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Recitalists
| John Mills |
John Mills has been a guitar recitalist since 1964, and is a former pupil of John Williams, Julian Bream and Andres Segovia. He made his London debut in 1971 at the Wigmore Hall, and a year later embarked on his first overseas tour with a series of concerts in Canada. He has since given nearly 3,000 concerts in many parts of the world, and indeed lived in New Zealand from 1985 to 1988, where he was Head of Guitar at the Nelson School of Music. John Mills is also much in demand as a tutor in master-classes, and is also a very keen enthusiast in the field of chamber music featuring guitar. His coaching also focuses much on postural problems encountered by players, and how to correct these. John Mills' Tutor, published by Music Sales, has become a best seller, and he is currently writing an extended series of teaching articles for Classical Guitar magazine. Over the years he has appeared in many radio programmes, in particular the series of BBC Radio 3 recitals devoted to classical guittar, plus a number of 'live' concerts from such places as Manchester and Bristol, as well as featuring on special shows on Radio 2, local radio and TV channels. He is currently Head of Guitar at the Welsh College of Music & Drama, Cardiff, Professor at the Royal Academy of Music, London, and visiting lecturer at Christ Church College, Canterbury. John Mills also has a special interest in guitar construction, and has had much contact and collaboration with such celebrated makers as David Rubio, Jose Romanillos, Bert Kwakkel, and more recently Paul Fischer, not only with regard to the constant search for greater refinement of tone and balance, but with Paul Fischer the idea of incorporating alternative timbers, and developing a new type of 8-string guitar. In the field of strings John Mills is also active in the testing of new products by the French string maker Savarez, and is currently working with the company on the New Cristal treble range. John Mills for many years worked with the celebrated Japanese guitar builders Asturias, and a special model bearing his name was the outcome of this collaboration. He is now, when time permits, much involved in testing guitars for the Blackburn Guitar Studio, and also gives occasional workshops and guitar clinics in the area. In addition to pursuing a career as a soloist, he does much guitar-duo work with his wife Cobie Smit, and trio concerts in which the duo are joined by Raymond Burley. In recent years John Mills has spent a great deal of time in Scandanavia, and Finland, and has helped develop the Summer Music Festival in the town of Karstula in the middle part of Finland, plus working with the composer Kai Nieminen from the Polytechnic in Jyvaskyla in preparing a series of publications for Warner Chappell. His own popular guitar course has run at Burton Manor College in the Wirral, near Chester since the early 1970's, and John Mills has become the new Director of the celebrated Summer School for Guitar at West Dean, near Chichester, one of the world's leading international guitar events. Further details of future concerts and workshops etc can be obtained from; e-mail johnmillsj@rwcmd.ac.uk Concert enquiries to; Sympathetic Developments, tel. 44 01202 880331 fax. 44 01202 888037
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| Hayley Savage |
One of Britain's new generation of guitarists, Hayley gained places at the Royal Academy of Music, and the Welsh College of Music and Drama. She elected to study with John Mills (who was already her tutor) at the W.C.M.D. Whilst at college she continued her piano studies and resumed her composing which she had always enjoyed. Since leaving college, Hayley has performed as a soloist and ensemble player with Claire Heaney, flautist, Roger Huckle, violinist, and Bristol's leading orchestra the Emerald Ensemble. She has had ten premieres of new chamber works which have received sparkling reviews. Hayley won the 1999 Ivor Mairants Guitar Award and in 2001 was a semi-finalist at the Sor International Guitar Competition in Rome. Hayley lives in rural Gloucestershire and in addition to a very busy recital programme teaches guitar, piano and cello. The photograph shows Hayley trying her new Kwakkel guitar.
NOW IN STOCK! Hayley Savage Live in Concert. This debut CD is a must for your collection. A selection of pieces by Mertz, Torroba, Morel etc, plus the first recording of Amazonia by Edward McGuirre. Concert Bookings Contact: Hayley Savage "Ashley Combe" Sandpits Lane Hawkesbury Upton Badminton South Glos. GL9 IBD Tel 01454 238678.
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