Anyone who strolled inside the Pasadena Conservatory of Music on Tuesday was treated to a free night of classical guitar performances, the first of a series that runs through May.

Four acts took the stage of an intimate theater for Guitar Nights, including the Los Angeles Youth Guitar Orchestra, comprised of 13 young musicians.

“There is the LA Youth Guitar Orchestra which is a PCM Ensemble. They’re all students, they’re all kids,” said Erica Wrightson, the conservatory’s director of communications and marketing. “They’re really good and established.”

The follow-up act was Josinaldo Costa, who has a doctorate in classical guitar from Eastman School of Music.

He said that small venues like the Pasadena Conservatory of Music are ideal for live guitar performances.
“It’s actually a good environment for all the subtleties of an instrument like the guitar,” Costa said.

“It’s a real showcase for all the guitar activity that goes on in Pasadena and Southern California,” said Felix Bullock, the orchestra’s coach. “It brings out an audience that is just general music lovers mixed with some amateur guitarists and professional guitarists, it’s a nice monthly showcase for that.”

Wrightson said the Guitar Nights series is being held every Tuesday of the month.

“It’s usually guitarists from around the county―guitarists, guests, people who are from out of town,” Wrightson said. “Sometimes, we’ll feature PCM faculty members and students but usually it’s people from the community.”

She noted that the former performers in the event include the Son Jarocho Group, a regional folk musical style of Mexican Son from Veracruz, Mexico.

Performances were by The Los Angeles Youth Guitar Orchestra, faculty member Brian Barany, Brazilian guitarist Josinaldo Costa, and Los Angeles duo Bryan Fasola and Donovan Butez.

“We’ve had jazz guitarist from Los Angeles. We’ve had a lot of classical guitarists,” Wrightson said. “There’s always at least three or four different people featured.”

The Pasadena Conservatory of Music is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Precollegiate Arts Schools and is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music. The Conservatory belongs to the National Guild for Community Arts Education and is a member of the Pasadena Arts Council.

For more information on the Pasadena Conservatory of Music, call (626) 683-3355 or visit http://www.pasadenaconservatory.org.