New Zealand Aspiring Guitarist Winners Announced
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The Taranaki Cassical Guitar Summer School (TCGSS) has yet again faced a tough decision in naming their 2018 New Zealand Aspiring Guitarists (NZAGs). At its fourth School, TCGSS presents two more highly talented aspiring professionals.
The award tests early career guitarists’ performance and promotion skills via recorded works and written material comprising an artists press kit.
The committee was very pleased to note that the general level of registrants continues to improve from previous years. “On one hand it means that selection of the 2018 NZAGs was very difficult, and on the other hand it shows that classical guitar as a concert instrument in New Zealand is strong” said the Taranaki Classical Guitar Summer School Director, John Couch.
The 2018 New Zealand Aspiring Guitarists are: Cameron Sloan and Joel Baldwin. Both are highly accomplished solo and chamber guitarists hailing from Wellington. Cameron and Joel are currently are undertaking postgraduate music studies at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and New Zealand School of Music respectively.
The NZAGs will each receive a 30-minute masterclass with critically acclaimed British guitarist and composer Gary Ryan. They will attend the Taranaki Classical Guitar Summer School (TCGSS), receive billeting courtesy of the New Plymouth Classical Guitar Society and perform in concert as part of the TCGSS Concert Series.
New Plymouth Classical Guitar Society President, Dominique Blatti, said, “Our Society, ... initiated the Taranaki Classical Guitar Summer School in 2012 to reflect our Society’s aims. The success of the TCGSS together with the introduction of the NZAGs in 2014, has surpassed all our expectations. We are delighted to once again be able to offer our support to the winners of this year’s NZAG and are looking forward to welcoming Cameron and Joel to New Plymouth.”
To read more about the winners or learn more about the NZAG visit
Taranaki Classical Guitar Summer School NZAG