As part of Southeastern’s 15thannual Guitar Festival, Southeastern’s own Patrick Kerber performed various pieces of flavorful Spanish-style music in the Pottle Auditorium on Monday night. This was the second event in the faculty guitar recital.   

The festival is hosted by the Department of Fine and Performing Arts and sponsored by the Arts and Lectures Committee, Southeastern Guitar Club, Dr. Ted’s Music Center and Jody Mayeux’s Music Shop. Kerber, who has been playing guitar for 49 years since he was 10 years old, performed a solo recital center stage.

“It’s a faculty recital, we do the Southeastern Guitar Festival every year, every spring. I typically will play a recital. It’s one of the things we do in terms of service to the community. I do it mostly for the students,” said Kerber, instructor of guitar and coordinator of Guitar Activities.

Kerber talked about the origins of some of the music to be played at the festival.

“It was Spanish music from the Renaissance all the way through contemporary. The older pieces were written in the 1500s. It was music written for the guitar, not written, not transcribed or made for any other instrument,” Kerber said.

Students enjoyed the recital.

“I really loved it. It’s nothing like I’ve ever really been to,” said Gabrielle Filiberto, who is a freshman early childhood education major. “The last piece was really abrupt and lively and then it got quiet and dramatic.”

Others appreciated the uniqueness of Kerber’s recital.

“I thought it was great. It was very different,” said Brandon Sylvia, a freshman mechanical engineering major. “I like how it changed from nice and smooth and then it would switch. He explained everything [from] the back story to what the songs were about and the artists. He played [the songs] very well.”

On March 22, the High School Guitar Symposium will take place in the Pottle Recital Hall from 9 a.m. until noon.  It will be a three-hour session class for high school students. The students will play guitar, learn more skills and be exposed to different styles.

Following the symposium will be All Styles Night on the Circle on April 7. This event will be held on the Pottle Performance Circle at 7:30 p.m. Anyone in the community can contact Kerber and get together to play all styles of music, such as jazz, pop, folk and bluegrass. It may be moved to the Pottle Recital Hall if the weather does not allow for the event to happen outside. 

The last event will be the Southeastern Guitar Ensemble in the Pottle Auditorium on April 14 at 7:30 p.m. This event is intended for student guitar majors. Music from the Baroque period all the way through the 20thcentury will be played.

Anyone interested in more information should contact Patrick Kerber by phone at 985-549-2886 or by email at [email protected].