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MUSIC: Orchestra hits right chord with guitar fans everywhere in Bognor Regis
There's an important distinction between a guitar orchestra and a guitar ensemble.
Those in the know will appreciate quite a few guitar orchestras are actually ensembles.
But with HAGO (The Hampshire Guitar Orchestra) you'll get the real thing when they present an evening's entertainment at The West Sussex Guitar Club on Saturday, April 25) at 7.30pm at the Regis School of Music, 46 Sudley Road, Bognor Regis.
HAGO is based near Havant and consists of 14 enthusiastic players using a range of four different guitar sizes – and that's what makes it an orchestra rather than an ensemble, say HAGO director and founder Derek Hasted.
Rather than just the standard classical guitar, you also get the slightly-smaller alto guitar, the slightly-larger bass and also the contra, all of which significantly increases the range, freeing the orchestra from the limitations of pitch that constrain usual guitar ensembles.
"We are ten years old now," Derek explains. "I have been teaching classical guitar at adult education since I moved into the area in 1977. Back in the late 80s, I formed an informal adult ensemble where people could go after they finished adult education. But because every year we were getting more players than we were losing, it got very congested."
And that's the point at which Derek split the group in two. One half, the informal half, continues to this day. The other half, the formal half, became HAGO with a focus on doing it for real.
"We started off playing two concerts a year for local charities and now we play about ten each year."
As for the programme, Derek is promising wide-ranging entertainment: "We tend to play a programme of music that is not guitar music. We arrange our own music and because most of our concerts are for the public rather than guitar aficionados, we try to programme a range of things."
You might get Dvorak, Handel and Bach, but you might also get Can You Feel The Love Tonight and Pirates Of The Caribbean.
Tickets are 5 for members and students, 8 for non-members and under-16s are free. For advanced tickets call 01243 822965 or visit www.westsussexguitar.com
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Sunday 05 February 2012
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