A brief period of Grace…
NOVEMBER is the transitional month before the buzz of the festive season – and visitors streaming into the Mother City. Before all that, decompress and chill out with classical guitarist James Grace who is at The Theatre on the Bay from November 21-25 with Recuerdos (Spanish for ‘memories’).
In this Spanish guitar and dance programme, it is not just Grace at his guitar; there will be five flamenco dancers and visuals by Ilse Moore framing the music and dance.
“The show centres on one of the most famous pieces of classical guitar music, Recuerdos de la Alhambra (Memories of the Alhambra) by Francisco Tárrega,” explained Grace. “This piece was the catalyst for the show, which developed around dance and movement especially choreographed by Carli Bresser, who runs Carli Spanish Production in Sasolburg in the Free State. Using a backdrop of underwater photography and visuals by Ilse Moore – also based in Sasolburg – the show paints a unique picture of the music; almost ethereal.”
The award-winning classical guitarist, who was born in Kent, in the UK, heads up the classical guitar department at the South African College of Music at UCT. He has been teaching at the college since 2005.
When he was 13, Grace won the Sanlam Music Competition for primary school pupils – the first guitarist to win.Grace’s family returned to the UK when Grace was 15.
After completing his schooling, he studied at the Royal College of Music in London and became the first guitarist in the history of the College to receive the Tagore Gold Medal – an annual award presented to the most outstanding student. After that, with Europe at his feet, he chose to return to South Africa to live in the Cape.
“Cape Town was always my home and at least twice a year during my college career I’d come back and always try to squeeze in a few concerts,” he enthused. “I realised that I wanted to eventually settle in SA. I could do what I was doing in London here in Cape Town. Lifestyle-wise there’s no comparison between Cape Town and London.
“Whether you’re performing at St John’s Smith Square in London or the Drostdy Museum in Swellendam, you’re still performing: communicating and connecting on a human level with other human beings. And that, for me, is really what it’s all about.”
I must just add that Grace resembles George Clooney – or is it the other way round? When I interviewed him a few years ago in a very public space, people were craning their necks trying to work out if he was Clooney. But there is an absolute modesty that he exudes – sans celebrity preening. He has to be just about grilled to divulge the details of his illustrious career.
The focus is on his craft, his work as a teacher at UCT and an exciting music fund that he is developing to assist musicians in the start-up period of their careers.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to help graduates at the beginning of their careers: financial assistance for overseas travel, instrument purchase, help with CD production or promotion… any aspect of their professional working life as a musician.”
Next year is shaping up to be a busy one: “In March, a colleague from the Royal College of Music, Mexican-born-and-based guitarist Morgan Szymanski, will be visiting SA. I’ve organised a nationwide tour for us playing 10 concerts in two weeks. We are planning tours of Recuerdos in JHB and KZN and working on a sequel.”
Grace recently released his sixth solo studio album, Chilled, which features his own arrangements of songs by artists such as The Beatles, John Denver and Billy Joel. The CD costs R180 (includes P&P) from www.jamesgrace.co.za/ discography.
James Grace – Recuerdos – is on at The Theatre on the Bay from November 21-25. Tickets are R100-R180. Book at Computicket or at the theatre on 021 438 3301. For a chance to win tickets to the show, see the Freebies column in ToTT today.