Frank Vignola’s jazz-steeped musicianship and “acoustic mastery in exhilarating single string runs, complex flurries, and astounding full register riffs” (Downbeat) have earned him a spot on Les Paul’s “Five Most Admired Guitarists List.” Vignola has performed everywhere from the Sydney Opera House to Carnegie Hall and currently holds a residency at NYC’s renowned Birdland Jazz Club. Enjoy this evening of original arrangements spanning classical to jazz and old to new.
Frank Vignola is one of the most extraordinary guitarists performing before the public today. His stunning virtuosity has made him the guitarist of choice for many of the world’s top musicians, including Ringo Starr, Madonna, Donald Fagen, John Lewis, Lionel Hampton, the Boston Pops, the New York Pops and guitar legend Les Paul.
Vignola has recorded over 30 CD’s as a leader and has been a guest on hundreds of recordings. Vignola has written over 18 educational music books, recorded the critically acclaimed, “Vignola Plays Gershwin” CD, and recorded 3 DVD’s for Mel Bay Publications. He has also produced over 50 full length video teaching courses for TrueFire.com, for all levels.
“Sometimes a performer’s perfection can elevate a piece of music to heights beyond the realm of imagination. By all accounts, Frank Vignola conjures just that sort of magic with his acoustic guitar.” – Intermission Magazine
Violinist Tessa Lark is one of the most captivating artistic voices of our time. Widely praised for her technical agility, expressive nuance, and genre-defying skill, Lark (who dazzled audiences at the 2021 Rockport Chamber Music Festival) is not only an acclaimed traditional fiddler in her native Kentucky, but has also garnered an Avery Fisher Career Grant, a GRAMMY nomination for Best Classical Instrumental Solo, and other accolades cementing her place as a classical superstar.
Additionally, in 2020, she received one of Lincoln Center’s prestigious Emerging Artist Awards, and other recent honors include a 2018 Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship, a 2016 Avery Fisher Career Grant, Silver Medalist in the 9th Quadrennial International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, and winner of the 2012 Naumburg International Violin Competition.
Tessa’s debut commercial recording—SKY, a bluegrass-inspired violin concerto written for her by Michael Torke and performed with the Albany Symphony Orchestra—earned a 2020 GRAMMY nomination, and Tessa’s discography has been expanding ever since. Her newest recording, The Stradgrass Sessions, includes collaborations with composer-performers Jon Batiste, Edgar Meyer, Michael Cleveland, and Sierra Hull; original works by Tessa; and the premier recording of John Corigliano’s solo violin composition STOMP.
In addition to Tessa’s performance schedule, she was recently named Artistic Director of Musical Masterworks, a chamber music presenter in Old Lyme, CT. Tessa plays a ca. 1600 G.P. Maggini violin on loan from an anonymous donor through the Stradivari Society of Chicago.
“Violinist Tessa Lark has a canny ability to adjust her approach according to the stylistic dictates of whatever she’s playing… the sound is, as I say, superb.” – Gramophone
