- Open to the public ($), all are welcome to attend. Reduced ticket prices for members.
- Details as to location (virtual or otherwise) will be provided and/or confirmed closer to the event.
- Performer participation is masterclasses subject to fees and may be limited to OGS members, contact us to play. Sign up/renew your membership to avoid missing out!
Ben Diamond
Concert September 24, 7 pm
Conservatoire de musique de Gatineau
From St. John’s Newfoundland and Labrador, Ben Diamond is a young professional classical guitarist who strives to push the limits of the instrument with every performance. Recently named onto CBC’s “Top 30 Under 30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians in 2021” where he was praised for the release of his debut recording PRIME which features all-Canadian guitar compositions written in the last 20 years. PRIME also earned Ben a nomination for the 2021 MusicNL award for Classical Artist of the Year, and was instrumental in his award for the 2021 ArtsNL Emerging Artist of the Year award. His passion for new guitar repertoire and working with composers has guided him as an educator, improviser, recording artist and performer with a future goal of expanding the repertoire for the instrument.
He is a co-founder of the Atlantic Guitar Society, and has made appearances at festivals such as “Guitare Alla Grande” (Gatineau, QC), “Sound Symposium” (St. John’s, NL), “the 21st Century Guitar Conference” (Ottawa, ON) and the “FCMF – National Music Festival” where he was awarded 2nd place in both 2019 (Saskatoon, SK) and 2021 in a virtual format. Ben is also active in the online music community after having performed in over a dozen online concerts, and adapted many new projects to the pandemic parameters. Ben is a recent graduate of the School of Music at Memorial University where he earned a Bachelor of Music (Honours) under the tutelage of Sylvie Proulx, and is now a first year Master of Music student at Schulich School of Music of McGill University in the studio of Steve Cowan.
Simon Farintosh
Concert January 14, 7 pm
Location TBD
Simon Farintosh is a guitarist, composer, arranger, teacher, and award-winning performer from the west coast of Canada. He is known for his unconventional programming choices, connecting with audiences by integrating the classical guitar with contemporary forms such as popular music and jazz. His debut EP Aphex Twin for Guitar (2021) comprises his own transcriptions of pieces by British electronic artist Richard D. James, fusing two seemingly disparate types of music. His second EP ‘Seascapes’ consists of original compositions inspired by the captivating landscape of the Pacific Northwest, combining solo guitar with atmospheric synth textures. Many of Simon’s arrangements and compositions are published by Bergmann Edition and Musicnotes.com, where he is a Musicnotes Signature Artist.
Simon began his guitar studies in 2004 at the Victoria Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Stephen Lochbaum, Bradford Werner, and esteemed Romero protege Dr. Alexander Dunn. Simon continued to study with Dr. Dunn at the University of Victoria, where he earned his Bachelor of Music Degree, and later completed a Master’s Degree at The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where he was a student and teaching assistant to Rene Izquierdo, a renowned Cuban virtuoso. Currently, he is pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of Toronto, where he is a student of Dr. Jeffrey McFadden. Here, his research is focused on devising sight-reading curriculum for undergraduate guitarists.
Simon’s performances have garnered him top awards in competitions such as the Northwest Guitar Festival, the National Music Festival of Canada, and the Quebec International Music Competition, and he has been a finalist in worldwide virtual competitions such as the GuitarLab International Competition. He is a six-time recipient of the British Columbia Arts Council Award, and has been a featured artist for organizations such as the VCM Summer Guitar Academy (BC), The Classical Guitar Society of Tri-Cities (WA) and Madison Classical Guitar Society (WI).
Simon plays a 6-string double top guitar by Glenn Canin and an 8-string guitar by Jeff Sigurdson.