Harold Gretton – Classical Guitarist
Biography
Harold Gretton began playing guitar at the age of 7. After formative studies with Carolyn Kidd, he started his Bachelor of Music studies at the Australian National University (ANU) School of Music under the guidance of Timothy Kain. He completed his Bachelor of Music with first-class honours in 2006. He was awarded the Friends of the ANU School of Music Bernhard Neumann prize for most outstanding graduate. He is presently a PhD candidate at the ANU School of Music, and recently began a “Cour de spécialisation” at the Strasbourg conservatory with the Duo Melis.
Competitions
Harold has won numerous national and international competitions, including most recently first prize in the 7th international guitar competition of J.K Mertz (2010), first prize in the 2007 Vienna Guitar Forum - International Guitar Competition (Austria), first prize in the 2007 Cordoba Guitar Festival - International Guitar Competition (Spain), first prize in the 2008 Coria International Guitar Competition (Spain), first prize in the 2008 Transylvania International Guitar Competition (Romania), first prize in the 10th Sernancelhe International Guitar Competition (Portugal, 2008), and first prize in the International Competition of 20th Century Guitar Music Interpretation in Lagonegro (Italy, 2006). He was awarded second prize in the 51st Tokyo International Guitar Competition (Japan, 2008) and the Gisborne Music competition (New Zealand, 2005). He has also placed first in the open guitar sections of Australian national eisteddfods and competitions.
Performances
He has performed concerts at the ORF RadioKulturhaus (Austria), at the Cordoba Guitar Festival (Spain), at the Mikulov Guitar Festival (Czech Republic), at the Vienna Guitar Forum (Austria), at the Naxos Guitar Festival (Greece), at the Niksic Guitar Festival (Montenegro), at the Transilvania Guitar Festival and Targu Mures Guitar Festival (Romania), at the Esztergom Guitar Festival (Hungary), at the Darwin International Guitar Festival, at the 2006 Sydney Classical Guitar Society Summer School and for the Sydney Classical Guitar Society concert series, for the Queensland Guitar Society concert series, for the Saigon Guitar Society (Vietnam), and at the International Condrongianos Festival in Sardinia (Italy), amongst many others.
In 2009 Harold performed Ponce's Concerto del Sur at the Sernacelhe International Guitar Festival with Pedro Neves conducting the Orquestra Filarmonia das Beiras. In 2008 he was invited to perform with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, at the Annual Proms Concert conducted by Nicholas Milton. He has also appeared twice as a soloist with the ANU School of Music Symphony Orchestra, first in 2004 premiering Nigel Westlake's guitar concerto Shadow Dances under the composer's baton; and for the second time in 2005, with Max McBride conducting Rodrigo's Concerto de Aranjuez.
Chamber Music
Between 2006 and 2009 he also performed numerous concerts with the Canberra-based guitar quartet Guitar Trek. He performs regularly with Australian flautist Lina Andonovska as the Grettovska Duo. He was also a founding member of the ensemble dominantSEVEN, for which he wrote and arranged numerous works.
He formed the Duo Amythis with Belgian guitarist Veronique van Duurling. The two won the second prize in the chamber music section of the Transylvania International Guitar Comeptition 2009, and have played concerts in Australia, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Germany. Videos of the duo can be found here.
Recording
Harold released his first album in January 2010. Entitled “The 20th Century Guitar”, the album consists of four major works originally composed for guitar in the 20th Century. Work are by Luciano Berio, Ross Edwards, Antonio Jose and John Duarte. Order your copies online here!
Harold has also recorded regularly for radio (including ABC classic FM and Artsound FM).
Research
For
his PhD, Harold's research interest is historically-informed
interpretation. This interest led him to perform numerous concerts on
original early guitars in Sydney and Canberra as well as at the
International Condrongianos Festival. Instruments have included those
by Guadagnini, Lacotte, Panormo and Soriot (from the collection of
Carlo Barone). He owns a guitar built by Luis Panormo (ca. 1835).
Harold has been invited to present lectures at the ANU on the topics
of musical form, Haydn and the London fortepiano school, Composing
for the Guitar, and essay-writing. He has also presented papers at
the ANU Post-Graduate Symposium three times, and was employed by the
ANU as a tutor in music history for undergraduate music students.
Composition
Harold's
compositions have been broadcast live on ABC classic FM, and were
featured in the Musica Viva ménage concert series in Canberra.
They have been performed by the Brew
Guitar Duo, the Zoco
Duo,
the Duo Amythis and dominantSEVEN.
Compositions include:
|
Amber Ubu's Epiphany (8'), for clarinet, piano, percussion, two guitars, violin and double bass (written for and first performed by dominantSEVEN 2005). |
|
Opus 4: the Brood you owe (8'), for two guitars (written for and first performed by the Brew Duo 2008). |
|
L'Armoire Normande (10'), for oboe and guitar (first performed by the Zoco Duo 2006). |
|
People who feel strongly about feeling strongly about people (12'), for solo guitar (first performed by Harold 2007). |
|
Trois Pièces (5'), for solo guitar (first performed by Harold 2004). |