Prez Sez  Summer 2022

Dear folks,

I want to thank our TGS board members for working hard this past season to put together four fantastic online recitals with top-rate talent, some of the best talent on the planet. This has been our calling, and this is what we intend to do for the foreseeable future.

 We are very fortunate to have amazing continuity and staying power of our nine board members on into next year. Myself, Dennis Aberle, Michael Chua, Scott Merkle, and Donnie Stallings have been on board for more than 20 years! Billy Switzer and André Tempera are closing in on five years. Jonathan Sayles is starting his second year, and we are lucky to have everyone again.

We are still in need of one more member to commandeer our Facebook page and free up some of Billy’s energies, so if you are interested, please contact any board member.

Soon the board will meet and pick three or four artists for next year’s season, but we do know our first recital will be a benefit recital featuring Dennis in an all flamenco performance, with Andre and myself rounding out the program. This program will, hopefully, be a hybrid event with an online broadcast on recently purchased TGS equipment and, hopefully, at least 20 members in person.

In these trying times, we are very appreciative of our club and the concerts and, hopefully, meetings/parties in person.

Boy, let me remind you: We have had some great parties over the past decades. Off the top of my head, we have had: a dinner party at a restaurant in Raleigh as our reception for the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, also for the Duo Assad. And, for Martha Masters and Jorge Caballero, a reception at member Len White’s house. Also, many concert/parties at Bill Hampton’s lovely modern houses (yes, two), receptions at my house, and two special dinner parties at George Scalco’s house featuring gourmet Italian cuisine from Marie Scalco.

In two or three adjacent years, we took over a Durham Mexican restaurant’s outside patio, and the local performers received free dinners for their efforts. And similarly, at an Italian restaurant in Cary. I am getting hungry!

Also, three special concert/dinners each at the lovely homes of Jake and Sharon Freiberger and Ed and MaryAnn Nirdlinger.

And that’s just a sampling! Let’s all hope to get back into these types of events this year, as it is always a treat to party with like-minded friends.

So, dear friends, please send in your yearly dues or use our online dues page and help keep us bringing fine artistry to our little guitar club.

— “Prez” Randy Reed