Los Angeles Guitar Quartet to Perform Friday at Ford Center

Acclaimed group set to play diverse set ranging from classical to contemporary works

The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet will perform Friday (Oct. 7) at the UM Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts. Photo courtesy Jiro Schneider

The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet will perform Friday (Oct. 7) at the UM Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts. Photo courtesy Jiro Schneider

OXFORD, Miss. – The Grammy Award-winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, renowned by critics for its precision, rich tonal palette and joyous performances, comes to the University of Mississippi for a Friday (Oct. 7) concert at Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts.

Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. show are $22 for balcony seating, $26 for mezzanine and tier two box seats and $30 for the orchestra, parterre and tier one box levels. They are available through the Ole Miss Box Office, either online or in person in Ole Miss Student Union.

The group’s four accomplished musicians are John Dearman, Matthew Greif, William Kanengiser and Scott Tennant, each offering a unique stage presence by capturing sounds and style from around the world. The quartet’s works include French Renaissance dances, Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 6, Brazilian favorites and American classics, such as pieces from John Philip Sousa and Miles Davis.

“We are looking forward to having such accomplished musicians at the Ford Center,” said Kate Meacham, the theater’s marketing director. “The performance will include classics by Bach and Debussy, as well as more contemporary pieces by Aaron Copeland and even two composed for L.A. Guitar Quartet.

“It promises to be a truly enjoyable performance. This is a wonderful opportunity for our community to see such a highly acclaimed guitar quartet.”

Dearman, a native of Minneapolis, is a versatile guitarist whose styles range from samba to bluegrass and from flamenco to classical. He is director of the guitar chamber music program at California State University at Northridge in Los Angeles.

Greif, the newest member of the quartet, has a background in guitar styles of classical, jazz, rock and bluegrass, among others. He teaches classical and jazz guitar at California State University at Dominguez Hills in Carson.

Kanengiser is an acclaimed guitar soloist, recording artist and professor at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music. He has won the Concert Artists Guild New York Competition and is best known as the classical guitarist in the 1986 film “Crossroads.”

Tennant is a Detroit native and world-class performer, author and teacher. He has performed concerts since he was 12 years old and is the author of the best-selling book and video “Pumping Nylon,” a technical handbook for classical guitarists. Tennant previously taught at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and is on the faculty at the USC Thornton School of Music.