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1) Patrick Kerber 2) David Bryan

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     HAMMOND - The annual Southeastern Louisiana University Guitar Festival will present an expanded format this season with several new features, including the first High School Students Guitar Symposium.
     The festival is scheduled to run from mid-March to early April, said guitar instructor Patrick Kerber, festival coordinator. All events are free and open to the public.
     Kerber will launch the festival with a faculty recital on March 12 at 7:30 p.m. in the Pottle Music Auditorium. His performance will feature music for the guitar ranging from the Renaissance to the contemporary.
     On March 21 Jeffrey George, professor of guitar at the University of Louisiana Lafayette, will present a guest recital, performing on a period Baroque guitar and the classical guitar. George has performed classical and jazz guitar throughout the United States. The 7:30 p.m. recital will be held in the Pottle Auditorium.
     The Southeastern Guitar Ensemble returns March 28 at 7:30 p.m. in the Pottle Auditorium. The group will perform music for guitar quartets, guitar and violin, and the full ensemble, which consists of 14 members. The concert will feature music from German Baroque, Brazil, Argentina, and Spain, and will also include student arrangements.
     “I am very excited about a brand new event, the High School Students Guitar Symposium, which will be open to students from Tangipahoa and St. Tammany parishes,” said Kerber.
     The symposium -- scheduled March 31 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Pottle Recital Hall -- will feature classes and performing opportunities for area students, with an emphasis on music theory to expand the students’ understanding and knowledge of the fret board.
     “Guitar classes in area high schools have developed and have achieved quite high standards over the past few years,” Kerber said. “This is a result of the continued development of the Gifted and Talented Programs, and quite frankly, the excellent work done by Southeastern music education graduates teaching in area schools.”
     The increasingly popular All Styles Night on the Circle will take place on April 4 at 7:30 p.m. on the outdoor Pottle Performance Circle. The concert will feature an eclectic mix of jazz, classical, contemporary, bluegrass, and original music for guitar performed by students, alumni, and local artists.
     “This event has become a fixture in the festival, offering something for everyone,” added Kerber.
     The festival will close with a recital/concert at 7:30 p.m. in Pottle Auditorium, featuring David Bryan, a Southeastern alumnus and lecturer the Department of Fine and Performing Arts. Bryan will perform as a soloist and with guest artists soprano Jessica Davis Bryan, saxophonist, Zachary Garner, and Kerber.
     Sponsored by the Student Government Association, the Arts and Lectures Committee, and the Southeastern Guitar Club, all of the events are free admission. For further information contact Patrick Kerber at 985-549-2886, or pkerber @southeastern.edu.

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