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The use of cameras and recording devices of any type is prohibited.Please silence all cell phones and paging devices.

We ask that patrons please refrain from text messaging during the performance.

presents

Soka Performing Arts Center

Saturday, February 24, 2018, at 8:00 p.m.

Will Ackerman:The Gathering, Four Guitars

Will AckermanVin Downes

Trevor Gordon HallTodd Mosby

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WILL ACKERMAN

Universally recognized as the preeminent pioneer in the new age music movement and the founder of Windham Hill Records, Will Ackerman’s career spans more than three decades of remarkable vision, single-minded determination, fervent business savvy, and “a thorough love of the mystery of making music.”

The glory years at Windham Hill with Ackerman at the helm launched the recording careers of an abundant list of acoustic instrumentalists, many of whom became household names. The primary influence Windham Hill cast on contemporary music over the last three decades of the twentieth century emanated from folk roots, the acoustic guitar, and the piano. This legacy remains with Ackerman in a uniquely prolific and peerless career.

As the founder of Windham Hill Records, Ackerman produced more than seventy artists, including George Winston, Michael Hedges, and Liz Story. He is a Grammy winner and the recipient of twenty-seven gold and platinum records in the United States and internationally.

Having sold Windham Hill to Sony/BMG in May 1992, Ackerman has continued to produce musicians in the tradition of Windham Hill. Albums that Ackerman has recently produced have multiple ZMR Music Awards and no producer has had more number one albums on the NAR/Zone Music charts. In May 2013 Ackerman was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the ninth annual ZMR Music Awards.

In 2012, Ackerman began creating compilation CDs of the musicians he was currently producing, calling these The Gathering. The first Gathering CD won the coveted ZMR Album of the Year and Best Contemporary Instrumental Album awards with the highest ratings of any CD in the history of those charts.

Ackerman lives in Windham County, Vermont, where he produces year-round at this Imaginary Road Studios with engineer and co-producer Tom Eaton.

VIN DOWNES

Greatly influenced by the music of artists on Windham Hill Records in the late 1980s, Vin Downes furthered his interest of finger-style technique and composition by earning a degree in classical guitar performance and music education from William Paterson University.

While at WPU, he studied classical composition and had several of his compositions performed by

Biographies

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soloists and ensembles, including the New Jersey Percussion Ensemble, Helix Ensemble and members of the Composer’s Guild of New Jersey.

TREVOR GORDON HALL

Rated one of the top thirty guitarists in the world under thirty years of age by Acoustic Guitar magazine, Trevor Gordon Hall is an instrumentalist from Philadelphia whose compositions range in style from edgy driving rhythms to soft melodic phrases. Hall sets himself apart by leaving no physical aspect of the guitar untouched and weaving together different textures into grand yet intimate and lyrical compositions. His blend of sounds never overcomplicates but focuses on utilizing the instrument’s fullest creative and compositional potential guiding listeners through an igniting experience of music that is not just heard but felt.

Hall has gained the respect of some of the most trusted and legendary names in the music business and his genre with nods of approval from Graham Nash, Steve Hackett, Billy Cobham, Dar Williams, Will Ackerman, Don Ross, Andy McKee, Phil Keaggy, and more. Between his live show, his albums, and his custom instrument, Hall has earned an international growing fanbase that has allowed him to tour throughout North America and Europe. Hall has also been featured on various national radio stations including NPR, and national and international television networks including NBC, PBS, and German national television.

Hall is an artist on a mission to ride the line between being adventurous and accessible. As Grammy-winning Will Ackerman has said “Trevor has a stunning range stylistically while being made cohesive by the power of Trevor’s artistic voice and vision . . . a guitarist we will need to pay attention to.” And guitarist Don Ross agrees, “Trevor has a timeless sense of melody, and he creates some of the richest sonic textures you’re likely to hear from any contemporary composer/guitarist.”

TODD MOSBY

Todd Mosby is a two-time Global Music Award recipient and the only guitarist to enter the famed Imdhad Khani Gharana of musicians, India’s most respected music family.

Mastering multiple musical forms including classical, jazz, and Indian, this broad spectrum of musical knowledge enables the St. Louis native to create works that are both highly creative and intelligent.

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Soka University of America Board of Trustees:Steve Dunham, JD, ChairTariq Hasan, PhD, Vice ChairYoshihisa Baba, PhDMatilda BuckLawrence E. Carter Sr., PhD, DD, DH, DRSMaria Guajardo, PhDClothilde V. Hewlett, JDLawrence A. Hickman, PhD

Soka University of America Administration:Daniel Y. Habuki, PhD, PresidentEdward M. Feasel, PhD, Vice President of Academic Affairs & Chief Academic OfficerArchibald E. Asawa, Vice President for Finance and Administration & CFO & Chief Investment

OfficerTomoko Takahashi, PhD, Vice President of Institutional Research and Assessment & Dean of

Graduate SchoolKatherine King, PHR, Vice President for Human Resources and Risk ManagementWendy Harder, MBA, APR, Director of Community RelationsHyon J. Moon, EdD, Dean of StudentsAndrew Woolsey, EdD, Director of Enrollment ServicesBryan Penprase, PhD, Dean of Faculty

We would like to thank our Board of Trustees and our Administration for their extraordinary support of

Soka Performing Arts Center.

With deepest gratitude to the donors who made Soka Performing Arts Center possible.

Kris Knudsen, JDKaren Lewis, PhDDaniel Nagashima, MBAGene Marie O’Connell, RN, MSDavid P. Roselle, PhDYoshiki TanigawaShunichi Yamada, MBA

Soka Performing Arts Center Staff:David C. Palmer, General ManagerRebecca Pierce Goodman, Marketing and Administrative ManagerShannon Lee Blas-Blair, Patron Services ManagerSam Morales, Technical Services ManagerSteve Baker, House Manager; Lindsey Cook, Production Assistant; Mitsu Hashimoto, Stage Technician; Hana Kurihara, Stage Manager; Ray Mau, Lighting TechnicianJim Merod, Director, Jazz Monsters Series and Soka University Jazz Festival

Students of Soka University of America who serve as patron and technical services crew, as well as marketing assistants. Citizens of Aliso Viejo and surrounding communities who volunteer their service as ushers and hospitality aides.

Our Sponsors and Partners:Orange County Register, KJazz 88.1, KUSC 91.5, California Presenters, California Arts Council.