International guitarist Aaron Larget-Caplan to perform at CSUB

CSUB in the Community: Guitar Arts Series

By California State University, Bakersfield

April 1^st, 2022

This story is part of an ongoing series titled CSUB in the Community, which will highlight various programs and organizations on campus that serve the community through their programming.

International classical guitarist Aaron Larget-Caplan will perform at California State University, Bakersfield next week as part of the university’s Guitar Arts Series.

The concert, which is open to the public, will be held on April 7 at 7:30 p.m. in Room 127 of the music building. Larget-Caplan will perform a mix of classical and contemporary pieces, including original music as well as new arrangements of music from composers such as Johan Sebastian Bach.

“We’re very excited to have Aaron here. He’s a lot of fun,” said Jim Scully, director and co-founder of the Guitar Arts Series. “There’s a lot I really like about Aaron, both as a person and as a player, but my favorite thing might be that he really has a focus and love of new music and playing music by living composers. While he also plays music people have heard before, his concerts always have a good chunk of stuff that’s brand new.”

Larget-Caplan, who lives in Boston, is visiting CSUB as part of a California tour. While he has performed at the university twice in the past, this will be the first time that he will participate in a residency at CSUB.

During the April 5-7 residency, Larget-Caplan will listen in on rehearsals and coach guitar students — including non-music majors — to help them further develop their guitar skills.

“The concert’s neat, but being able to interact with the students is when it really becomes special,” he said. “If I can help out some students and tell them what to watch out for, that’s great. I would also love to hear what they’re doing.”

While Larget-Caplan has done residencies in the past, he said the upcoming CSUB residency is one of the longest he’s done and one of only a few in which he has had the opportunity to interact with guitar majors specifically.

“Often when I tour, I’m in one place for a day or so. A residency really does allow me to put down some roots, to interact with faculty as well as students and get a flavor for the area that I’m in,” he said. “The fact this is one is so guitar-centric makes this really exciting. I’m usually working with composers or general student musicians.”

Scully hopes Larget-Caplan will be able to help students hone their guitar techniques and gain a new level of expertise.

“Aaron wants to help students no matter where they are or what level they’re at. He’s very accepting in that way,” Scully said. “I think it’s going to be a great experience for our students.”

Tickets to Larget-Caplan’s concert are $15 for general admission, $10 for seniors 60 and older and $5 for students. Tickets can be purchased here.

Bringing world-class talent to Bakersfield

The Guitar Arts Series was created at CSUB in 2014 and typically brings in three to five musicians every year for concerts, which are open to students, faculty and staff as well as the community at large.

One of the main goals of the series is to expose CSUB students to professional world-class artists that they wouldn’t usually be able to interact with.

“We are a relatively small community, but we’re very close to San Francisco and Los Angeles,” Scully said. “We’re bringing world-class talent to town so students can see what’s right around the corner for them. The hope is to broaden their perspective about what is possible.”

The series is also a great opportunity for members of the community to hear musicians that may not come to this region very often.

Marion Vargas has been a frequent attendee of the CSUB concerts. She is one of the founding members of the Bakersfield Classical Guitar Society, which was formed in 1981 and lasted until 1984. Like the Guitar Arts Series, the society brought classical guitarists to Bakersfield for concerts.

“It’s such a pleasure to be able to go and sit down and enjoy a good concert without having to organize it,” Vargas said with a laugh. “One of neat things about this whole idea is to see the young people who are so interested in guitar. It’s such a good and healthy thing, for students and the community.”

While Larget-Caplan has participated in concert series at other universities, he said CSUB’s program is unique in that it welcomes and celebrates all guitar types.

“I think Bakersfield is totally blessed to have such a diverse series,” he said. “It’s not something that’s very common. I’ve seen series that specialize in a certain type of guitar, but I haven’t seen many that celebrates all of guitar. That aspect is very admirable and the right way to go. I’m grateful to CSUB’s administrators for supporting this program.”

An 'unforgettable experience'

Scully believes the Guitar Arts Series has been very successful in inspiring and motivating guitar students to continue with their studies and pursue music in their careers.

“It’s absolutely inspired some of our best and brightest guitar students to push harder,” he said. “I’ve had students go on to get graduate degrees in guitar performance because they saw and had lessons with some of the people I’ve brought through. Some have even gone on to study with people I’ve brought through.”

One former student who was inspired by the program is Iris Carrillo, who graduated from CSUB in 2015 with bachelor’s degrees in music and business administration. While at the university, Carrillo was able to learn from several guest artists, including Larget-Caplan.

“Being able to engage with and learn from these elite artists in an intimate setting was an unforgettable experience that I cherish deeply,” she said. “The guest artists provided wonderful feedback that improved my technical skills as a guitarist.”

While Carrillo doesn’t play professionally full-time, she said interacting with musicians through the Guitar Arts Series and watching their performances encouraged her to play for retirement parties, open mic nights and other venues.

“Holding public performances is a lot of work and quite nerve-wracking,” she said. “Although music is not my livelihood, these experiences gave me the courage to hold my own public performances. I still play today because of the profound impact the series had on me.”

Carrillo continued, “Bear in mind, these guest artists hold important music accolades and are highly regarded within their industry. Scully goes to great lengths to recruit remarkable artists from around the world.”

“This series is without a doubt an incredible learning experience and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We’re very fortunate to have something like this in Bakersfield,” she said. “The program brings people together who value and share a passion for fine art.”