UCCA and GuitarW Music Workshop are proud to present Belgium’s Four Aces Guitar Quartet. The Four Aces Guitar Quartet explores and expands the world of classical guitar with a mix of classical music by composers like Bach, Puccini, and Ravel, arranged for a quartet; original quartet music from well-known composers such as Paulo Bellinati, Dusan Bogdanovic, and Patrick Roux; as well as their own arrangements of jazz, pop, and other genres.

About the Four Aces Guitar Quartet

The Four Aces Guitar Quartet (Belgium) was formed in 2008 after the members met at the International Guitar-Symposium Iserlohn in Germany. They played their first concert as part of member Stein Verrelst’s graduation recital, awing both audience and jury with their bold program and technical virtuosity. After their debut, they were invited to play numerous recitals around Belgium, including in one of the country’s most prestigious concert halls, the Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels. The group’s debut album Four Aces is a regular feature on the Belgian classical radio channel Klara.

In the past few years, the quartet has performed in the Netherlands, France, and Germany. In 2009, they were invited by the city of Maastricht to play the opening concert for the Jour du Muguet festival. 2013 saw the group returning to the International Guitar-Symposium Iserlohn, this time to teach a master class.

First half

1. "Introduction & Fandango” – Luigi Boccherini

2. "Brandenburg Concerto no. 3” – J.S. Bach

3. "Crisantemi” – Giacomo Puccini

4. "Swan Lake Waltz” – Pyotr Tchaikovsky

5. "Hungarian Rhapsody no. 2” – Franz Liszt

15 minute intermission

Second half

1. “Carnaval” – Patrick Roux

2. "Baiao de Gude” – Paulo Bellinati

3. "Bluezilian” – Clarice Assad

4. "Fragile” – Sting

5. "Quiccan” – Andrew York

6. "Malagueña Salerosa” – Trad.

Note:

*There are only 30 half-price tickets available for all UCCA members. Please call 57800200 to book.

*Doors close 30 minutes after event begins. No late entry.

* Must be at least 16 years old to attend.

Inti de Maet

At the age of seven, Inti de Maet started taking music classes at the Municipal Academy of Music and Speech in Eeklo, studying guitar under Franky Viaene. When he was 18, Inti decided to pursue a career in music and enrolled at the Lemmens Institute in Leuven. He obtained his master's degree in classical guitar in June, 2009.

Over the years, he has attended master classes by Johan Fostier, Thomas Müller-Pering, Carlo Marchione, Hubert Käppel, and Dale Kavanagh. In September 2009, de Maet took up jazz guitar under Hendrik Braeckman at the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp. De Maet has taught at the Music Academy in Eeklo since 2010.

Mathieu De Ruyte

Mathieu De Ruyte received his first music lesson at the Academy of Stekene under Karl De Maeyer. At the Academie Sint-Niklaas, he studied accompaniment and improvisation under Piet Vandeveire. In 2007, De Ruyte started guitar lessons with Roland Broux, Jan Wellens, and Johan Fostier at the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp, where in 2012 he graduated magna cum laude. He has attended master classes by Raphaella Smits, Carlo Marchione, Marco Socias, and Alberto Mesirca.

De Ruyte has taught guitar at the Academy of Beveren since 2008.

Bart Venken

When he was fourteen years old, Bart Venken started playing guitar at the Academy of Maaseik under Tom Corstjens and Jan Sanen. Since 2006, he has pursued his passion for classical guitar at the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp, where he now takes master classes with Johan Fostier after three years of guitar instruction from Roland Broux. Venken has attended master classes by Carlo Marchione, Marco Socias, Johan Fostier, Roman Viazovskiy, and Hubert Käppel.

Stein Verrelst

Stein Verrelst’s first foray into guitar was extracurricular, under Tom Eykens and Guido Dornheim. In particular, the latter had a strong influence on his development by educating him in classical, rock, and blues guitar.

After secondary school, Verrelst took up classical guitar at the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp under Roland Broux and Jan Wellens, where he graduated cum laude in 2009. Over the years, he has taken master classes by Pepe Romero, David Russell, Roland Dyens, Marco Socias, and Denis Azabagic. Since 2005, Verrelst has taught guitar at the Municipal Academy of Music, Speech, and Dance in Lier.

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