Since my freshman year of high school, I have been performing. Whether it be solo, duet, quartet, etc. Below are some of my proudest events in high school.
Perhaps the most exciting yet terrifying performance I've ever had. This was indeed my very first performance. Over three thousand people attended the school district's summer convocation. I played the Star Spangled Banner on guitar with inspiration from the rendition that a band called Boston released.
December of 2020. What a time. In this video, you'll see a performance made by the Maryvale Contemporary Music class. We are performing a medley of "The Payback" by James Brown, "Oye Como Va" originally by Tito Puente, and for a little holiday twist "Jingle Bells". This performance was by far, my favorite in the entire year. (That's me standing on the chair!)
The video on the right shows myself performing a classical guitar solo composed by Andrew York. The piece is titled "Home". I entered this exact video into a virtual concert hosted by the Lead Guitar Foundation. Soloists (like myself) would have the opportunity of interviewing Grammy award winner Carlos Rafael Rivera. After sending in the video, I was excited to hear that I would be among two participants who got to interview Carlos Rafael Rivera.
This is a composition titled "Milonga Amarosa" by Jiri Jirmal. This performance was my first duet performance. This piece has an interesting history. Early on in Touring Guitar's musical career, this piece was discovered by the former director (Dr. Jim Yancey). Ever since the piece was discovered, it has been played almost every year by a small group within the ensemble. During my sophomore year, Magdiel (the person with the red shirt) and I decided to carry on this tradition, and perform what is now one of my favorite classical guitar compositions.