“Guitar in the Big Bend,” a series of free classical guitar concerts and a masterclass at Sul Ross State University, will be held the weekend of April 12-14 at various area locations.
Nicolas Hurt, an adjunct professor of music at SRSU, announced the collaboration amongst the university, the Museum of the Big Bend, the City of Alpine and First Presbyterian Church in Marfa.
A welcome reception and workshop will be held Friday, April 12, at 6 p.m. at Far West Texas Guitars in Alpine.
The featured concert artist is Romanian guitarist Dragos Ilie, who has delighted audiences across Europe, Asia and the U.S. with his charismatic and dynamic interpretations.
He will teach the masterclass on Saturday, April 13, from noon to 2 p.m. in Room 200 of the Fine Arts Building on the SRSU campus in Alpine.
He will perform that evening at 6 p.m., along with Hurt, at the Museum of the Big Bend.
On Sunday, April 14, Dragos will perform with Jeremy Waldrip at the First Presbyterian Church in Marfa, at 7 p.m.
Dragos fell in love with the guitar after listening to his father play. He enrolled at the Popular School of Arts and later the National College of Arts in his native city Iasi. His dedication to the art led him to receive numerous grants for competing, performing and studying in his home country and abroad. Dragos began his studies in the U.S. at the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University in the studio of composer and pedagogue Andrew Zohn.
Dragos is currently completing his doctoral studies at the University of Texas in Austin with the renowned performer, recording artist and teacher Adam Holzman. In 2021, he joined the Austin Guitar Quartet, whose first recording, “The Singing Guitar,” was nominated for a Grammy.
Jeremy Waldrip, a native of Memphis, is an accomplished classical guitarist pursuing his doctoral studies with Professor Holzman at UT. His international musical journey includes a transformative experience at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy, where he honed his skills in a series of masterclasses led by the esteemed Maestro Oscar Ghiglia. His musical prowess has graced stages worldwide. He participated in a captivating tour of France with the U.S. Guitar Orchestra and performed at the esteemed Guitar Art Festival in Belgrade, Serbia, as part of the World Guitar Orchestra.
His musical journey has been enriched by interactions with esteemed artists, having participated in masterclasses with luminaries such as Christopher Parkening, Sergio Assad, David Russell, Roland Dyens, Lily Afshar and other renowned musicians.
Hurt was born and raised in Austin. He began to study the classical guitar in his teens with Dr. Kim Perlak and Dr. Klondike Steadman. In 2006, Hurt was accepted into Dr. Holzman’s studio at UT, and he performed in festivals in Italy and Mexico. Hurt also performed and taught at the National Guitar Workshop in New Milford, Conn., for several years and received a certificate for the Teacher Training Program in 2008, when he began a teaching studio at the Orpheus Academy of Music in Austin.
Hurt came to Sul Ross State in the Summer of 2023.
For more information, email [email protected].
