First Unitarian Congregational Society
121 Pierrepont Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
(212) 545-7536
Tickets:
$45
After celebrating its 25th anniversary last year, the New York Guitar Festival launches into its second quarter-century with an all-star lineup and an expanding range of venues. The festival continues on Saturday, June 21, with a pair of extraordinary virtuosos from Brazil: the veteran Yamandu Costa and the rapidly rising Gabriele Leite will each offer a solo set, playing colorful original works redolent of the tropics, as well as recent classical composers like Sergio Assad.
No one calls Yamandu Costa “The Wild Man Of The Guitar” – at least, not to his face. No, people use polite terms like “Latin Grammy winner” and “virtuoso champion of Brazilian music .” But we have recordings of his past NYGF performances where his wild displays of both technique and feeling, on his trademark 7-string guitar, have provoked audible gasps from the audience and roaring ovations that often rival the length of his songs. A serial collaborator, Costa has played with everyone from Bobby McFerrin to Marisa Monte to the Philharmonie de Paris. But there’s nothing quite like seeing him solo.
Gabriele Leite is an award-winning Brazilian guitarist now based in New York. In 2021, she became the first classical guitarist to make Forbes magazine’s Under 30 list. Her debut LP, Territorios, includes performances of works written by Brazilian composers Heitor Villa-Lobos and Sergio Assad, as well as a suite by Sir Wiliam Walton. She will be making her NYGF debut.
