GFA Spotlight Series, vol. 2, arrangements

The Guitar Foundation of America (GFA) is committed to cultivating Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access in the international guitar community and in the repertoire published for the instrument. Many factors, including a composer’s race, gender, and sexual orientation, have historically created a narrow representation of our community in the classical music canon. Following the first volume of the GFA Spotlight Series, which contained seven new works by composers of color, this second volume of the series presents seven transcriptions of existing works by composers of color. These commissioned pieces and transcriptions were premiered by students in the GFA Mentorship Program in 2021.

With this collection, the guitar takes a step towards a more inclusive and representative repertoire that nurtures creativity and inclusion for generations of guitarists to come. Growing the canon enriches the musical experiences of our entire international guitar community through exposure to diverse perspectives and voices, complementing the invaluable lessons we learn from the existing contributions of pieces that form the canon.

arrangements of music by Amanda Aldridge (Montague Ring), Chiquinha Gonzaga, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Henry Thacker Burleigh, Charles Ignatius Sancho, Robert Nathaniel Dett and Florence Beatrice Price.