SPANISH GUITARIST DAVID BURGESS TO PERFORM AT SEMO

To commemorate the 500th anniversary of Columbus' voyage, classical guitarist David Burgess will perform the program "500 Years of Spanish Music in the Americas" at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Southeast Missouri State University Museum.

Burgess, a protegee of the great Spanish guitarist Andres Segovia, is regarded as one of the country's finest young guitarists. He has won top honors in international guitar competitions in New York, Mexico City, Toronto and Munich and has performed throughout North and South America, Europe and the Far East.

He has recorded for CBS Masterworks, Musical Heritage Society, Camerata and Athena Records.

Burgess resides in New York City and has performed at Carnegie Recital Hall, Town Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center and the Newport Music Festival.

He began studying guitar at the Instituto de Arte Guitarristico in Mexico City with the renowned Argentine guitarist Manuel Lopez Ramos. He later earned at Diploma di Merito, on full scholarship, at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy.

The program "500 Years of Spanish Music in the Americas" will trace the history of Spanish music, from the oldest known guitar music composed in Spain during the time of Columbus through the intricate dance rhythms of Spanish Baroque, the exotic harmonies of the late 19th century, the Flamenco of the Andalucian gypsies to some of today's contemporary Spanish music. It will concentrate on styles that influenced Latin America.

Admission to the concert is $3. It is sponsored by Southeast Missouri State University.