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2005 Guitar Foundation of America 1st prize winner Jerome Ducharme/With Special guest Travis Johnson
Concert - October 28th, 2006 at 7:00 PM
Master Class - October 29th, 2006 at 3:00 PM
The Guitar Foundation of America, usually
referred to as the GFA, is a nonprofit organization which promotes the guitar though an annual convention held in a different location in America each year as well as a publication known as
Soundboard magazine. At the yearly convention, the GFA holds an annual competition which is among the most prestigious in the world.
The winner of the competition receives a cash prize, a recording contract with the Naxos label, and a nationwide tour. For the third year in a row, the Portland Classic Guitar Concert Series will be hosting the GFA first Prize winner concert. Last year’s winner Jerome Ducharme of Canada, will be presenting a solo concert as part of his nationwide tour.
At last year’s convention and for the first time in GFA history, the organization added a junior division competition.
Portland's own Travis Johnson won first place at age 13 and will be presenting a solo performance to open this year’s GFA concert.
Jerome Ducharme
Canadian guitarist Jérôme Ducharme, the 2005 winner of the Guitar Foundation of America International
Competition, began his musical studies at the Cultural Center of Joliette in 1990 with André Morissette. Other teachers have included Pierre Morin and Clément Canac Marquis at the Musical
camp of Lanaudière as well as a year of private instruction with Mr. Marquis. In April of 2000, after having been a student of Jean Vallieres, he graduated from the Music Conservatory of
Montreal and was awarded a prize of distinction. He later spent a year studying with Oscar Giglia and Stephan Schmidt in Switzerland.
Jerome has been a multiple prize winner in various
other competitions including the 2004 Guitar Foundation of America International Competition, The Guitare-Antony in France and Montreal’s Guitarre-Lachine of 2003, as well as the 2000
Festival-Concurs de Lanaudiere.
Recent performances have included an appearance in 2005 with the Montréal Symphonic Orchestra for Donizetti’s opera Don Pasquale. A featured performer
on the Montreal Guitar Society’s inaugural and 2004 season, Jérôme Ducharme’s playing has also been broadcast on SRC-CBC radio in Canada.
Mr. Ducharme plays on a 2005 René Wilhelmy guitar.
2006 Gutiar Foundation of America Winner Jerome Ducharme in Concert October
28th, 2006 at 7:00 PM. $25/$20 for students, seniors, and Portland Guitar Society members.
2006 Gutiar Foundation of America Winner Jerome
Ducharme Master Class, October 29th, 2006 at 3:00 PM $40 for Performers/$20 for auditors.
Travis Johnson
is 13 years old and resides in Milwaukie, OR. Travis is homeschooled and taught by
private teachers outside the home. He studies music at Marylhurst University.
Since he began studying the classical guitar, a multitude of wonderful opportunities have opened up in
Travis’s life. Travis has performed at the Northwest Guitar Festival, and as a soloist with both the Portland Festival Symphony and Marylhurst Symphony. In 2005, Travis won the Guitar
Foundation of America’s First Annual National Youth Solo Guitar Competition. Bryan Johanson, who composed his Fellows piece, Boppin’, was instrumental in working with Travis to create
this brilliant melody. Encouraged by his teacher to formulate a story to coincide with Boppin’ – to feel the music more personally – a couple of unique ideas emerged, one of them based on
Snoopy (from the Peanuts comic strip). This story encouraged Travis during his performances and made him realize how important it is to bring art to life.
Honors/Awards
2006 Davidson Fellow
2006 Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship Recipient
2006 Appearance on NPR’s From the Top Radio Program
2006 Parkening International Youth Solo Guitar Competition,
Semi-Finalist
2006 Marylhurst University Performance
2006 Northwest Guitar Festival
2006 Children’s Home Society Benefit Concert
2005 Guitar Foundation of America, National
Youth Solo Guitar Competition,
1st Place
2005 Portland Festival Symphony Soloist
2004-2005 Portland Guitar Festival, Semi-Finalist
2004 Marylhurst Symphony Soloist
2004
Classical Radio Station’s Young Talent Search Winner
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