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general information

Great music develops and educates high sensitivity in everybody. — Shinichi Suzuki

Festival Dates & Locations

Dates

Save the Date

You are welcome to download a pdf, Save the Date in 2008, document to help you remember to include the festival in your plans for next summer. Spread the word!

Locations

Santa Clara Convention Center

Travel

Air

Local Transportation

Information on Train, Bus, Taxi, Airport shuttle service and other forms of local transportation are available from this helpful website. The VTA light rail system runs directly in front of the convention center (Great America Pkwy. stop) for an easy way of getting to dining, shopping and exploring the neighboring cities of San Jose to the south and Mt. View and beyond to the north.

Accommodation

Explorations

The beautiful San Francisco Bay Area has some of the most extraordinary sights and activities imaginable for you and your family. Some of them include...

Rugged California Coast

There's much more... See the Santa Clara Convention Center Visitor's Bureau web-site for an exhaustive list of places to go and thing to do.

Behavioral Rules

The Rules

The following behavioral rules are intended to provide us all a pleasant and safe festival experience. It is assumed that, by enrolling in the festival you agree with these rules and have discussed them thoroughly with your children.

Cell Phones

Cell phones and pagers must be disengaged during all lessons, group class or all performance events. Please do not bring active cell phones into the classrooms, rehearsal and performance venues.

Participant Performance Guidelines

Performance Dress

Come prepared! Be sure to bring your formal attire for the special performances.

Informal Performances

Casual, but nice street clothes are appropriate for casual performance events. Athletic clothes are not acceptable for any performances. Casual events include the Noon-time Recitals.

Formal Events

Formal Events include the Schools’ Concert, the Showcase Concert and the final Gala Concert.

Student Concert
For boys...
For girls...

Concert Etiquette

Here are some concert guidelines which will allow all of us pleasant enjoyment of our recitals and concerts.

  1. Please arrive in plenty of time to find your seat well in advance of the start of the program.
  2. Disengage all cell phones.
  3. No flash photography is permitted.
  4. Video or audio recording of the Kanengiser and Machado Concerts is not permitted. You will be asked to leave the performance if you are found to be in violation of this rule.
  5. You are welcome to videotape student performances, however, position cameras for this purpose toward the rear of the auditorium.
  6. Eating in the auditorium is disrespectful to the performers and fellow audience members and, by the way, is not permitted.
  7. Seat very young children and babies at the rear of the auditorium or recital hall so that you may address their needs without disrupting the enjoyment of your fellow audience members.
  8. Refrain from talking and contain any of your child's disruptive behavior.
  9. Applaud fast and furious to be sure our young players are well supported however, remember not to clap between movements or sets of pieces. It spoils the mood!
  10. Stay for the entire performance. There is little that is more discouraging for young players than to have your audience leave in the middle of a performance.

Release Form

When registering, you will be asked to sign a release form. This form releases The Longay Conservatory of Guitar and the Festival organizers from certain liabilities such as accidents, acquire medical care for your child in the event of an emergency, pictures being taken during the Festival. You must agree to the terms of this release in order to participate.

Feel free to view a copy of the release form in pdf.

Festival Observation

For Teachers or Adult Family Members

We are offering to teachers or individual who would like an introduction to the Suzuki approach an opportunity to register as an observer. Any adult may register as an observer as a...

Registering Observers may choose to attend master classes, repertoire classes and other events which do not require an admittance fee. Observers may not, however, attend Professional Development courses.

details

Cost for Adult Observation is $50 per day or $250 for Monday through Saturday.

See the Registration page to download an observation Registration Form.

Faculty

Image of Kristin Allen.

Kristin Allen | USA

Kristin Allen is a classical pianist and Orff-Schulwerk music educator. She began her piano studies at age 6 and continued her training at the Orange County High School of the Performing Arts. In 2001, she received her BA in piano performance from UC Santa Cruz. She also holds a teaching credential in music and Masters of Arts in education. She obtained her Orff-Schulwerk certification from Mills College. Kristin has attended master classes with Bobby McFerrin and world renowned Orff-Schulwerk master teacher, Doug Goodkin. Her interest in world music has lead to her involvement with Balinese and Brazilian music and dance.



Image of Diana Chagalj.

Diana Chagalj | ARGENTINA

Diana Chagalj graduated as a Guitar Teacher from the Conservatorio Provincial de Música Gilardo Gilardi in La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina and continued her training with the outstanding teacher, Irma Costanzo.

She worked as a guitar teacher in the Bachillerato de Bellas Artes at the Universidad de La Plata. Since the year 2000 she has been responsible for the Suzuki Guitar Project at the Conservatorio de Música Gilardo Gilardi and has also developed a Suzuki program in her private studio.

She is a founding member and former Vice President of the Asociación Suzuki de Buenos Aires and has been taking active part in the organization of Suzuki festivals in Buenos Aires since 2003. She was a coordinator of the first training course in Suzuki guitar in Argentina in 2004 as well. She has also taken part as a teacher of master classes in several festivals in South America.



Kara Ireland D'Ambrosio

Kara Ireland D'Ambrosio | USA

Kara Ireland D'Ambrosio holds a Bachelor of Music Education Degree from the University of New Hampshire, a Master of Music Education Degree with a Kodaly emphasis from Holy Names University in Oakland, and is currently a candidate for her Doctorate of Musical Arts in Music Education from Boston University. Kara is a National Board Certified Teacher in Music Education/Voice (awarded by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards). Ms. Ireland D'Ambrosio is currently the music teacher and choir director for grades K-8 at Woodside School, where she won a Grammy Gold in 2002 for Excellence in Music Education. She also directs the Repertoire group at Peninsula Girls Chorus and is a lecturer at San José State University where she teaches courses in music education.

Ms. Ireland D'Ambrosio also is a support provider/mentor for the Take One! program at the National Board Resource Center at Stanford University. Ms. Ireland D¹Ambrosio serves on the California Music Educators Association Bay Section Board as the Special Representative for Classroom Music. The overall philosophy in her teaching is to instill a life long love of music in her students. Kara is enthusiastic to be directing the Festival Choir this year and anticipates creating beautiful singing with the children and adults!



Image of Mychal Gendron.

Mychal Gendron | USA

Mychal Gendron is a registered Suzuki Teacher Trainer in guitar. He has been on the faculty of the Ann-Arbor, Colorado and Hartt Suzuki Institutes, and has been a presenter at Suzuki Association of the Americas Conferences in 2002, 2004 and 2006. His compositions and arrangements have been published and recorded by Mel Bay Publications and by Opus Guitar Publications.

Mychal maintains an active Suzuki Guitar studio at the Rhode Island Philharmonic Music School. He is a Teaching Associate in Guitar at Brown University and is an Artist Teacher in Guitar at the University of Rhode Island. He has performed in the U.S., France and Brazil.



Image of Scott Gossage.

Scott Gossage | USA

Scott Gossage has been performing classical guitar for more than 20 years. He studied at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore and performed in numerous master classes with Manuel Barrueco. Scott is an active performer around the Bay Area. He has appeared as a guitar soloist in many venues, including performances with the San Francisco Symphony in Davies Hall.



Image of Seth Himmelhoch.

Seth Himmelhoch | USA

Seth Himmelhoch is a classical guitarist and teacher based in Teaneck, New Jersey. Mr. Himmelhoch has made solo appearances at such venues as the 92nd St. Y, Alice Tully Hall, Wagner College in Staten Island, and St. Paul's Chapel in NYC. He is a member of the flute and guitar duo, Duo Cavatina, which was awarded a debut recital at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie as winners of the Artists International Auditions. They have since been featured guests on live radio interview shows on WNYC (New York Public Radio) and WNTI (North Jersey Public Radio) and their Pittsburgh (PA) benefit recital was recorded and broadcast on WQED.

Mr. Himmelhoch has recently released the solo CD, Seth Himmelhoch — Guitar Recital and he appears on the Duo Cavatina CD Songs and Dances of the Americas.

Mr. Himmelhoch is director of classical guitar studies at William Paterson University in Wayne, NJ and he is the founder and director of the Suzuki guitar program at the JCC/Thurnauer School of Music in Tenafly, NJ.



Michele Horner

Michele Horner | USA

Michele Horner, got her first guitar from her grandfather when she was 2. Her principal guitar teachers have been Kevin Gallagher, head of the guitar department at Lawrence Conservatory (Wisconsin) and Frederic Hand, head of the guitar department at Purchase College (NY). Michele has completed Suzuki guitar teacher training through Bk 9 with Bill Kossler, Frank Longay and David Madsen. She is a graduate of Penn State University where she holds 2 school records in field hockey goalkeeping. Michele added guitar instruction to the curriculum of the State College Suzuki Program (SCSP) when she joined the faculty in 2000.

Michele's vision for multimedia collaborative performance led her to create innovative programs featuring a confluence of music, visual arts, and dance. She is currently on the faculty of the Greenwich Suzuki Academy (CT).



Image of Denise Kiser Shaw.

Denise Kiser Shaw | USA

Denise Kiser Shaw has been teaching art since 1998 starting with the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County as a SPECTRA Art teacher, and taught throughout the county providing art lessons to children from kindergarten through the eighth grade. Denise exhibits her artwork locally through the CCSC Open Studios Art Tour. Roudon-Smith Winery choose one of Denise¹s acrylic paintings for their rose wine label which won an award at the State Fair in the ³Modern Label Design³ category. Denise is currently teaching her sixth year of art at Scotts Valley Middle School, she also offers private and group lessons at her home studio.



Andy Lafreniere

Andy Lafreniere | USA

Andy Lafreniere earned an M.M. in classical guitar performance in 1985 from the Hartt School of Music. He has studied with Alexander Bellow, Richard Provost, Alan Spriestersbach and Oscar Ghighlia. He has participated in master classes taught by Manuel Barrueco, Oscar Ghighlia, Michael Lorimer and Robert Strizich. He has studied Suzuki pedagogy with Frank Longay, Bill Kossler and Jeanne Luedke. From 1987 to the present, Mr. Lafreniere has been the director of the Suzuki Talent Education School of Sandy Hook, Connecticut. He is a member of the Guitar Committee of the Suzuki Association and is a frequent guest clinician at Suzuki Institutes held throughout the U.S. He is currently member of the guitar faculty at Western Connecticut State University, a post he has held since 1998.



Emily Lifton

Emily Lifton | USA

Emily Lifton is a yoga instructor and an Art of Living teacher. She has taught yoga for the past 14 years, and been involved in the healing arts and meditation since 1980. She currently teaches yoga in the Chicago High Schools, and teaches Art of Living Youth programs across the US. She has conducted yoga and meditation courses in India, Canada, Haiti and throughout the US. Ms. Lifton has a B.S. from Sierra Nevada College majoring in psychology, and massage therapy. She resides in Chicago with her husband Bill, and teenage daughter, Tika Simone.



Image of Frank Longay.

Frank Longay | USA

Frank Longay, classical guitarist and educator, is a founding member and chairman of both the Guitar Committee of the International Suzuki Association and the Guitar Committee for the Suzuki Association of the Americas. He has studied with Rey de la Torre and George Sakellariou.

His efforts have distinguished him as an internationally recognized music educator. He has performed and conducted teacher development courses and children's workshops on numerous occasions in Australia, several countries in South America and Europe as well as across the United States. His students have won prestigious awards including the Bay Area Unicef Concerts and the Junior Bach Festivals. He has been featured in articles in Suzuki World, the American Suzuki Journal, Soundboard (the journal for the Guitar Foundation of America) and in an interview for Acoustic Guitar Magazine.

For his dedication to the development of Suzuki Guitar School™ and the creation of the Longay Conservatory of Guitar, Mr. Longay has been honored as a 2006 recipient of the distinguished Creating Learning Community Award presented by the Suzuki Association of the Americas.



Image of David Madsen.

David Madsen | USA

David Madsen recieved his Bachelor of Music in guitar performance from the University of Connecticut in 1978. In 1991, David started what is now the Hartt Suzuki Guitar program after being inspired by watching his 4 year old daughter begin Suzuki violin lessons in 1988. The program now has 70 students ranging in age from 3 to 17 years old. Students from the program have played in masterclasses for Andrew York, David Tannenbaum, the LAGQ, the Romeros, David Leisner and others, and last May an ensemble from Hartt was invited to play at the Suzuki Association of the Americas bi-annual conference in Minneapolis.

David received his Suzuki training from Frank Longay and Bill Kossler, and has also studied with David Leisner and Pepe Romero. He is also a teacher trainer for the Suzuki method, and has trained teachers across North America and in Peru and Argentina. David is currently on the Board of Directors of the Suzuki Association of the Americas and also serves on the SAA guitar committee.



Image of Mark Marston.

Mark Marston | USA

Mark Marston received his Bachelor¹s and Master¹s degrees in music from Duquesne University, where he studied classical guitar with Thomas Kikta and Aaron Shearer. He has performed in master classes for such artists as Manuel Barrueco, Ricardo Cobo, Antigoni Goni, The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, Robert Guthrie, Adam Holzman and David Russell. Mark has served on the board of directors for guitar societies in Chicago and Pittsburgh and was the director the Suzuki guitar program at Sherwood Conservatory of Music in Chicago. Mark currently teaches at the Center for Young Musicians in Wexford, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. His articles on the Suzuki method have been published in Chicago Guitar and The American Suzuki Journal, and he was part of the notation team that prepared the music for books 5-9 in the Suzuki Guitar School™.



Image of Zeah Riordan.

Zeah Riordan (B.Mus., A.Mus.A., S.T.C.A.) | AUSTRALIA

Zeah has been a Suzuki Guitar teacher since its launch in Australia in 1993. After completing a music performance degree at Melbourne University, she went on to develop a special interest in Early Childhood Music Education, in addition to classical guitar. As well as leading a thriving Suzuki Guitar studio, Zeah provides music programmes inspired by Orff-Schulwerk at a number of Early Learning Centres. She is committed to establishing an enriching musical community for young guitarists in Melbourne, and a strong professional network for Suzuki guitar teachers.

Zeah has taught at Suzuki conferences and workshops in The Philippines, U.S.A., Italy, New Zealand, Korea, and throughout Australia. Zeah actively contributes to the Suzuki Community, currently serving on the Guitar, Professional Development Committees and Strategic Planning Group of Suzuki Music in Melbourne and as the Pan-Pacific representative on the International Suzuki Association Guitar Committee. She recently received her Advanced Accreditation, the first guitar teacher in Australia to do so, and was appointed as a full Teacher Trainer in 2007.



Image of MaryLou Roberts.

MaryLou Roberts | USA

MaryLou Roberts lives and teaches in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she has an active Suzuki program. She holds a master’s degree in guitar performance from The Cleveland Institute of Music, and BM in guitar performance from the Wisconsin Conservatory where she studied with John Holmquist and Gilbert Biberian. A registered Teacher Trainer in guitar, MaryLou has taken extensive training from Frank Longay, Bill Kossler, and David Madsen. She is coordinator of the Ann Arbor Suzuki Institute and director of the Ann Arbor Suzuki Guitar Institute held each June, and is on the adjunct faculty at Schoolcraft College. MaryLou and husband Brian have 3 Suzuki raised children, in violin and guitar.



Image of Harald Söderberg.

Harald Söderberg | SWEDEN

Harald Söderberg holds a concert diploma studying with Konrad Ragossnig at the Basel Academy of Music, in Switzerland. He has performed in master classes with Alexandre Lagoya, Oscar Ghiglia, John Williams and John W. Duarte. Mr. Söderberg has received the Levin Guitar Scholarship, and has appeared in concerts throughout Scandinavia, Switzerland, Austria and has recorded for the Swedish Broadcasting Corporation. He is a member of the professional flute and guitar duo, Swedish Chamber Duo, established in 1982. He is a founding member of the Norwegian Suzuki Association. Mr. Söderberg is an active European Suzuki Association (ESA) Teacher Trainer, and is a member of the Guitar Committee of the International Suzuki Association.



Image of Robert Watson.

Robert Watson | USA

Robert Watson is a classical guitarist from Oakland, California. He began his guitar studies at age 8, and has a BM in guitar performance from UC Santa Cruz under Mesut Ozgen, and a MM from Yale School of Music with Benjamin Verdery. Rob has performed in masterclasses for David Russell, Roland Dyens, David Tanenbaum, and William Kanengiser, and studied privately with Marc Teicholz. He has performed in Maui, New Haven, Berkeley, and Santa Cruz. Rob has also worked as a recording engineer, and has years of experience as an electronic music producer. In addition to music Rob is an avid hatha yoga practitioner.



Festival Fees

Every Child Can!™

Parent Participation

basic participation
additional offerings for parents

Offerings include Yoga for Parents, Parents can Twinkle Too! and Pickin’ n’ Grinnin’ for Parents. All additional classes are $40.

Student Fees

for the registration of each child
electives

Electives are offered to Levels 2 and 3 only. Participants may choose only one elective. Depending on the level, electives may include Pickn’ n’ grinnin’, Chamber Ensemble, Brazilian Drumming, Brazilian Guitar, Jazz Guitar and iJam. All electives are $60.

Remember that enrollment is limited and are offered on a first–come basis.

Professional Development

Unit 1 of The Suzuki Guitar School™
Units 2, 3 or 5 of The Suzuki Guitar School™

Adult Observation

This offering is for teacher, administrator or interested party who would like an introduction to the Suzuki approach or additional parent or grandparent or other adult family member, who did not originally enroll with a family.

Inspired Performances

Refund Policy

Notification must be give to the Festival Organizers in writing and postmarked by May 1, 2008 in the event that you decide to cancel your registration of the offerings listed above. There will be a $100 non-refundable cancellation fee per participant. Applicants who withdraw after May 1, 2008 forfeit all fees. Notification should be sent to the Longay Conservatory of Guitar, 4701 Patrick Henry Drive, Building 9, Santa Clara, CA 95054.

All registration and course fees will be refunded in the event that enrollment is full or a training course is canceled.



We hope you can make it. We’re going to have a whole lot of fun!