Nylon- and steel-string guitars will combine on the stage of the Bert Church LIVE Theatre (BCLT) Jan. 23 to bring a truly one-of-a-kind performance to Airdrie. The California Guitar Trio (CGT) and the Montreal Guitar Trio (MGT) have been performing joint concerts since 2009, after meeting while performing at a conference and discovering they enjoyed playing together. “At the time, we thought it would only be for a few shows, but it went so well that it’s been over eight years that we’re doing shows together,” said CGT member Paul Richards. “Even though we’re both guitar trios, we’re very different in our style and sound. That’s what makes it very exciting.” The groups both include classically-trained members as well as guitarists well-versed in jazz, rock, blues and contemporary music, according to Richards. Drawn together by a love of a wide variety of musical genres, Japan-born Hideyo Moriya and Belgium native Bert Lams join Richards in the CGT. Moriya brings Japanese influences to the trio, Richards said, while Lams graduated from the Royal Conservatory in Brussels and possesses a vast classical repertoire. When the three members of the CGT combine their talents with those of the MGT, Richards said, “…it makes a guitar show that is unprecedented and unlike anything that people have seen before.” “That’s one of the things that really keeps us going, I think. It’s so entertaining…[the audience] doesn’t know what to expect next,” he said. “There’s so many different styles and different kinds of music that it’s really something, I think, that anybody – no matter what kind of music they’re into – can find something they like about it.” The CGT and MGT perform separately during the first half of the performance, he added, before joining forces to finish off the show in the second half. “It gives the audience the chance to hear what the MGT and CGT sound like on their own,” he said. “For the last half, we play the second half all together, like a small guitar orchestra.” The CGT formed in 1991, while the MGT has been entertaining audiences for more than 20 years. Based in Québec, the MGT is comprised of Sébastien Dufour, Glenn Lévesque and Marc Morin. When they hit the stage at the BCLT Jan. 23, the audience can expect to hear a number of cuts off a new album featuring both groups. Production of In the Landscape is currently being completed, according to Richards, and the album should be released in February. Tickets to the show are $34 and are available from the BCLT’s website, airdrie.ca, or at the box office.
