guitar
Professor of Guitar. Benjamin Verdery has performed and taught master classes throughout Europe, Mexico, Canada, Cuba, Japan, and South America, and has recorded and performed with such diverse artists as Frederic Hand, Leo Kottke, Anthony Newman, Jessye Norman, Paco Peña, Hermann Prey, and John Williams. He regularly gives flute and guitar concerts with the Schmidt/Verdery Duo and with his ensemble Ufonia.
Workshop Arts has published the solo works from Mr. Verdery’s recording Some Towns and Cities, which won the 1992 Best Classical Guitar Recording in Guitar Player magazine. In 1996, John Williams recorded Mr. Verdery’s duo version of Capitola, CA for Sony Classical. His Scenes from Ellis Island, for guitar orchestra, has been extensively broadcast and performed at festivals and universities in America, Canada, New Zealand, and Europe, and the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet performs it on their CD Air and Ground (Sony Classical).
Workshop Arts (distributed by Alfred Music) has released Mr. Verdery’s book Easy Classical Guitar Recital as well as his instructional video, Essentials of Classical Guitar. His recordings include Bach: Transcriptions for Guitar (GRI), Reverie: French Music for Flute and Guitar (Sony Classical), Some Towns and Cities (Sony Classical), Ride the Wind Horse: American Guitar Music (Sony Classical), The Enchanted Dawn (GRI), Ben Verdery Ufonia, and Soepa: American Guitar Music (Mushkatweek). He joined John Williams on the Sony Classical CD John Williams Plays Vivaldi for a recording of the Concerto in G Major for two mandolins.
Benjamin Verdery is artistic director of the Yale Guitar Extravaganza and Art of the Guitar at the 92nd St “Y” in New York. He is honorary board member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas, Inc., and held his tenth annual international master class on the Island of Maui, Hawaii, in July 2008. Benjamin Verdery joined the faculty of the Yale School of Music in 1985.