Friday, November 16, 2001

WILMINGTON, NC --Acclaimed classical guitarist Michael Lorimer will perform at 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 30, in UNC Wilmington’s Kenan Auditorium. The concert, sponsored by the university’s Department of Music, will feature selections by Turina, Weiss and Villa-Lobos performed on the modern guitar and music by Corbetta and Le Coq performed on the Baroque guitar.

Lorimer, a former UNCW distinguished visiting professor, caught the attention of American audiences in the early 1970s. A protégé of Andrés Segovia, Lorimer was the first American guitarist invited to perform in the USSR, performing in 1975 and 1977. An enthusiastic exponent of new music and traditional classics, Lorimer was the first world-class guitarist to regularly feature the Baroque guitar in recital. More than 20 years ago, before the present vogue in original instruments, Lorimer was a pioneer in bringing attention to the 17th- and 18th-century predecessor of the modern instrument.

Lorimer, who has written for Guitar Review and Guitar Player, is editor of the Michael Lorimer Edition, a 20-volume set distributed by Mel Bay that comprises the “Classic Series” featuring his transcriptions and the “Composers Series,” a special forum for new music. He was also featured in the PBS special The Artistry of Michael Lorimer. Lorimer’s recent recording Remembranza, distributed by Windham Hill/Dancing Cat, is a tribute to Segovia.

In addition to concerts, Lorimer gives master classes at North American universities and conservatories across the country. He will conduct a class at 2 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 29, in Kenan Hall, Room 114.

Tickets for the Nov. 30 concert are $10 and will be on sale at the Kenan Auditorium box office the night of the performance. For more information, contact the UNCW Music Department at 910/962-3390.