Classical guitarist Mak Grgic brings variety to Friends of the Guitar Hour

In the two weeks between his conversation with The Spokesman-Review and his performance in Spokane, classical guitarist Mak Grgic flew from the U.S. to his home country of Slovenia to meet with a composer whose work he recently premiered.

From there, he traveled to Portugal to teach a class and perform a concert. After a few master classes around the country, he was off to Spain for another performance. Then it was back to Slovenia for a series of concerts before he traveled to Spokane.

“No time to spare,” Grgic said, noting that his schedule has been similarly packed for the majority of the year.

Grgic will squeeze Spokane into his busy schedule Friday when Friends of the Guitar Hour, a KPBX radio show hosted by classical guitarist Leon Atkinson and program director Verne Windham, host him in concert at Holy Names Music Center.

Grgic was introduced to the guitar as a child when he enrolled in a public music school. If he’d had his way, however, he would’ve studied piano or violin.

“Dad said violin squeaks too much,” Grgic said. “He crushed my dreams and put a guitar in my hands.”

Don’t worry; that last part was a joke.

Similarly, Grgic’s instruction in classical guitar wasn’t exactly a choice – it was the only option the school offered.

“You learn theory and you learn an instrument by the book,” Grgic said. “Exploring diverse styles is not something you do until later.”

Over the years, Grgic has done his fair share of exploring diverse styles and will present several at his Friends of the Guitar Hour concert.

“The program is a combination of my preferred genres within classical and that is early music and new music,” Grgic said.

The first half of the program features Sonata VII – Allemanda, Sarabanda, Sonata XIIa – Ceccona by Giovanni Zamboni Romano, Nocturnal After John Dowland, Op. 70 by Benjamin Britten, and “Macadelic” by Donovan Butez.

Following intermission, Grgic will perform Johann Sebastian Bach’s Chaconne, BMV 1004, Sean Hayward’s “Through the Fog,” Miroslav Tadic’s “Chico,” and Alberto Ginastera’s Sonata for Guitar, Op. 47.

The Zamboni Romano and Bach works are baroque pieces, and the Bach appears on Grgic’s upcoming album, which features pieces with unusual tuning.

“I’m trying to adhere to some of the historical tuning that is not used these days,” he said. “It’s a little bit different than what we’re used to hearing.”

Grgic included the Tadic piece because Tadic is Hayward’s teacher, and “Chico” is representative of the type of harmony associated with the Macedonian part of the Balkan Peninsula, where Grgic is from.

Grgic called “Macadelic” a funky, showy piece and included works by Britten and Ginastera because they will act as a balance to the shorter pieces on the program.

“All in all, a rather diverse program so there might be something for everyone in this program,” he said.

Similar to his travel schedule, Grgic has no time to spare when it comes to his music. He has four albums, including a debut album as part of a flamenco duo, scheduled for release in the coming months.

Grgic is the first to admit that CDs are going out of style, and he mentions that classical music’s academic nature makes it difficult for some to enjoy the listening experience.

But he’s hopeful that thoughtfully curated concerts and festivals and publicity similar to that of pop music will make classical music just as popular.

“I’m hoping we’ll be able to learn and use those facilities to make classical music the extended part of any one’s CD collection,” he said.