After playing in Rotorua (March 26) I'll be heading up to Auckland to play at Alhambra House (March 27), which has been kindly hosted by luthier Rod Capper.
How long have you been playing guitar for and why have you selected these works to perform?
I began playing electric guitar when I was 11, mainly playing 'rock' music in bands and taking part in events like Smokefree Rockquest and Rotorua's Got Talent.
However, when I came to Wellington to study composition, I was given the opportunity to take jazz guitar lessons at the university and began to pursue that musical culture.
It was during this time that I was hoping to work on my technique and so began taking a few lessons from a classical guitar graduate of the New Zealand School of Music (NZSM), which led to meeting Dr Jane Curry (head of classical guitar at NZSM), taking lessons from her through the university, then completely changing to fulltime classical guitar in 2018.
As well as being incredibly enjoyable to perform, the pieces I have selected span around 300 years of musical (and instrumental) development.
The Bach dating to around 1720 and the Ryan arranged last year in 2020.
Each piece comes from a unique musical culture and marks different points in the history of the 'classical guitar'.
Where did you study overseas and how did you find the experience?
I was incredibly fortunate to be offered an exchange to Mahidol College of Music, Bangkok, Thailand, thanks to my teacher Dr Jane Curry and the assistance of VicAbroad and the Freemasons Lankhuyzen/Whetu-Kairangi.
Being one of the largest international colleges in Southeast Asia, hosting the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra, and being home to around 50 to 60 classical guitar students, I was surrounded by some of the finest players and flooded with inspiration.
Dr Paul Cesarczyk, my primary guitar teacher there, was hugely influential both as quite a prolific performer and as a mentor, introducing me to completely different ways of approaching the instrument and listening/understanding music.
What did you enjoy about completing your Bachelor of Music at the New Zealand School of Music?
It's been quite a long process, beginning as a composition student, switching to jazz guitar before finally settling on classical guitar, but with all the challenges involved, the experience has been (and continues to be) incredibly rewarding.
I am currently completing my honours year, which I initially started in Thailand, working on a project with NZSM's head accompanist David Barnard exploring the relationships between the guitar and various keyboard instruments (piano, fortepiano, harpsichord and organ) ... watch this space!
What do you love about performing?
I've always really enjoyed playing music in bands or ensembles, having musical conversations with each other and sharing that with the audience, which I think comes back to the 'rock' days.
Performing solo classical guitar, on the other hand, has taken a long time to get comfortable with as it is such an intimate experience. Just me, my guitar and the audience.
However, I've really grown to love the experience of making a connection with an audience, giving them a story, an image, an atmosphere, and using the music as a vehicle to drive their imagination.
What are your plans looking ahead to the rest of 2021?
As mentioned before, I'll be completing my honours year with my keyboard/guitar project.
I have a few other concerts and a tour in the making with my duo partner Bruno Guedea (fellow finalist in the 2020 New Zealand Classical Guitar competition and student at NZSM), and generally making small steps in nudging classical guitar into the ears of New Zealand.
Christopher Everest's Classical Guitar Recital will be in Rotorua on Friday, March 26, 7pm, at St Mary's Catholic Church. Koha entry.
