2010-05-01 Masterclasses, Student Recitals and Scholarships

VCGS is different from many music organizations in that it is actually more focused on student and amateur guitarists than it is professional performances. From the very beginning there were student recitals and scholarships through the Kiwanis Music Festival and the Richmond Music Festivals. (Both festival expanded to include classical guitar due to initiatives from VCGS!).

The society started a Loan a Guitar program and provided good quality instruments at no charge to students eager to learn but in need of a guitar. That program still exists today with an inventory of about six guitars.

VCGS partnered with UBC and the VSO School of Music to provide students with masterclasses by visiting professional guitarists. We continue this tradition today with our visiting concert artists.

Twice-annually Student Open Stages have always been important events in the society as a place for students to hone their performance skills. Dozens of kids as young as 6 years old perform solo and in duets and ensembles before an appreciative audience of family and friends. Many of these young students have gone on to win competitions and pursue a career as a guitarist.

Alan Liu fondly remembers his first Student Open Stage performances in about 2010. Now a multi-award winning young professional guitarist and a frequent performer on the VCGS stage, Alan is finishing his doctorate at Yale University. Check out this article about Alan in the Richmond News in 2017. Shy teen strums to the top - Richmond News