudbury for years to work with the quartet,” he said. Then Iris and Valentina spent a year in Chile and he travelled to see them. “We looked around for a couple of years and Arnprior was my favourite place,” said Candelaria. Since getting established, the family has grown to love Arnprior.
Philip Candelaria is thrilled to bring the G8 - a guitar octet made up of the Canadian Guitar Quartet paired with the Austrian/ German Salzburger Gitarrenquartett, to Arnprior Nov. 1. “It’s been great getting to know the town and meeting new people,” said Candelaria. Candelaria met his wife Iris in Chile, where his daughter Valentina was born. “They both love Arnprior as much as I do,” he said. His decision to live here means music lovers are in for a treat, as Arnprior is one of only a few places to host a performance of the G8 (guitar8), a guitar octet that pairs the CGQ with
the Austrian/German Salzburger Gitarrenquartett. The Nov. 1 show at Grace St. Andrew’s United Church promises to be a fine evening with two premiere pieces one of which is Canadian. Candelaria obtained a Bachelor of Music in music history from the University of British Columbia; taking private guitar lessons with Bruce Clausen. In 1979 Candelaria received a Professional Study Award from the British Columbia Arts Council and then a Canada Council grant to study under Aaron Shearer at the Peabody Conservatory, Johns Hopkins University, where he completed graduate training in 1980. Candelaria grew up in Vancouver and spent much of his guitar teaching career in Sudbury. He taught at Capilano College in B.C. and since 1980 was a guitar instructor at Laurentian University and Cambrian College in Sudbury. In 2003 he became an instructor at the University of Ottawa. He regularly conducts master classes and adjudicates for festivals in Canada and abroad. The idea for the G8 all started a few years ago when Patrick Roux, one of the original CGQ members, encountered an Austrian/German guitar quartet “He thought it was really good,” said Candeleria. “Somehow it came up we should do something together.” The plan was to do a few pieces together and several in their original quartets.
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“It turned out the musical chemistry was so good we ended up only doing a few pieces on our own. It’s the third time the octet has travelled across Canada. The first European tour was in 2006, with the G8 coming to Canada the following year in 2007 “Then we decided in 2009 to do another set of exchanges,” he said. This third tour, with the European one completed in 2012, has been the most successful to date. The Canadian tour consists of 10 shows. There will also be some outreach work along the way, in schools and at other organizations. Candelaria, tour director, has been busy preparing – booking rental vehicles, firming up travel plans and getting everything in order. The venues range from smaller ones like Grace St. Andrew’s United Church to quite a bit larger, including a 1,000-seat hall in Barrie. He founded the Canadian Guitar Quartet in 1999 and said after years as a teacher and soloist, he enjoys playing in a group. “When you play in a group, you listen so much better,” he said. “It’s completely different, it opens up your ears.” How do the European G8 concerts differ from the Canadian ones? “You feel you’re in the old world,” he said. “We’re usually in old churches or concert halls.” See CANDELARIA Page 33