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| JIM SKINGER |
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It seems there was never a time when I wasn't strumming a guitar, playing the piano or practicing the accordion...but it was the guitar that held the most fascination for me. Practicing was never a problem; in fact my parents made me stop practicing to do other things. All through high school I played - in local jazz bands and rock groups - and after graduation, the opportunity to play "on the road" was an irresistible challenge. Motivated to study in a more formal way, I enrolled at Clark University Worcester MA. where I completed a music degree program. While at Clark, I initiated a guitar program which I directed for four years. At the same time, I continued to study guitar with such notable teachers as Walter Kaye-Bauer, Hartford, CT., Sophocles Papas, Washington, DC and with Alexander Bellows in Manhattan. My studies in Europe took me to Santiago de Compostella, Spain and to London where I studied with the outstanding English composer John Duarte and the lutenist Diana Poulton. In the mid 80s, I turned to composing and arranging in both classical and jazz idioms. Several of my compositions have been published in the U.S. and the U.K. The formation of a jazz trio in 1990, has led to many successful performances in the New York area. 1997 was a banner year for me with a debut performance with the Chappaqua Chamber orchestra with a performance of "Concierto de Aranjuez and later at the Royal Festival Hall in London in a solo concert for the Latin American and Caribbean Cultural Society of London. In May 1999 I was invited to give a solo concert in the Central Library of Moscow; the concert was sponsored by the " Music Lover's Club of Moscow". I also performed for the guitar classes at the A. Schnitke Music Institute, Moscow and for the Primary School music classes for young musicians. In July 2000 Italy: A series of performances celebrating Italian/Anglo Culture.
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