Events

Bob McAuley was born in Saskatchewan, raised in Manitoba, worked in Alberta and retired in Colorado. He started classical guitar in his his teens and has pursued it with as much enthusiasm as time and circumstance allowed during his career as a petroleum geologist and stay-at-home dad. Bob and Eri now run the Denver Classical Guitar Society. Their kids, Grace (10) and Keith(9), have picked up the guitar, making The McAuleys into a guitar quartet.

Eri McAuley is a multi-instrumentalist on classical and acoustic guitar, ukulele, and traditional Japanese instruments including Koto and Tsugaru-shamisen. Originally from Japan but living in Canada until 2022, she explores both both traditional Japanese music and its connections with contemporary musical styles. She particularly enjoys creating her own arrangements and adapting music for guitar and mixed-instrument ensembles. Now in Colorado, Eri continues to develop her musicianship alongside her career as a technical interpreter in the machinery industry.

Masae Yonaiyama was raised on the Koto. Her mother in Japan was a grandmaster and Masae’s four children also play Koto. Her greatest memories are when together they performed three-generation Koto concerts at University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada and Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. She moved to the states 31 years ago and continues to share her Japanese musical tradition while exploring opportunities for Asian-Western music fusion.

Masae began with an introduction to the koto. The music tells which string(s) to pluck and is read in columns from top-to-bottom and right to left. Read what AI says about this score.

Eri and Masae played Hiuyaku. See the video.

Next, in a rare guitar-koto arrangement they played Danny Boy. See the video.

Eri gave an introduction to the shamisen and then played two pieces:
Taugaru Jongara-bushi
and Kokiriko Bushi.

Switching to all guitars, the whole family played two pieces together: Costa Brava and Earth Song.

Keith played a Bourree attributed to Leopold Mozart but likely by Bach.

Bob played three sets:
(1) Sor’s Opus 9 Variations on a Theme by Mozart,
(2) Bach’s Gavotte from Cello Suite 6 joined with a sonata by Domenico Cimarosa, and
(3) Torija by Moreno Torroba.

Open Stage Education Time:

• MartinT
  • Villa-Lobos: Prelude No.3
  • Villa-Lobos: Prelude No.4
• LudoM
  • Barrios: Julia Florida
  • Granados: La Maja de Goya
• JeffO and TobyG
  • Jeff on piano demoed this month’s sightreading handout:
    Back-to-Back Bach Bassi
  • Toby on guitar played this month’s Exercise 1 (from BWV 1041)
• TobyG played and sang an old Hot Tuna song:
  • Davis: Hesitation Blues