Valérie Hartzell, director
and Fernand Vera and Lauren Kesgen-Guidry, assistant
directors
Check out the pictures from the 2007 festival!
PICTURES
The fifth "Classical Minds" Guitar
Festival will be held from June 27 - July 3, 2008
at University of Houston
Moores School of Music
for more infomtion click
HERE
"Congratulations...what an amazing thing to pull off. I know how hard
you [Valerie] and all your co-teachers had to have worked and the end
result was well worth
it. Thank you for coaxing Charlotte into it. She's in love with
classical again. The teachers were all so different and
fascinating.....This is my second experience hearing a guitar orchestra
and I just can't think of anything more pleasant than a bunch of
beautiful strings playing in parts." Jane Heron, parent of Charlotte
Heron
"What an incredible experience!!!! Randall Avers was just
awesome to watch, listen and talk to. What a great guy. The
unlimited access to the artists and staff was incredible! My
[private] lessons with Olga Amelkina-Vera were very informative.
Valdemar Phoenix was very kind to us "classical" types and helpful in
his insight into the Spanish music and how to approach it from a
flamenco point of view. Thank you for putting together such a fun
festival! I spent an entire week of my annual vacation attending
and will definitely be attending next year! It was well worth my
vacation time!" Jon Erickson
"Thanks Valerie the recital was absolutely beautiful! I know that
Cat was depressed when it was over she said she made a lot of friends
and wished it was longer. I know she will be delighted to attend
again next year she feels she really learned from this experience.
Thanks Again!" Margaret Garcia (Cat Anton's mom)
"As a result of the festival, both Katie and Cat decided to take
classical guitar lessons (neither were), so you [Valerie Hartzell and
faculty] must have done lots of things well." Margaret Hornbostel
(Katie Hornbostel's mom)
NEWS:
* Solo Concert at
Spring
Cypress Presbyterian Church, Spring, TX on Saturday, November 6th
(time to be announced)
* Two concerto performances with the Kingwood Pops
Orchestra in Kingwood, TX on Friday, September 24 and Saturday,
September 25 at 7:30pm. Tickets are $25 but there are some
tickets for $10. You have to hurry to grab those tickets because they
fill up fast. Call 281-319-7677 to get your ticket! I will be
performing Rodrigo's Fantasia para un getilhombre.
* Concert with Jennifer
Grassman on Saturday, September 11th at 7:30pm. For more information,
please see the Greater Houston Guitar Guild web site.
* I am not part of the FIRST all female classical guitar quartet.
We are The Presti Quartet and the members include Lynn McGrath,
Olga Amelkina-Vera (our resident composer) and Sabine Madriguera.
We had our first three day rehearsal August 15-18 and recorded
some videos. Please see my media page for the videos and the link
to the Presti Quartet to learn more about us.
* Listen here to KUHF (Houston's NPR), "The Front Row" on
88.7FM.
Click on this
link to hear the interview and live performance.
Along side me, they played a piece performed by Jonathan Dotson,
a friend of mine. He and I performed on May 7th at University of
Houston for a Benefit Concert.
* Listen here to KUHF (Houston's NPR) "The Front Row" on 88.7FM.
Click on this
link to here the interview and live performance.
I was a guest artist along with jazz guitarist, Mike Wheeler.
This
Biography
Click HERE for
picture from my NYC Debut
Click HERE
for pictures of the Ft. Worth Guitar Guild Concert.
Click
HERE
for picture of the Dia de la Guitarra Festival.
Valerie
Hartzell began
her classical
guitar studies on a half-size Ramirez at the age
of three. At
the age of six, she
studied with maestro Alexandre Lagoya at
the Académie
Internationale d’Eté in
Nice, France. She has participated in
master classes with several internationally acclaimed artists,
including Ako
Ito, Castellani-Andriaccio Duo, David Russell, and Elena Papandreou.
In 1991,
Ms. Hartzell made her debut performing Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s
“Concerto
for
guitar and orchestra” with the New Philharmonic Orchestra of
Irving,
Texas. She made her international debut
in San Mamete, Italy at the Festival del Piccolo Mondo in August
1994.
She has performed in Europe, Canada, the
U.S. and has appeared on television in Nice, FR. From September
29-October 5, 2002 she toured the Carolinas which promoted her first cd, Fuoco!
She has performed in many festivals, including the 'Close
Encounters' Voice and Guitar
Festival at University of Houston (where she performed and co-directed
the festival along the side of Katherine
Ciesinski), the Eastfield
College Guitar Festival
and Competition in Mesquite, the
first Classical Guitar Weekend Workshop at The Music Conservatory of
Texas in Frisco, the Tennessee Festival at Middle Tennessee State
University, the ECU Competition and Festival in Greenville, NC and the
MANC Guitar Competition and Festival in Greensboro, NC.
In
March of 2007, Ms. Hartzell performed with studio members of the
Houston Grand
Opera at the Rienzi Recital Series.
In
August 2003, Ms. Hartzell was the first performer to win
the “K-Artist of the Month
Contest” sponsored by Houston’s
former classical station, KRTS, 92.1FM. Additionally,
she was a prizewinner
at the
Portland
Guitar
Competition, the East Carolina University Competition and Festival, and
the Appalachian Guitar Festival and Competition. Was has won 1st
prizes at the 10th International
Guitar
Competition “Simone Salmaso” in Viareggio, Italy and at
the Concours de Guitare Classique Heitor Villa-Lobos in Nice, France.
At
the Peabody
Conservatory of Johns
Hopkins University, Ms. Hartzell was awarded the highest undergraduate
scholarship for the classical guitar and studied with Manuel Barrueco
earning
her Bachelor’s Degree in 1997. She was
awarded a Graduate Teaching Fellowship at Radford University with
Robert Trent
and was placed as Adjunct Faculty while studying for her Master’s
Degree in
Music. She received her performance
degree in May of 1999 and currently, she is a Professional Teacher at
Moores
School of Music, University of Houston and is Adjunct Faculty at the
Houston Community College. She also accompanies many vocal
students at both Moores School of Music, University of Houston and at
the Shepherd School of Music, Rice University. She keeps an
active solo career and works in a professional duo with soprano Sandra
Johnson, as Duo Athena
and frequently is a judge at
international competitions throughout
the United States (St. Joseph International Competition, Texas Guitar
Competition, East Carolina University International
Competition, the
Eastfield Guitar Competition, the 'Classical Minds' Guitar Competition,
and the MANC Guitar Competition). Many
of her private students have placed and won national and international
competitions. Also, her private
students have been accepted on scholarship to Schwob School of Music
(University of Columbus), San Francisco Conservatory, University of
North Texas
in Denton, University of Texas at San Antonio, and Texas State
University at San Marcos.
Valerie Hartzell is the creator
and Director of the "Classical Minds" Guitar Festival and Competition
at Moores School of Music, University
of Houston and is the director of the Greater Houston Guitar Guild.
Ms. Hartzell plays a Greg Byers
Guitar.
Examples
of Valerie's playing:
(right click and select 'save target' to download the clip)
Pujol
Dyens-LIVE
Full audio clips:
Click
HERE
Information
If you are interested in private
lessons,
concert bookings, or would like more information, please:
free hit counter
Last Updated: 09/03/10
Produced
by: Robert Nejako
nejrob@consolidated.net
