Guitarist from Canada

Press, 22 August 1978, Page 18

Guitarist from Canada

One of Canada’s leading classical guitarists, Liona Boyd, will give a recital on Thursday in the James Hay Theatre, during her first tour of New Zealand. Her visit has been arranged by the Canadian High Commission and a Wellington entertainment company, in association with Canada’s Cultural Exchange Programme. She will give 17 concerts during her four-week tour, and will make a number Of TV and radio apnearances. Liona Boyd’s record albums have sold in both the classical and popular

markets in Canada and the United States, and in 1975 she was a finalist in the Canadian Juno awards as “instrumentalist of the year.” Recently she toured with the popular country music artist, Gordon Lightfoot, performing before audiences averaging 10,000. The country music “king," Chet Atkins, dedicated an album to her, and many Nashville guitarists have taken lessons from her. Liona Boyd, now aged 27, was born in London, but. has spent most of her life in Canada. She began her study of the classical

guitar at the age of 14 with Eli Kassner in Toronto, and in 1972 she ; graduated with honours from the University of Toronto’s music faculty, i where she received her - bachelor of music degree in performance. In the same year she won first ' place for guitar in the Ca- : nadian National Music : Competition. She has studied with Julian Bream, Narciso Yepes, Alirio Diaz, and Alexandre La- i goya, who invited her to , study privately with him | in Paris. Lagoya called her i “one of my most brilliant i students.”