Joining Tom in the studio is the wonderful classical guitarist, Gabriel Rodriguez. He’s performed in his native Puerto Rico, Spain, and the United States. Now he lives here in Baltimore, where he teaches in the Guitars for Change program, an initiative of the Baltimore Classical Guitar Society. To remind us what a beautiful instrument the classical guitar is, Gabriel plays a lovely piece by Spanish composer Iván Ríjos, called Lágrimas de Jesús (Tears of Jesus).
Launched in the fall of 2018 in collaboration with “Centro de Ayuda” (Center of Help) in Annapolis, Guitars for Change identifies immigrant youth in the community who are at-risk, and provides them with free guitars and lessons in a structured after-school program.
The Guitar Society’s president and CEO, Asgerdur Sigurdardottir, also joins Tom to announce that the program will be expanding to a new, second location at the Clayhill Public Charter School, a new facility set to open this coming fall in Baltimore's Bayview neighborhood.
You can hear the students from the Guitars for Change program, as well as several other guitar ensembles from around the area, in concert a week from Saturday, March 8th in the Linehan Concert Hall on the campus of UMBC in Catonsville. Click here for details.
This conversation was livestreamed on WYPR's Facebook page. You can watch the video here, from 43:00 to 53:30 in the feed.
