THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY College of Music presents
Guest Artist Recital
Ben Lougheed, Guitar
Christopher Mrofchak, Guitar
Sunday, September 17, 2023 4:00 p.m. | Dohnányi Recital Hall
To Ensure An Enjoyable Concert Experience For All…
Please refrain from talking, entering, or exiting during performances. Food and drink are prohibited in all concert halls. Recording or broadcasting of the concert by any means, including the use of digital cameras, cell phones, or other devices is expressly forbidden. Please deactivate all portable electronic devices including watches, cell phones, pagers, hand-held gaming devices or other electronic equipment that may distract the audience or performers.
Recording Notice: This performance may be recorded. Please note that members of the audience may at times be included in this process. By attending this performance you consent to have your image or likeness appear in any live or recorded video or other transmission or reproduction made in conjunction to the performance.
Florida State University provides accommodations for persons with disabilities. Please notify the College of Music at (850) 644-3424 at least five working days prior to a musical event to request accommodation for disability or alternative program format.
Mazurka, Op. 33, No. 4
Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849) arr. Tarrega
Ensueño y Danza Olga Amelkina-Vera (b. 1976)
Gavotte and 6 Doubles
Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683–1764) arr. Mackenzie; rev. Lougheed
Homenaje, Le Tombeau de Claude Debussy Manuel de Falla (1876–1946)
Variations on a Theme by Django Reinhardt
Leo Brouwer (b. 1939)
La Muerte Del Angel Astor Piazzolla (1921–1992) arr. Brouwer
Ben Lougheed
INTERMISSION
Lute Suite No. 3, BWV 995
Johann Sebastian Bach Prelude (1685–1750)
Arabesque en forme de Caprice, Op. 99 Francis Kleynjans (b. 1951)
Andante and Rondo, Op. 2, No. 2
Dionisio Aguado (1784–1849)
Un Sueño en la Floresta Agustín Barrios Mangoré (1885–1944)
Christopher Mrofchak
PROGRAM
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Christopher Mrofchak began formal studies at the Dana School of Music of Youngstown State University under the direction of Dr. François Fowler. While at YSU, Christopher worked with various chamber groups, including the Early Music Ensemble, Dana Guitar Quartet, and the Dana Gypsy Jazz Ensemble. Mrofchak also received numerous awards at YSU, including 2nd prize at the James Stroud All-Ohio guitar competition. In 2014, he went on to study with world-renowned pedagogue Bruce Holzman at Florida State University.
While working as a teaching assistant to Professor Holzman, Mrofchak placed in several competitions, including the Troy University Guitar Competition, the University of Louisville Guitar Festival and Competition, and the Indiana International Guitar Festival and Competition. In 2019, Christopher was selected as one of fifteen guitarists worldwide to compete in the prestigious Parkening International Guitar Competition. He has performed in many cities in the United States, including Akron, Beverly Hills, Bloomington, Chattanooga, Cleveland, Columbia, Columbus, Gainesville, Louisville, Malibu, Pittsburgh, Tallahassee, Tifton, Warren, and Youngstown. In addition to his work as a soloist, Mrofchak concertizes as part of the Fowler Mrofchak Guitar Duo, having completed two tours of the eastern U.S. in 2022. Mrofchak is active as an educator, having taught at several schools throughout North Florida, including Chipola College and, most recently, Wakulla High School. His students have performed at the North Florida String Festival, Florida Guitar Festival, and Classical Guitar Society at FSU events. Mrofchak earned the Doctor of Music degree from Florida State University in 2021 with the completion of a treatise discussing the music of Brazilian virtuoso, Sérgio Assad. Christopher performs on a cedar doubletop guitar built by Glenn Canin.
Ben Lougheed’s diverse professional experiences include over ten years of performances, community engagement, music entrepreneurship, and teaching. Audiences, colleagues, and critics have repeatedly referred to Ben as “an emerging force in the classical guitar world,” with “beautiful” and “extremely precise” playing. Central to all of Ben’s work is a focus on education and outreach. His desire to engage audiences and communities through vivid and captivating musical performances is strengthened by his love of connecting with his audience through informative exchanges. These lively audience-performer interactions serve to strengthen each person’s experience with the music and have been enthusiastically received by concertgoers around the country, including recent performances for the Treasure Coast Guitar Society, Kerrytown Concert House, and the Dale Mabry Guitar Series.
Ben is also a highly sought-after and accomplished teacher who has built one of the largest Suzuki guitar studios in the Southeastern United States. As the only guitarist in the world with a doctorate and all nine Suzuki book certifications, Ben is in demand as a guest instructor at events across the country. His students have been selected for the All-State and All-National ensembles and won prizes at multiple guitar competitions.
As founder and director of the Florida Guitar Festival, Ben has raised over $65,000 to bring together hundreds of musicians and students for educational activities, concerts, and competitions. Additionally, Ben’s work with the festival included a collaboration with GRAMMY-winner Bill Kanengiser on the first recorded performance of Sergio Assad’s piece, The Walls. Ben is also founder and Director of the Tallahassee Chapter of Classical Revolution, a classical music outreach organization that produced dozens of classical music concerts in nontraditional venues.
Ben’s debut album, Baroque Legacies, showcases music by influential and celebrated Baroque composers parallel with contemporary pieces inspired by these historic paragons of the music world. Described as “emotionally delicious from start to finish” and “technically perfect,” this recording provides a glimpse into how lyrical beauty is pervasive through time.
