About Cheryl
Only a handful of people have achieved perfection with the Classical Guitar. One of these outstanding Classical Guitar players, who plays with exquisite passion and sensitivity, is one of the few women to join this small elite band of great guitar players.
Cheryl won a scholarship to the Royal Manchester College of Music when she was 16, studying under Gordon Crosskey and privately with John Williams in London. At the age of 20 she won the ‘Lanchester International Guitar Competition’ and the ‘Concorso Internazionale di Chitarra di Alessandria’ in Italy at which time she was invited to perform on Italian television.
Following her outstanding performance in a Masterclass with Julian Bream recorded for the BBC, Cheryl was personally invited by Bream to record an individual lesson with him for French Television. That year she also made her debut at the Wigmore Hall in London, establishing herself as one of the world’s leading Classical Guitarists. The following year Cheryl gave the debut performance of Wilfred Joseph’s ‘Saratoga’ Concerto for harp, harpsichord and guitar at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London.
Cheryl was awarded 2nd place in the Segovia International Guitar Competiton in England the following year. This was recorded by the BBC, and her performance of the hauntingly beautiful ‘Un Sueno en la Floresta’ was played over the subsequent production of ‘Life in Spain’. Cheryl has since become particularly famous for her exquisite interpretation of Spanish and South American music, and her strong rapport with her audience.
- “A performance of great beauty and sensitivity”………”Vital and poised” – London Times
- “A guitarist of much skill and captivating artistry” – Manchester Evening News
- “Sensitive interpretation, an outstanding performance by a versatile and talented player” – Central Distict Times
- “Outstanding Quality” – Wanganui Chronicle
2012 New Zealand
After many years of juggling performing and raising a large family of very strong individuals, 2011 saw my return to a full time music career touring with the New Zealand Guitar Quartet. Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed performing with these very talented guitarists, the experience also served to crystalise for me where my heart and my gift truly lay as a musician, which is in being able to express myself spontaneously in the moment, with what I am feeling in my heart and my soul. So I am being true to myself and returning to what I love doing most – my solo music!
This year, whilst organising future tours and recitals for 2013/14 I have forayed into the world of composing for the first time, which I am finding to be an exquisite combination of extreme joy and frustration! Again this becomes an expression of who you are and what you feel, and the joy (and pain) in creating new music has taken me very much by surprise. I look forward to playing some of these pieces for you in future recitals. I hope you enjoy my weekly blogs, and that you find them both interesting and informative.
We all strive to achieve perfection in our playing, and whilst this is of course an important aspiration, remember to always take pleasure in the journey! The essence of Music is in expression – not in technical pyrotechnics. Make sure that you use musical expression and phrasing whenever you play (wrong notes and all!) and don’t ‘just play the notes’ – say something! Enjoy the journey – don’t wait until the notes are ‘perfect’ before allowing the music to sing.
Cheryl