St. Joseph International Guitar Festival Competition Jury

CLICK HERE FOR a PDF of the JURY SHEETS used during both rounds of the competition. This sheet includes jury procedure, and is in full compliance with the International Federation of International Music Competitions, Geneva, Switzerland. (N.B. The St. Joseph International Guitar Festival Competition is the only competition in the US to adhere to these regulations!)

AThere will be a set jury of four voting members for all rounds of the competition plus two Safety Jurors in the event of conflict of interest (i.e. if a competitor is a student of one of the jury members, etc.) as well as the Jury President (whose vote will only be counted in the event of a draw).


2009 JURY MEMBERS
Jury President:
Anthony Glise - US/France - guitarist, composer, author
Jurors:
Lynn McGrath - guitarist, linguist, Director, Guitar Foundation of America Touring Program.
Thomas Ransom - US - guitarist, producer, Owner, Ransomed Studios)
Glenn Kurtz - guitarist, best-selling author: "Practicing, A Musician’s Return to Music”.
Douglas Niedt - classical guitarist, recording artist, Head, Department of Guitar, UMKC Conservatory of Music

Safety Juror:
Michael Fuson - Guitarist, recording artist

JURY BIOGRAPHIES
Jury President:
ANTHONY GLISE (US/France - guitarist, composer, author)

The only American-born guitarist to win First Prize at the International Toscanini Competition (Italy), Anthony is a product of the Konservatorium der Stadt (Vienna) and New England Conservatory (Boston) with additional study at Harvard University, the Université Catholique de Lille (France), ARCUM (Rome) and the Accademia di Studi “L'Ottocento” (Vigevano, Italy).

Anthony is also the only guitarist ever awarded the “Individual Artist of the Year” by the Missouri Arts Council (2006) and has been awarded diplomas and performed at such festivals as Festival des Artes (Hautecombe), Ville Sable (France), ARCUM (Rome), the Nemzetközi Gitárfesztivál (Hungary), etc.

His traditional classical concerts often include 19th-Century works performed on a priceless 1828 Staufer Viennese guitar and US/European concerts with the avant-garde ensemble, The Nova Project, which feature his original compositions with guitarist, Jason Riley (US), 6-String electric ‘cellist, James Kew and percussionist, Nick Baker. Past Nova Project guest artists have included Kevin Gallagher (electric classical guitarist - US), Jan Akkerman (rock guitarist - Holland), Japanese violinist, Ken Sugita (French National Orchestra-Lille) and Edwige DelleValle ('cellist - ONL, France).

He his published articles extensively in The Soundboard (US), Guitar International (England) and Gitarre und Laute (Germany) and has acted as Artist-in-Residence and Touring Artist for numerous US state arts councils and similar European programs.

Anthony is author/editor of over 80 musical editions and books for the internationally-acclaimed publications, “The Anthony Glise Editions,” (Willis Music Company), “The Anthony Glise Urtext Editions” (Mel Bay Publications) and “The Original Compositions of Anthony Glise” (Ævia Publications-France).

He has performed and premiered his original compositions in New York (Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, etc.), Chicago (Dame Myra Hess Concert Series, etc.), Rome (Santa Maria degli Angeli), Vienna (Vienna International Center, etc.), Lille (Nouveau Siècle of the French National Orchestra, etc.), Esztergom (Hungary) etc.

Anthony's CDs and DVDs have consistently received 5-star reviews in magazines including The Soundboard, Guitar Player Magazine, Gramaphone, Audiophile (US), Les Cahiers de la Guitare, Le Diapiason (France), Luster (Holland), Gitarre Aktuelle, Gitarre und Laute (Germany) etc. These recordings feature traditional works and original compositions (solo, chamber, choral, orchestral and ballet). His first album, Overview, was chosen as one of the year's “Top-5 Classical Releases” by Vienna Life Magazine (Austria) along with recordings by Murray Periah and Leonard Bernstein.

In 2006 Anthony was elected to the board of an on-going project of the national French organization, Domaine Musique, to help develop better relations between French composers and feature film directors. He is the only non-French ever invited to that prestigious assembly.

When not on tour, Anthony lives and teaches in the Flandres region of Northern France, part-time in the Black Forest region of Germany and in the US.

He directs both the St. Joseph International Guitar Festival (US) and the guitar festival, Six Strings and the Spirit held annually in Chartres, France, sponsored by the religious order, Communauté du Chemin Neuf.

Official Website: http://www.AnthonyGlise.com

(US - Classical Guitarist, Linguist, Tour Manager for Guitar Foundation of America)

While studying Spanish as a foreign exchange student in Mexico, Lynn McGrath bought a guitar on a whim and asked a visiting professor (Alfredo Sanchez) for lessons, never imagining that years later she would be invited back as a professional musician. In 2006, she earned a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree from the University of Southern California where she was an Assistant Lecturer and a multiple award recipient.

Combining her interests in Spanish Literature, story-telling, and classical guitar, Lynn McGrath performs Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s Platero y yo as both soloist and narrator, rendering a unique interpretation of the Nobel prize-winning text by Juan Ramón Jiménez. In addition to concerts in the United States and abroad for organizations including the Wichita Guitar Society, Seattle Guitar Society, Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the National Guitar Workshop, and the University of Veracruz, Lynn has also played in major international festivals including The Guitar on the Mediterranean Festival (Italy), The Nikšić Festival (Montenegro) and the XIX Festival Internacional de Guitarra (Lima, Peru). In March of 2008, Lynn embarked on a 6-concert tour of Peru followed by a 10-concert outreach residency sponsored by the U.S Embassy and the Austin Classical Guitar Society, respectively.

Lynn has studied with William Kanengiser of the Grammy-winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, Pepe Romero, as well as James Smith and Douglas Rubio. She has also been coached by a number of world-acclaimed musicians including Odair Assad, Denis Azabagic, Dušan Bogdanović, Eliot Fisk, Antigoni Goni, Paul Galbraith, Ricardo Iznaola, Martha Masters, Carlos Barbosa-Lima, Matteo Mela, Lorenzo Micheli, Hopkinson Smith, Scott Tennant, Andrew York, and Andrew Zohn.

She has presented masterclasses for distinguished guitar programs in the United States and abroad, as well as adjudicating international competitions. Lynn teaches at the Crane School of Music, State University of New York at Potsdam where she received a Student Choice Award in 2006. She is also the Tour Director for the Guitar Foundation of America.

Official Website: http://www.lynnmcgrath.com/

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(US - Guitarist, Producer, Owner, Ransomed Studios)

VA graduate of Berklee School of Music (Boston), Ransom is a renowned producer and owner of Ransomed Productions (US). He has produced and engineered numerous internationally-released CDs and has been cited for his flawless production in such magazines as Audiofile, Gramophone (US) and Les Cahiers de la Guitare (France) as well as his production on Anthony Glise’s CD, “Overview” which was chosen as one of the year’s “Top 5 Releases” by Vienna Life Magazine (Austria) along with recordings by Murray Periah and Leonard Bernstein.

Thomas has been interviewed or his outstanding work in the recording industry in magazines such as EQ Magazine, along side Michael Siefert (for Tori Amos), Alan Moulder (Nine Inch Nails, My Bloody Valentine, The Smashing Pumpkins) and David Cole (Cake, Melissa Etheridge), etc.

Additionally, Thomas has released three of his own CDs and has written and arranged numerous instrumental and vocal compositions for radio and television productions.

When not in the studio, Thomas teaches recording engineering at Johnson County Community College.

Official Website: http://ransomedproductions.com/

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(Guitarist, Recording Artist, President, Boston Guitar. Society, Professor, Berklee School of Music, Dartmouth)

Glenn Kurtz, a respected classical guitarist and author, is a graduate of the New England Conservatory-Tufts University double degree program. He also holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University in German Studies and Comparative Literature.

His writing has been published in The New York Times, Lost, ZYZZYVA, Tema Celeste, and elsewhere, and his work has been featured on NPR's "Weekend Edition," "To the Best of our Knowledge," and "West Coast Live." He has taught at Stanford University, San Francisco State University, and California College of the Arts.

He now lives in New York City and is working on a novel. A few passing quotes regarding Kurtz’s book, “Practicing...” are below:

"Best of 2007."
—Oscar Villalon, The San Francisco Chronicle

"It is to the immense credit of Kurtz... that he has written such a thoughtful and fluid meditation on the subject."
—Dave Itzkoff, The New York Times

“'Practicing' is a fantastic example of what memoir as a literary form can best deliver: a person delving honestly, profoundly and fearlessly into... life's big questions.”
—Samantha Dunn, The Los Angeles Times

"...a sensuous, evocative memoir about love lost and regained...."
—Chuck Leddy, The San Francisco Chronicle

“Practicing is elegant, methodical and deeply engaging. It is science and poetry in one book.”
—Rosanne Cash

Official Website: http://glennkurtz.com/

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(US - Classical Guitarist, Recording artist, Head, Department of Guitar, UMKC Conservatory of Music)

American guitarist, Douglas Niedt began his study of the guitar at the age of seven with his father, an amateur guitarist. Douglas’ interest in music was stimulated by his father’s encouragement to listen to and explore the entire spectrum of music.

By the time he was fourteen, he had received first prize awards in national competitions sponsored by the American Guild of Music. International recognition and acclaim followed his first prize sweep at the age of seventeen of the Chet Atkins International Guitar Competition in which three hundred guitarists were entered from around the world.

He has studied at the Juilliard School, the Segovia Master Classes in Spain, and with masters Pepe Romero, Narciso Yepes, Christopher Parkening, Jorge Morel, and Oscar Ghiglia.

At the age of twenty-one Douglas Niedt made his New York debut in Carnegie Recital Hall. This successful debut demanded three return appearances in the same hall the following years. He has since appeared before enthusiastic audiences across the country prompting one critic to write, “Mr. Niedt is not only a brilliant master of his instrument, but a performer of great sensitivity; the wealth of sound and the dynamic finesse which he elicits from the guitar promise to make him a worthy companion of the few great guitarists such as Andrés Segovia and Julian Bream.”

"One of the most outstanding musicians in the world today" is how one critic described Douglas Niedt. His listeners around the world know him best for his love of fresh, diverse, and emotionally engaging repertoire performed with incredible energy, technical perfection, and most of all, emotional depth. His concerts include music not only from the traditional classical repertoire, but also film music, jazz, Celtic, boogie, and American theater music.

Besides his unique repertoire, which includes his one-of-a-kind arrangements for classic guitar of music by Gershwin, Duke Ellington, Dave Brubeck, Secret Garden, Tommy Emmanuel, and Richard Rodgers, Douglas has a singular style of presentation for a classically trained artist. During the course of the concert, in an informal manner, he often includes commentary, information, and anecdotes about the guitar, its music, and himself. His striking ability to communicate with his audience makes his performances seem more like an intimate gathering of friends than a recital for strangers.

Douglas Niedt's fabulous CD, "Pure Magic", received a rave review in England’s Classical Guitar Magazine and led to his appearance on the cover of Fingerstyle Guitar magazine the following year. His Christmas CD is titled "In Heavenly Peace". His performance video, "Douglas Niedt--American Virtuoso", was released by Bransong Music.

Recognized for his excellence in teaching, Douglas Niedt is head of the guitar program of the Conservatory of Music and Dance, University of Missouri at Kansas City.

Official Website: http://www.douglasniedt.com/

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SAFETY JUROR (in the event of conflict of interest)