Terry Champlin and Helen Avakian in concert at Vassar, March 24

Guitarists Terry Champlin and Helen Avakian will perform in Skinner Recital Hall at Vassar College on Friday, March 24, at 8 p.m. The program will include music arranged by Champlin from Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert, as well as original compositions by Champlin. The concert is free and open to the public.

Champlin has performed as a guitarist in the "Hear America First" series in Carnegie Recital Hall, with the Concord String Quartet, and at the Bar Harbor New Music Festival. As a composer, he has written for mediums from orchestra to solo guitar. Among his more than 100 pieces are the Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra, written for and premiered at the Korean National Institute of the Arts in Seoul; Triple Concerto, written for Capital Chamber Artists' 25th anniversary concert; Chamber Concerto for Nine Guitars, written for guitarist David Starobin and broadcast on the "Ars Nova" TV series; and "Darkness and Light" for large guitar ensemble and eight flutes, written for and performed under the direction of flutist John Solum. His Fantasia for Flute, Violin, and Guitar was recently premiered and recorded by Capitol Chamber Artists, and his Concerto for Guitars and Percussion was performed by the Mannes Guitar Ensemble. Champlin has been a lecturer in music at Vassar since 1979. Avakian is an accomplished instrumentalist who maintains a busy schedule as a classical and flamenco guitarist. She has endeared herself to a diverse audience. As a singer/songwriter, she has been compared to such artists as Suzanne Vega, Chrissy Hynde, and Natalie Merchant, and was voted Favorite Acoustic Act by Rhythm and News Magazine's 1997 readers' survey. Her performance credits include appearances on PBS television, WNYC public radio, and at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall. Avakian was featured as an electric guitar soloist with the Woodstock Chamber Orchestra in a premiere of Champlin's Concerto for Guitars and Orchestra.

For additional information, call the Department of Music at (914) 437-7294. Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations may contact Cathy Jennings, Office of Campus Activities, (914) 437-5370, as far in advance as possible to request appropriate and reasonable accommodations.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations or information on accessibility should contact Campus Activities Office at (845) 437-5370. Without sufficient notice, appropriate space and/or assistance may not be available.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

This article was posted on Friday, March 24th, 2000.