Gratus Sum | thanks to the musicians

I have much to be thankful for, as I have said many times in these blogs. And so today, in the spirit of my nearly completed 4th Guitar Sonata, Gratus Sum – I am Grateful – I give thanks to all the musicians who have done so much to inspire and support me. Gratus Sum is dedicated to long time friend William Kanengiser and gives special thanks to the the seven musicians listed below who will present two concerts in my honor next week.

Frank Wallace
Tribute Concerts
in Boston and Hartford

Friday, October 25 pre-concert talk 7:30, concert 8:00
First Lutheran Church, 299 Berklee St., Boston  BCGS calendar listing

Saturday, October 26 8:00
Alfred C. Fuller Music Center, F Berkman Recital Hall at the Hartt School, 200 Bloomfield Ave, West Hartford, CT 06117
Phone: (860) 768-4100 Hartt Calendar

It is with great delight and thanks that we announce our dear friend and colleague Bob Ward and the Boston Classical Guitar Society will present A Tribute to Frank Wallace this October 25th in Boston and again Oct. 26 in Hartford CT. The concert of my compositions will feature Bob with Alex Dunn playing Duo Sonata #1; Chris Ladd, guitar and Ása Guðjónsdóttir, violin, on Gryphon, Violin Sonata #1, Daniel Acsadi playing Débil del Alba, David William Ross on Cyrcles, Sonata #3 and Nick Cutroneo on Shadow of the Sun. See complete program below.

Video Tributes

Various artists have posted videos on Facebook and YouTube as well as some private messages of my works. All are special, but one stands out for my deep and long connection to a great artist, one of America’s best. William Kanengiser and I met in the summer of 1974 while I was teaching at the Appel Farm Arts Camp and he was a summer camper playing electric hot licks from Mahavishnu Orchestra and studying Villa-Lobos on classical. Bill pays tribute to my music and our friendship with a visit to GSI. Read the complete tribute and see all three videos at the GSI blog. Here’s one of the videos:

Thanks to other musicians

• Juan Carlos Laguna has been performing Caracara in his concerts of contemporary music
• Watch Dieter Hennings-Yeomans play Rain in VT
• Randall Avers posted a beautiful rendition of A Distant Wind on Facebook
• Bob Ward initiated the Tribute concert idea and made it happen and Chris Ladd organized the Hartt School concert
• Chris Ladd went to the Faroe Islands to debut Gryphon when I was incapacitated in the summer of 2018
• John Holmquist has shared a beautiful poem and several lovely folk songs – he has an incredible voice if you don’t know!
• David William Ross commissioned and recorded Cyrcles, Sonata #3, which was just released on Parma Records.
• Nick Cutroneo did an independent fund-raiser for me by going 12 hours on Twitch.
• Cyro Delvizio sent a video of he and his wife performing Mi Jardín de Calla recently
• An old friend bought every single guitar solo I have written from gyremusic.com — I now know how much my music is worth – $293!
• Another friend bought all my cello music to send to a fabulous cellist in Caracas who is also suffering from a very rare cancer

Composers

• William Beauvais wrote a piece for me last November – Prayer for Frank

• Gilbert Isbin – recently completed Kept Promise for solo lute, dedicated to me

Concert program for Tribute to Frank

All works composed by Frank Wallace

A Distant Wind  Performed by Christopher Ladd

1. Tjaldur
2. Drunnhviti

Débil del Alba  Performed by Daniel Acsadi

1. Tjaldur
2. Drunnhviti

Cyrcles, Sonata 3 (selections from )  Performed by David William Ross

1. Solstice
2. The light
3. Darkness falling
4. Solstice II
5. The great sleep- Ko’s way
6. First truth

Anoushka (from Film Scores)  Performed by Robert Ward

Duo Sonata 1  Performed by Robert Ward and Alexander Dunn

1. Vivace
2. Adagio
3. Finale

Gryphon for Violin and Guitar  Performed by Christopher Ladd and Asa Guojonsdottir

1. Lions’ tale
2. Eagles talon
3. Feather and claw

Shadow of the Sun (from Suite Hartt)  Performed by Nick Cutroneo

New England Sextets  Performed by all

A Distant Wind CD

now available for purchase at Gyre Music.

A Distant Wind music inspired by faraway times and places
CD by Frank Wallace guitar and composer
music by Wallace, Britten and Sagreras; guitar by Aaron Green, 2018

The title track

Puerh

portrait by Daniela Spector

A distant wind
blows from the sun.
It blows from China
and the Faroes,
It blows from
Chichén Itzá
and Paris,
Machaut and Britten
Basel, Boston and Brittany.

My cup is filled,
sun, soil, soaked leaves
flow in my veins.
Ancient wisdom
bathes cells
in silence.
A distant wind
flows through.

–Frank A. Wallace, Antrim NH, 9-7-19