South Bay Guitar Society Guitar News

YOUTH COMPETITION RESULTS

Louise Lee — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 02:18:06 GMT

Results of South Bay Guitar Society's Youth Competition at the Jerry Snyder GuitarFest, March 7-8, 2026
Congratulations to all!

Junior Division
First place: Brandon Lee (student of Jon Mendle, Pre-College Division, San Francisco Conservatory of Music)
Second place: Yitong Ding (student of Zhixin Ding)
Third place: Andrew Lee (student of Jon Mendle, Pre-College Division, San Francisco Conservatory of Music)
Outstanding Performance of Non-traditional Repertoire: Andrew Lee (student of Jon Mendle, Pre-College Division, San Francisco Conservatory of Music)

Senior Division
First place: Campbell Muffly (student of Angelica Artelt & Scott Cmiel, Pre-College Division, San Francisco Conservatory of Music)
Second place: Micah Montgomery (student of Robert Miller, California Conservatory of Music)
Third Place: Meezahn Kemal (student of Bradly Pupa, California Conservatory of Music)
Outstanding Performance of Non-traditional Repertoire: Tizian Trejo (self-taught)

NEW SANTA CRUZ LOCATION FOR GUITAR PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP

Louise Lee — Wed, 27 Mar 2024 01:02:56 GMT

Longtime South Bay Guitar Society member Ron Dunn is pleased to announce a new secondary location in Santa Cruz for his Guitar Performance Workshop, which he has taught for more than 20 years. The Workshop will launch at Santa Cruz Music Academy on April 8. Class size is limited to eight students at the intermediate through advanced level. The Workshop will use a clinic/master class format, with students playing and receiving instruction weekly and performing publicly at the end of the term.

Enrollment is open also at the Workshop’s original location in Cupertino, with the new term beginning April 11. For more details and tuition information, visit https://www.rondunnguitar.com/news

SBGS ADVANCES MUSIC EDUCATION WITH TOM GARDIN SCHOLARSHIP GRANT TO EVERGREEN VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL

Louise Lee — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 03:17:23 GMT

Furthering its mission to support local music education, SBGS named the guitar ensemble of Evergreen Valley High School the 2023 recipient of the Tom Gardin Memorial Scholarship.

Directed by music educator Matthew Hall, the guitar ensemble at Evergreen Valley High School engages students with a wide range of repertoire and opportunities to perform for the school community and the public. The ensemble is part of the school’s larger guitar program in which students of all abilities participate in group lessons, performances and theory classes.

Established in memory of longtime SBGS supporter Tom Gardin, the Gardin Scholarships recognize outstanding programs and individuals in guitar education in the region. Past recipients include Santa Teresa High School in San Jose and Oakland School for the Arts.

Evergreen Valley’s guitar ensemble expects to use the Gardin Scholarship to purchase an amplifier to be used in class and performance.

“We are pleased to support Evergreen Valley’s guitar program, which over the years has allowed many students to learn the guitar and experience the joy of the instrument,” said Josh Friedman, SBGS’s president. “The school’s guitar initiatives, along with its band, orchestra, and choir programs, are a driving force behind music education in the South Bay.”

New Song by Local Artist Chris Shahin

David Sutton — Mon, 19 Jun 2023 04:33:23 GMT

Watch the video of a new song that Chris Shahin has dedicated to Andres Faz.

CLICK HERE for 'Searching for Andrés' by Chris Shahin

Chris Shahin is the Music Program Director of the SJG School of Music.

More music by Chris Shahin ...

It's Spring! The Official Song of Spring ...

Duet w/ Amy D

The Flagship Live ...

Chris Shahin- composer, guitar

Jason Lewis - drums

Ken Okada- bass