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BIOGRAPHY
Berit Strong is an award-winning
international performer of classical guitar repertoire ranging
from renaissance through contemporary, including world premiers.
She has performed in hundreds of concerts and has received
many invitations to return. Reviewers consistently praise
her ability to communicate musically with her audience by
playing with emotional intensity, musical artistry and virtuoso
technique.
Richard Dyer of The
Boston Globe wrote, “Berit Strong was a colorful
and commanding interpreter.” Soundboard Magazine
praises Ms. Strong’s playing in this way: “She brought to
the performance a level of personal emotional commitment
that made the ebb and flow of musical tension very effective.
Miss Strong displayed an intense and original musical personality
with an outgoing and communicative stage presence.” Her
performance as soloist with the Indian Hill Symphony
at the Littleton Center for the Performing Arts earned her
this accolade: “The masterful combination of Ms. Strong’s
artistry on the guitar and Rodrigo’s composition was irresistible.”
International appearances include a number
of solo, duo and chamber performances with organizations
such as the Rome Festival Orchestra, the
Estergom Guitar Festival and the Belgrade
Cultural Center concerts. In the United States,
Ms. Strong has performed several times as special guest
artist at the National Flute Association Conventions
and the Guitar Foundation of America Festivals.
Other venues in the U.S. include Jordan Hall
in Boston, MA, the Cleveland Institute of Music,
the University of Akron, Mechanics
Hall in Worcester, MA and the Huntington
School in New York. Her playing has been showcased
on both television and radio.
Having earned her Master in Music degree
at the New England Conservatory of Music
With Distinction in Performance and her Bachelor of Music
cum laude from Hartt School of Music,
Ms. Strong has studied with some of the world’s outstanding
classical guitarists. Her teachers include Oscar
Ghiglia and Ruggero Chiesa. She
took masterclasses from Manuel Barrueco
and Sharon Isbin and studied at the Chigiana
Music Academy in Siena, Italy.
Ms. Strong is an experienced teacher of
performance classes, beginning guitar classes, and instrumental
ensemble at the college level. She teaches masterclasses
and individual students through her private practice, at
the Groton School, in
Groton, MA, at the Indian
Hill Music Center in Littleton, MA, and at
the ArtSpace,
Inc. in Maynard, MA. As Artistic Consultant to the Boston
Classical Guitar Society, Ms. Strong continues
her strong commitment to promoting the classical guitar
that marked her six year tenure as Artistic Director.
Listeners can expect to be delighted with
the “artistry and grace” of Ms. Strong’s playing combined
with her natural musical connection with her audience, as
she continues to perform challenging and exciting repertoire
during her international and US classical guitar appearances. |
