LUKE VILLAVICENCIO
Asst. Life & Arts Editor
With the countless student performance groups that exist here on campus, it can be easy to go through your college career and miss out on a heaping handful of them.
The Fredonia Guitar Quartet (FGQ), organized by distinguished Professor James Piorkowski, is one of these groups that has an illustrious history that you may know nothing about.
For the average person, you likely hear more about jazz quartets and string quartets, but guitars? It can sound a bit odd to the uninitiated.
It was Andres Segovia, the godfather of the classical guitar, who said that “The guitar is a small orchestra.” If you listen to these renowned pieces of solo guitar music by Francisco Tárrega, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Leo Brouwer and Roland Dyens, among many others, and then imagine those thick, intentional harmonies and quick, fleeting melodies quadrupled across four performers — now that is an experience like no other.
I spoke with Professor Piorkowski about his experiences while instructing the quartet throughout the years. His insight brought an intense color to events that I had only seen in the black-and-white newspaper strips hanging on the walls of his office in Mason Hall, but that press did not come without its fair share of trials and tribulations.
“I came here in 1983,” said Piorkowski, “and there were only two guitar majors, so we couldn’t do a quartet.”
This is a massive juxtaposition to the collection of around 15 students who are guitar majors that are currently enrolled here with multiple different focuses in jazz, classical, composition, sound recording technology, education, etc.
It took roughly four to five years for enrollment to increase until there were enough guitarists to have a full guitar ensemble.
That year, 1986-87 according to Piorkowski, two students by the name of Craig Einhorn and Markus Wolf brought forth the question of why there was no Fredonia guitar quartet.
Piorkowski, known for being a member of the world-renowned Buffalo Guitar Quartet, saw no reason why there shouldn’t be one. The FGQ was created, with Einhorn and Wolf being two of the first four members.
“The time with the quartet was an important one because we developed a lot as players,” said Markus Wolf. “Real world experiences, not [being in a] practice room for x amount of hours [is what gave me] the best learning.”
The forming of the quartet led to many successes and experiences that took its ever-changing roster of wide-eyed student performers around the globe, further enhancing their skill in their beloved art.
Fredonia alumnus and previous member of the FGQ, Dr. Kenneth Meyer, recalls the tour they did in Venezuela alongside the Buffalo Guitar Quartet, where they premiered new compositions by Leslie Bassett and Edward Green. “Much of [the repertoire] that we played was very challenging,” Meyer said. “It really improved my musicianship.”
Meyer is now a professor of music at the Setnor School of Music in Syracuse, NY.
When Professor Piorkowski was asked a similar question about his favorite memories from his time as the FGQ instructor, he spoke on Roland Dyens, a famous French guitarist and composer who happened to be quite close to him. “We were doing a tribute concert to him playing his music, and [the FGQ] played a piece that’s tricky,” he recalled, “and I remember clearly: as soon as they got done playing, he stood up. He was the standing ovation in the audience.”
“A few months later, we had this piece sent to us as a gift from Roland called Filmaginaires, and he dedicated it to the Fredonia Guitar Quartet,” Piorkowski said.
The specific musicians that this piece was dedicated to consisted of alumni Michael Carlos Mendoza, Jahzeel Montes, Mario Rubano and Anthony LaLena, who will be returning to campus on April 19 to give a presentation to the current guitar students.
A similar opportunity has arisen with this semester’s FGQ. Composer Jean-Jacques Fimbel, who was a classmate of Roland Dyens and a friend of Professor Piorkowski, is dedicating his piece “New York Graffiti” to Piorkowski and the student performers.
“Being in the quartet has been one of the highlights of my time at Fredonia,” says current FGQ member Rayne Mescallado, “I’ve had the honor of working with many other wonderful guitarists through the semesters.”
Mescallado has their senior recital in fulfillment of their guitar performance major on April 27 at 2 p.m. in Rosch Recital Hall.
Along with the fruitful relationships that the FGQ has had with world class musicians and composers, they have also been on tour countless times in countries saturated with their own music and culture that further developed the musicianship of the student performers.
They have made appearances in Bulgaria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Spain, France, England, Venezuela and all over the United States.
For the 37 years of adventures and accolades, the Fredonia Quartet has had Professor Piorkowski alongside them cheering them on and helping them grow as strong musicians.
Now, with the love and respect of his countless students and peers here at Fredonia, he will be moving onto bigger things, as he is retiring after this semester.
Despite his history with the FGQ, Piorkowski feels good about his decision.
“Those will just be great memories,” he said, “and I don’t linger a lot about the fact that I’m going to leave; I’m focusing on the fact that we have music to make.”
The Fredonia Guitar Quartet and Ensemble will have their concert on April 18 at 8 p.m. in Rosch Recital Hall.
Link to interview: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/6q21n8s39xkyz8m6y71af/History-of-the-FGQ-interview.mp3?rlkey=4v8dnj0rbcjymmoah115554bo&dl=0