The Berklee 2005-2006 Concert Series Continues With La Guitara, Featuring Patty Larkin, Sharon Isbin, and Kaki King At the Berklee Performance Center, Friday, March 31, 2006

BOSTON, MA, February 23, 2006 — The Berklee 2005-2006 Concert Series continues Friday, March 31, 2006, 8:15 p.m., at the Berklee Performance Center, with La Guitara, featuring Patty Larkin, Sharon Isbin, and Kaki King. General admission tickets are $25 ($18.75 seniors), and may be purchased at the Berklee box office or through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com. For more information, please call 617-747-2261 or visit www.berkleebpc.com. The Berklee Performance Center is located at 136 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, MA, and is wheelchair accessible. Berklee is pleased to welcome WGBH 89.7 FM, Boston's NPR arts and culture station, as the series' media sponsor. Berklee also welcomes Borders as the supporting sponsor of the series.

In a groundbreaking performance of women guitarists, La Guitara explores the contributions of women to the evolution of modern guitar. Brainchild of guitarist and Berklee alumna Patty Larkin, the La Guitara tour coincides with the La Guitara compilation CD (Vanguard Records) featuring 14 female guitarists of varied genres, include Larkin, Isbin, King, Rory Block, Ellen McIlwaine, Memphis Minnie, Mimi Fox, and more. Partial proceeds from the CD will benefit music education.

"The goal of La Guitara is to better define the contribution of women to the history of modern guitar," explains Larkin. "I have been asked repeatedly, 'Why are there no great female guitar players?' The answer is, 'There are.' Demographics are changing as young girls and women take up the instrument with increasing dedication and commitment to technique and repertoire. It is my belief that women guitarists of the past played a part in the evolution of the instrument and that their story is largely untold. I also believe that there are women guitarists today who are actively changing our preconceptions about gender and guitar heroes. This project is dedicated to these artists, past and present, waiting to be discovered, needing to be heard."

Press: to inquire about photo availability and usage, please e-mail us. Patty Larkin Photo by Jane Leon

Patty Larkin is "genre-stretching, string-popping alterna-folk" (Guitar World). She is that rare combination of talents - a superlative singer, an accomplished songwriter and an inventive guitarist. As an instrumentalist, she skillfully mixes Celtic, rock, folk, blues and funk, effortlessly veering from percussive slaps and lush harmonies to harp-like harmonic licks and freaky slap-back soaked grooves. Long a favorite with critics, Larkin has honed a reputation as a 'musician's musician.' She has released 10 albums and her music has been used in a number of motion pictures, including Sliding Doors, Random Hearts, and Evolution. In 2002, she took her place alongside Duke Ellington and Sting with an Honorary Doctorate from Berklee College of Music.

Sharon Isbin is internationally acclaimed and has been hailed as "the preeminent guitarist of our time." Director of the guitar departments at Juilliard and the Aspen Music Festival, Isbin's touring schedule includes solo performances and appearances with chamber ensembles, jazz luminaries, guitar greats, and over 160 symphony orchestras. Her 25 recordings reveal remarkable technique and versatility - from baroque, Spanish/Latin, and 20th century crossover to jazz fusion - and have garnered accolades from around the globe. Winner of Guitar Player's Best Classical Guitarist Award, Isbin also won a GRAMMY in 2001 for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance, making her the first classical guitarist to receive a GRAMMY in 28 years.

Kaki King began playing guitar at age four but gave it up in favor of the drums. She returned to guitar in her teens, immersing herself in the music of Preston Reed, Alex de Grassi, Nick Drake, and Red House Painters. The unique style that emerged was a combination of percussion, composition, and technique – all played with a fire that comes from thinking outside the box. In 2003, Velour Records released King's debut, Everybody Loves You.  After touring and appearing on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, she was signed by Epic and released Legs To Make Us Longer in 2004. The album earned rave reviews and she appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman. The LA Times wrote of her, "King is the most striking young musician to emerge in decades."

For editorial information or digital photos, the media may contact:

Margot Edwards
Office of Public Information
medwards@berklee.edu
(617) 747-2004