Guitaresque at the Museum

Guitaesque put up a 1+ hour recital at the Glass Hall of the Singapore Art Museum on 15th November 2008. This is the 2nd time the quartet performed at the museum, the 1st back in 2006, although the location was actually in the Auditorium of the museum.

What was so special about this recital, however, was the fact that it was the very first ticketed performance put up by Guitaresque!

While we'd previously been playing in free-for-public gigs all over the island, nothing tests our nerves more than playing in front of an audience whom paid to listen to us. And it certainly turned out to be quite a different experience.

In total, about 80 people turned up for our recital (out of a capacity of 120), amongst whom was our invited guest - Mr Alex Abisheganaden, the founder of the NUS Niibori Guitar Orchestra (GENUS) and a highly respected figure in the classical guitar space in Singapore.



Fellow guitarist (and the quartet's close friend) Balraj turned up to assist with our sound checks before the recital started, even though he was unable to stay around to listen to our performance.
(Ed: Thanks a million, Raj!)

Based on feedback from friends and supporters in the audience, the acoustics of the Glass Hall, complemented by 2 small microphones set up in a cross-orientation, was superb!

To be honest, we were rather tense and played the opening piece - The Barber of Seville Overture - rather tentatively. There were several nervely phrases, but as the song progressed, we gradually regained our composure and ended the piece on a high.

I think we did pretty good for most of the pieces, in particular - Moon River and Three Preludes were picked up by several people as their favorites for the night. Only Funiculi Funicular was - in my opinion - played below par.

All in all, it was a successful (and enjoyable!) outing for Guitaresque! With this first ticketed performance under our belt, I hope to lead the group to greater heights, and many more wonderful performances in the years to come.