Clarinet-Guitar Duo to Perform Jan. 30 at UW

Clarinet-guitar duo Jâca will perform Wednesday, Jan. 30, at 7:30 p.m. in the University of Wyoming’s Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts recital hall. The Department of Music sponsors the free public concert.

Composed of clarinetist Wesley Ferreira and guitarist Jaxon Williams, Jâca goes beyond the bounds of the classical repertoire to stimulate emotion, inspire imagination and bridge cultural divides with audiences. Performing “the music of the people,” Jâca redefines the parameters of nontraditional music in a traditional setting, according to the duo’s website.

Ferreira leads an active and diverse career, performing worldwide as soloist, orchestral and chamber musician, and serving as an adjudicator/clinician. He has been featured soloist with numerous wind bands and orchestras in North America and Europe, and has been broadcast nationally on both Canadian and Australian broadcasting corporations. Ferreira’s discography includes the 2013 East Coast Music Award’s Classical Recording of the Year for “Beyond the Shore and the Ships” with soprano Helen Pridmore.

Following four years as single-reeds instructor at Mount Allison University, Ferreira joined the music faculty at Colorado State University in 2011 and now maintains a thriving clarinet studio as an associate professor.

Williams is “a player of rare power and grace, and he performs with a compelling sense of expression,” according to Los Angeles Guitar Quartet’s William Kanengiser. Williams began studying classical guitar at age 7 and has won numerous prizes in classical guitar competitions, including the OSAA Classical Guitar Competition, Sierra Nevada International Guitar Competition, San Francisco Bay International Guitar Competition, Pacific Guitar Festival and Competition and, most recently, the Beverly Hills National Auditions.

He has performed both solo recitals and chamber music concerts throughout the U.S. and Europe; performs frequently with soprano Laurel Irene; and also plays Flamenco guitar.

Williams teaches undergraduate guitar courses at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music; works in more than 20 different schools in four states; is a specialist in children’s guitar education; works as a master instructor with the nonprofit organization Lead Guitar, where he trains K-12 music teachers to teach classical guitar; teaches in-school and after-school classes; and works with students in private lessons.

He is the director of the introductory guitar program with elemental music in Los Angeles. Among his records are his self-titled debut album, “La Catedral,” which features works from Spain and Latin America, and “Far and Away.”

Williams also works as a studio guitarist, writing songs for commercials and adding guitar parts into music for original artists.

For more information, contact Kathy Kirkaldie at (307) 766-2160 or kirisk@uwyo.edu.