A family of world-class musicians

At CGC Academy we are lucky to have a family of world-class musicians who share their knowledge and experience with our members. From Gohar Vardanyan to Andrew York, and Ben Verdery to Laura Snowden, these wonderful artists have recorded masterclass lessons and hosted workshops for the Academy, performed concerts at our Summer School, and hosted one-on-one live masterclasses with members.

We have a whole course library of Masterclasses with many of these great artists on classic pieces from the repertoire, their own compositions, as well as important techniques or tips for playing classical guitar. Here are the artists from our Masterclass Library:

  • Laura Snowden
  • Andrew York
  • Rene Izquierdo
  • Gohar Vardanyan
  • Dr. Noa Kageyama
  • Ben Verdery
  • Gary Lee (Luthier)
  • Kevin Gallagher
  • Frederic Hand
  • Connie Sheu

To give you an idea of what these lessons are like, here are samples from three much larger courses:

Andrew York

Composer, guitarist, and former member of LA Guitar Quartet Andrew York needs no introduction. He is a legend in the classical guitar world. His compositions have become staples in the repertoire and offer a distinct sound in a playable format. We have been lucky to have Andrew share masterclass lessons with our members on some of his own compositions.

Check out a snippet from Andrew’s CGC Academy masterclass on “Snowflight”:

Rene Izquierdo

Rene Izquierdo from Cuba is a virtuoso guitarist and a wonderful and engaging teacher. When he visited with us to record masterclass lessons on Leo Brouwer’s Estudios Sencillos, he generously gave of his time and left us with some amazing tips and deep dives into these wonderful pieces. Below is an exercise to work out your barre chords, which feature in Brouwer’s Estudio 1:

Rene Izquierdo Barre Exercise

Gary Lee (Luthier)

Internationally acclaimed luthier Gary Lee is a longtime member of the CGC Family. He has recorded masterclass lessons for members, hosted live workshops, attended events, and has been a guest both on the CGC Podcast and at our annual CGC Guitoberfest. Gary is one of the most sought-after luthiers in North America and he makes wonderful instruments. We are lucky to have been able to benefit from Gary’s wisdom and expertise. In the video below from his course on Guitar Mechanics, Gary takes you on a deep dive into setting your action on classical guitar.

Setting your action on classical guitar

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We hope you’ve enjoyed getting a peak at some of our Masterclass Library content! All of these snippets come from much larger courses for our members at CGC Academy. Interested in becoming a member? Find out more and Join the Academy today.