Download Sofia Gleeson Teja Gerken DuoSF

Sofia Gleeson
DuoSF
Musical Honors, Awards, and Performances: Recommended for Solo ASTA National
Competition, 2008, Finalist in the Mondavi Center Young Artists Competition, 2008.
is already becoming recognized as one of America’s most promising ensembles.
The duo met in 2010 in San Francisco and quickly realized their musical tastes and
playing greatly complimented each others styles. Their goal is to bring accessible,
yet challenging music to audiences.
Performed as a Soloist at the San Francisco Performances Guitar Journeys concert
with Antigoni Goni at Herbst Theater, 2005, Winner of South Bay Guitar Society
Competition 2006 and 2005 and Chosen to perform at the Junior Bach Festival in
Berkeley, CA, 2008, 2007, 2006.
Chosen to participate in master classes with: Antigoni Goni, Ana Vidovic, Martha
Masters, David Tanenbaum, Scott Tennant, Benjamin Verdery, Roland Dyens, William
Kanengiser, Peter and Zoltán Katona, & Andrew York.
Musical Training and Mentors: Benjamin Verdery, Martha Masters, Suzuki Summer
Programs in Hartford, CT & Los Angeles, San Francisco Conservatory Preparatory
Division, Student of Scott Cmiel, Beth Hilton & Analisa Ewald.
Teja Gerken
They both have performed around the world with appearances throughout North
America, Asia, Europe. Some of the notable venues include the Lemmensinstituut in
Belgium, the Fondation Universitaire in Brussels the Jakarta International Music
Festival in Indonesia, Sprague Hall at Yale University, Raitt Recital Hall at Pepperdine
University, The 92nd St. Y in New York City, Kulas Hall at Oberlin Conservatory, the
New England Guitar Society, The Norfolk Summer Music Festival, the Buffalo Guitar
Society, Kilbourn Hall at Eastman School of Music, Cornell University, Rochester
Guitar Club.
Also devoted music educators, Christopher and Robert are the owners and directors
of the California Conservatory of Guitar in Santa Clara, CA. Both have also given
masterclasses in venues such as, the Buffalo Guitar Society, Finger Lakes Community
College, Yayasan Musik in Jakarta, The St. Louis Guitar Society and the Ray and Joan
Kroc Performing Arts Center in San Diego.
Christopher Mallett
Born in Germany in 1970, Teja Gerken began his journey on the guitar at the age of six
and became a serious student of the instrument after his family moved to California
in the mid '80s.
Today, Teja is no stranger to those familiar with contemporary steel-string fingerstyle
guitar. Weaving together influences of folk, jazz, classical, and world music into a
style that is uniquely his own, Teja's playing reflects his diverse musical interests.
While many of his composition employ alternate tunings, two-handed tapping,
percussive effects, and other extended guitar techniques, others simply rely on his
keen sense of melody and movement. Within this framework, Teja has created a
repertoire that appeals to fellow guitarists as well as to listening audiences, and
while original material is his main focus, he can also be found playing Irish traditionals,
the occasional jazz standard, or improvising on themes by classical composers.
An active participant in the vibrant San Francisco Bay Area acoustic music scene, Teja
is a regular performer at many of the region's venues. A firm believer in creating
community, he hosts a monthly acoustic guitar showcase at San Francisco's Bazaar
Café, which features both established and emerging players. Teja also frequently
introduces international talent to Bay Area audiences.
Teja has shared the stage with guitar visionaries such as John Renbourn, Alex de
Grassi, Peter Finger, and Henry Kaiser, as well as with his mentors, Duck Baker and
Peppino D'Agostino. He has been a featured guest at the International Guitar Night,
as well as on radio stations such as San Francisco's KALW and KUSF, and Berkeley's
KPFA. In 2000, he began adding annual concerts in Germany to his performance
calendar, and in 2004, he participated in a ten-city tour of Hungary.
holds an M.M. from the Yale School of Music where he studied
with Benjamin Verdery on a full-tuition scholarship. While at Yale, Chris received the
Eliot Fisk Prize for “outstanding guitarist” and the Yale Alumni Ventures Grant with
guitarist Thomas Flippin. Chris graduated with a B.M. from the Oberlin Conservatory
of Music where he studied with Stephen Aron. He has had masterclasses with artists
such as, Pepe Romero, Christopher Parkening, David Russell, the Los Angeles
Guitar Quartet, Dusan Bogdanovic, and pianist Seymour Bernstein. Chris has
performed with the American Wind Symphony Orchestra, the New Britain Symphony
and the Hamden Symphony Orchestra. Also devoted to music outreach, Chris has
done extensive outreach for Yale University in the New England and New York areas
and recently was invited by the St. Louis Guitar Society to do 9 outreach concerts in St.
Louis. He currently plays a 2008 Jim Redgate Double top guitar.
Robert Miller has performed throughout the United States and Europe. His
performances have been described as, "intense, emotional and graceful" by the
Rochester City Newspaper. From the years 2008-2009, he was awarded a fully funded
stipend to study in Belgium with the renowned guitarist Raphaella Smits at the
Lemmensinstituut. Here he also received extensive coaching in Chamber music.
The Lemmensinstituut awarded him there highest degrees offered, the Mastersafter Masters degree in both Chamber Music and in Guitar. Before this endeavor,
Robert received his Masters degree from the esteemed Eastman School of Music
where he studied with Dr. Nicholas Goluses, and a Bachelors of Music from the
Ithaca School of Music with Dr. Pablo Cohen. In addition to his private study Robert
has had the opportunity to perform in master classes given by some of the world's
most prominent guitarists such as David Russell, Paul O'dette, Sharon Isbin, the Los
Angeles Guitar Quartet, and Thomas Muller-Pering. He also has had the opportunity
to work with the Belgian composer, Wim Hendrix, and the Mexican composer Ricardo
Zohn Muldoon, among others.