Guildhall questions: Maria Camahort and Francisco Javier Jáuregui answer

The Guitar Spectacular on Tuesday 27 November features Guildhall alumni performing an exciting evening of music for guitar.

We caught up with two of our alumni, Maria Camahort and Francisco Javier Jáuregui, to find out more about the recital.

Can you tell us a little about the repertoire you’ve chosen to perform, and why you chose it?

MC: Our repertoire for this project ranges from classical repertoire to traditional music and different melodies or themes coming from different genres and contexts. We have an eclectic but exciting programme, and every single piece included has inspired us strongly.
 
FJJ: Gudrún and I debuted as a duo at Guildhall in January 2002 performing for a full Lecture Recital Room. The programme was made up of Spanish folk songs and other music inspired by folk traditions. As a result of that concert we spent the next year and a half performing that and similar repertoire in a multitude of settings representing Guildhall. Without realising it, that put us on a certain track and in these past 16 years a large part of our work together has involved folk music in my own arrangements and in those of other composers. Folk melodies can be so powerful and engaging as they tell stories that repeat themselves over and over through time (tales of falling in or out of love, of dreaming of a better life, of desire, of the love of a mother for her child, of pride, of shame…) and allow us to connect with people of places and times which are otherwise so apparently foreign to us. This connection is perhaps for me the main motivation for dedicating my life to music.

In that first concert we performed a set of Sephardic Songs, arranged by Manuel Valls. Our interest in this fascinating repertoire pushed us towards creating our own arrangements to other melodies, which resulted in the première of my Four Sephardic Songs in 2009 at Tardes de España, a festival in St. Petersburg, Russia. Sephardic Jews, who settled mainly in different parts of North Africa and Eastern Europe after they were tragically expelled from Spain in 1492, have preserved their language and traditions over the centuries in great part through a rich collection of songs. Some of these melodies are true gems and form an important part of my country’s heritage.

My mother grew up speaking Basque in Rekaldea, her home in La Ultzama, Navarre. Although I do not speak the language, certain phrases, words and concepts of the Basque culture have always formed an integral part of my own life. Three Basque Songs pay homage to my mother and to all mothers. We have performed these Basque and Sephardic songs in many concerts around the world.

What are you most looking forward to about coming back to Guildhall to perform in Milton Court?

MC: It is always a pleasure to play in such a hall like the Milton Court, I think this is obvious! Also to take the opportunity to visit Guildhall School and to catch up with my colleagues and with the teachers I had during my Master's Studies and my Fellowship.

FJJ: It makes us very happy to return to Guildhall from which we have so many great memories. Gudrún and I met here and started to work together but we also got married and had two children who are studying music by now. It is particularly exciting to perform at Milton Court, which didn’t exist back when we were studying and about which we have heard wonderful things. Above all, it gives us a chance to meet people like my guitar teacher Robert Brightmore or Laura Sarti, Gudrún’s singing teacher, with whom we have continued to keep in touch.

The Guitar Spectacular will also have performances from a number of other Guildhall alumni – what do you think audiences can expect?
 
MC: The concert will be a great amalgam of music for solo guitar and chamber music with guitar (guitar quartet, voice and guitar, flute and guitar). I know well all the musicians involved and I can guarantee every single piece in the program will be performed with a display of technical mastery, but most importantly, with strong musicianship - accurate, emotional and warm.

FJJ: That is a hard question to answer for a very good reason. I think that if one thing stands out as a strong quality of Guildhall is its ability to train people to a high standard and prepare them for the professional world but at the same time allow them to develop themselves in an independent and unique way as artists. At least that was my impression of the school and the people who were around at my time.

If I think back to the people who were studying guitar with me at the time, I remember how very different we were and how we all had the space and the support needed to explore and try to figure out what we wanted to do, what repertoire to play, how we wanted to present ourselves, … I think that is a key to finding your way later on as a musician in the profession; one has to continually invent and reinvent oneself and come up with new ideas and projects. Returning to the question: one should expect to have an enjoyable evening of listening to a variety of ways of presenting the classical guitar.

Maria, tell us about your partnership with Neus Plana Turu – how did this come about, and what do you most enjoy about this collaboration?

MC: Our main point in common as musicians is our aim to go beyond the score… to include in our performing not only written scores, but recreations of music that inspire us, through composing, arranging and improvising. We knew a collaboration between us would work well, we just needed the opportunity for it… which came actually in October 2017, and since then we've been working regularly together through workshops, rehearsals, concerts and lessons.

Another special element in our collaboration is actually Body Percussion. Neus Plana dedicates part of her career developing this discipline, through concerts, shows and workshops.

For her, the duo was an opportunity to work on this discipline with a musician by her side in every rehearsal. For me, the opportunity to play alongside a body percussionist was a novelty in my career.

And Javier, you’ll be performing as the Duo Atlantica with mezzo-soprano and fellow Guildhall alumna Gudrún Ólafsdóttir – what do you most enjoy about this collaboration?

FJJ: I would say that it is a real treasure to have somebody that you work with day after day and year after year. It is true that there are people that you immediately connect with musically and others with whom things do not flow as naturally. Working with Gudrún was a joy from the start but having the chance to develop a long-term work and personal relationship with someone over so many years allows you to reach a level of understanding and communication, which is very special. We know each other inside out and we feel very privileged to have the chance to make music together and coincide in so many different projects.

As a Guildhall alumni, what are your most enduring memories of life at the School?

MC: There are many, but if I have to pick three they would be the lessons and activities from the Centre for Creative Performance and Classical Improvisation (thanks to David Dolan), the collaborations with the Drama department (thanks to Chris Burgess and alumni Violeta García), and the activities held in the Guitar Department (thanks to Robert Brightmore). Plus, Guildhall was the centre where one of my most beloved projects, Iberian Colours, started.

And of course, thousands of personal memories…!!

FJJ: My time at the Guildhall was very much a time of discoveries. I got involved in so many different projects that challenged me to travel far outside my safe zone. I played and recorded a lot of new music from young composers (often with very little rehearsal time) in innumerable chamber combinations, which was something that I had very little experience with. It was challenging but very exciting.

I had a job at the library which I thought would be a waste of my time and it actually gave me a great opportunity to look through endless piles of amazing music which I had no idea existed and also allowed me to meet pretty much everyone who was working or studying there at the time.

Aside from the great classes I had with Bob Brightmore, I also learned a lot from my chamber music lessons with David Miller and had a great time in improvisation classes with David Dolan. Above all, I look back nostalgically at so many great moments at rehearsals, performances or just hanging out at the canteen with different people, many of whom continue to be my friends.

Who have been some of your biggest inspirations in your careers?

MC: We both, Neus and myself, have a name in common, which is Dr Emilio Molina. He is changing music education in Spain through his Music Institute, including music improvisation in the lessons from very early ages to BMus level. We both studied with him, his lessons being a strong influence in our training.

Individually, Neus has another name in mind, who is Santi Serratosa, percussionist and body percussionist. In my case, apart from the names included in the question before, composer and guitarist Feliu Gasull was also a very strong influence in my career.

FJJ: My first music school was my family. My parents were not professional musicians but both loved music passionately and were very good at transmitting that love for music to my siblings and myself. I have played music with my sister Elena (violinist), who arrived at Guildhall one year before myself, for as long as I remember. My family is made up of very hard working, creative and fun people who are each in their own way very inspired and inspiring human beings. 

I find inspiration in many things and people inside and outside of the world of music. I enjoy meeting other people who are passionate about whatever it is they do. I think that it is in fact very enriching to have contact with artists who are not necessarily from your field. This can lead to interesting collaborations and it is also positive to get a bit of distance from your own world and learn new things and perspectives. I admire people who do what they do with a great sense of purpose and those who look to bring people together in search of what we have in common as human beings rather than keeping us apart.

What are your passions outside of performing?

MC: Sport activities. And I could say this for both of us, I think. Neus enjoys yoga too, and personally, I can't stay without swimming, running, or skating.

FJJ: I am fascinated by the world of photography. It has so many things in common with music and at the same time it is such a great way for me to change gears from my work as a musician. It is remarkable to see how different stories can be told about the same subject based on how that subject is seen through a lens. How something is framed, how much light is let in… The smallest alterations can have such dramatic impact on the outcome.

If you had one piece of advice for young musicians today, what would it be?

MC: To be awake always. As much as possible. If music is what they want to spend their life on… that's my advice.

FJJ: Get involved in as many different projects as you can; play with as many people as you can fit into your schedule. You learn the most when you work on things that you are unfamiliar with. Sometimes you end up finding a lot of work in the most unexpected of ways as a result of having met people who are doing something that has very little to do with your music.

The Guitar Spectacular takes places on Tuesday 27 November in the Milton Court Concert Hall. Tickets are available via Barbican Box Office. Book your tickets now.