Following a sell-out inaugural performance at the Northampton Center for the Arts in November 2009, the Center for the Arts is proud to present the Happy Valley Guitar Orchestra's Spring Concert at the Academy of Music. Under the artistic direction of archguitar virtuoso Peter Blanchette, the HVGO is a true avant-garde orchestra comprised of more than 20 talented, enthusiastic, local, acoustic and electric guitarists from widely varied traditions.

The April concert could be characterized as a program of “Tales Told Large,” from the vast Wild West to the drama of the High Romantic. The genre-busting repertoire includes: a full-ensemble fantasy on the Armenian "Huseyni Saz" with Oud soloist Kevin Germain; romantic orchestral pieces from Edvard Grieg's "Peer Gynt"; the main theme and climactic finale ("The Ecstasy of Gold") from the classic Sergio Leone film "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly"; and more of the Bartok and Satie arrangements that so thrilled audiences during the orchestra's debut. Blanchette is a musical magician, able to transform both significant contemporary and legacy compositions to exploit the unique tonal characteristics and strengths of the ensemble. This is an evening not to be missed!

Information and advance tickets online at www.hvgo.org.
Advance tickets are also available at State Street Fruit Store in downtown Northampton. They will be sold at the door (cash or check only) from 6:30 pm on the evening of the performance.