One hallmark of Summerfest concerts is our varied instrumentation of strings, winds, harp, and keyboard instruments. We have added voice and percussion to this mix in past years to bring in unique timbres to the sound mix. This year Summerfest will add guitar for the first time in our 23 year history.

The Summerfest artistic committee has talked about adding guitar for quite some time. “Adding any extra instrument to our ensemble opens up great new options of repertoire,” says Shannon Finney. We are pleased to have guest guitarist Beau Bledsoe join Summerfest for 2012. He will play on the last of the four concerts, the weekend of July 28-29, when he will perform works by Boccherini and Piazzolla.

Beau regularly performs and records with some of the greatest artists in Tango, Flamenco and classical music as he seeks to integrate different musical cultures with diverse audiences. With his many different projects and ensembles Beau has performed throughout the United States and toured extensively in Mexico, Argentina, Spain, Germany, France, Switzerland, Turkey and Russia.

Here are Beau’s answers to random questions we asked him.

SF:  Tell us about your life outside of work and music.
BB:  Right now I just play with my two year old son quite often. He likes to “jam” every day on all the instruments in the house.

SF:  Where else are you performing this summer?
BB:  I just came back from a tour in Mexico and before that I did a collaboration with the Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company. There’s a great Flamenco dancer (Melinda Hedgecorth) from Sevilla that I’ll be working with in late August.

SF:  What would be an interesting tidbit about you?
BB:  I married an awesome woman from Turkmenistan.

SF:  What’s on your IPod/MP3/CD player?
BB:  Lots of Portuguese Fado at the moment (that’s my next thing).

SF:  What quality do you most admire in others?
BB:  Competence.

SF:  If you could live in any era, which one would it be?
BB:  I rather like now. I’d be dead from appendicitis if it were any time earlier. But let’s just say the Spanish Baroque.

SF:  What is your ideal classical concert program?
BB:  I have an all Piazzolla concert that I’m doing at Helzberg Hall in April 2013. That’s an amazing program!

SF:  Where is your favorite place in the world to “just be?”
BB:  Guanajuato, Mexico.

SF:  If you chose another occupation, what would it be?
BB:  Museum Guard.

SF:  What is your one desert island must have?
BB:  The scores for the six cello suites of J.S Bach and an instrument.

SF:  What good book have you read most recently?
BB:  A Universe from Nothing: Why There is Something Rather than Nothing, by Lawrence M. Krauss.

SF:  How did you choose your instrument?
BB:  MTV.

SF:  What is your favorite movie?
BB:  Citizen Kane.

SF:  Is there a particular web site or blog you visit often?
BB:  Plastic Sax (KC jazz blog) – I check it everyday.