On Jan. 29, some of Albuquerque Academy’s best student guitarists showcased their talents to the Academy community at the Guitar Solo and Ensemble Concert. Around 20 guitar players performed, ranging from grades 6-12. The evening began with 10 guitar solos, followed by two duets, and ended with a performance from the Latin American Guitar Ensemble.

Although each performance was stellar, there were a few that stood out to me. The first was from Danny Ross ‘21, who delivered an enchanting performance of “Andante.” Equally delightful was guitarist Justin Kim ‘21 who stunned the audience by playing his own arrangement with songs from multiple artists.

After the solos were over, a duet took to the stage: the Armaduo. The two performers were Ben Montoya ‘23 and Nicholas Skarbek-Borowski ‘23. Instead of playing the traditional guitar that others had played that night, the two were playing a type of instrument called a charango. A chanrango is an Andean stringed instrument with Spanish origins. A traditional charango, which the two boys played, is made out of an armadillo shell. Compared with a guitar, the charango sounds similar to a ukulele, and its notes are higher in pitch than the guitar’s.

The night finished with an excellent performance by the Latin American Guitar Ensemble, which included a solo by Alex Thomas ‘20. The Latin American Guitar Ensemble is a before-school group with 12 dedicated students.

Overall, the night was a huge success. The solos, duets, and Latin American Guitar Ensemble performances showed the Academy community the talent of the guitarists at our school. I am sure that everyone who was there would agree that it was a wonderful performance.