Chico State Guitar Ensemble: Fall Recital

CSU, Chico’s School of the Arts presents the Chico State Guitar Ensemble in its Fall Recital on Friday, Dec. 14, at 5 p.m. in Rowland-Taylor Recital Hall. This event is free and open to the public. 

The Chico State Guitar Ensemble performs instrumental guitar music on classical guitars with nylon strings. The tone is softer and warmer than a steel guitar, giving the ensemble a characteristic sound.

There are seven members of the ensemble this semester, with five of those members being returners.

“There’s a nice energy in the class,” said Tobin Roye, director and Department of Music and Theatre faculty member. “We have a camaraderie.”

These seven members will be performing as a whole, and also as solos, trios, and quartets. One of those trios will be an all-female group with Briaunna Cisneros, Krysta Gutierrez and Brooklyn Becker. They will be performing variations on Farruca by Flamenco Variety.

“It’s nice to have proportionally more women in the class compared to previous years,” said Roye. “It’s paralleling the outside world in that, traditionally, classical guitar has been dominated by men, but now more women are entering the classical guitar world.”

The full ensemble will be performing Blues Suite, a three-movement piece by Miroslav Loncar, and an Irish Medley. In addition to these two songs, the ensemble will also perform a few pieces from the Gaspar Sanz Collection, arranged by Ian Gammie. Sanz was a recognized classical guitarist of the seventeenth century who wrote one of the first guitar instruction books.

“It’s always a fun time. We play a variety of music, so there’s something for everyone,” Roye said, noting it’s also a great opportunity to see a guitar ensemble perform live. “The tone of a classical guitar ensemble is unique. You don’t get to experience it every day.” 

Rowland-Taylor Recital Hall is located in Room 134 of the Performing Arts Center. For those who need special seating accommodations, please call the University Box Office for arrangements, 530-898-6333. More information is available online at the School of the Arts’ website and Facebook page.

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Story by Shelby Casey, School of the Arts publicity assistant

The Chico State Guitar Ensemble is an auditioned ensemble that performs classic and contemporary guitar pieces on classical guitar. While the guitar ensemble class has been around for several years, it became more performance-focused with a concert each semester when its director, Tobin Roye, took over the class twelve years ago. The group usually contains 10 to 16 CSU, Chico students of any major, and this semester is comprised of 7 students. Upon audition, members must display music reading ability on guitar and some familiarity with classical guitar technique.

Tobin Roye is a skilled and versatile guitarist who has established an outstanding reputation. As a freelance guitarist, he has performed hundreds of gigs and formal concerts throughout the Bay Area and Northern California. Roye earned his BA in music from California State University, Chico, and his MM from San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he studied with guitarists Marc Teicholz and Dusan Bogdanovic. He has performed in master classes with distinguished artists such as Manuel Barrueco, Roland Dyens, and Ricardo Iznaola. Roye is a faculty member of the Department of Music and Theatre at CSU, Chico.