First half
Buri-Dale Guitar Duo
Nico Buri guitar
Tom Dale guitar
| Pujol | Tres Piezas de Ottono |
| Albéniz | Mallorca, Op.202 |
| Castelnuovo-Tedesco | 3 Preludes and Fugues |
| Rodrigo | Tonadilla (1 |
Guitarists Nico Buri and Tom Dale met at the RNCM in September 2019 where they are currently studying with world-renowned guitarist, Craig Ogden. Both skilled improvisers, they initially played together in a flamenco fusion project at the RNCM Opera Theatre in February, 2020. This project also gave them an opportunity to work with outstanding South African cellist and RNCM alumnus, Abel Selaocoe.
From this early work, Nico and Tom began to explore the duo repertoire for classical guitar with an early emphasis on Latin American compositions, notably those of Astor Piazzolla and Maximo Diego Pujol. Delayed by lockdown, their first public performance didn’t take place until June 2021. Since then they have gained attention and acclaim for performances both within and outside the RNCM.
Now expanding their repertoire to cover a broad period and style of guitar music, Nico and Tom are preparing for a busy year of concerts alongside their ongoing undergraduate studies.
Nico Buri is a 20-year-old guitarist from Zurich, Switzerland. He began playing the classical guitar at the age of 9 and his fascination for the instrument and its endless possibilities has grown ever since. He is the only RNCM guitarist to have reached the finals of the RNCM Gold Medal Competition in his second undergraduate year. He has also been prize-winner at competitions in Italy, Germany and Switzerland and has performed in masterclasses for world-class performers including Marcin Dylla, Zoran Dukić, Marco Tamayo and Aniello Desiderio. Before coming to the UK, Nico performed with the successful Swiss Youth Guitar Ensemble for over six years, along with other ensembles and chamber groups touring through Germany, Spain, Poland and the Netherlands. Nico plays a 2018 Kirschner Double-Top guitar.
Born in Lincolnshire, Tom Dale is a diverse and multi-skilled musician who began studying the guitar at the age of 8. He is currently in his 3rd year at the RNCM. Tom won all the music awards at his grammar school, received a distinction for his Grade 8 ABRSM exam and went on to achieve the ARSM Diploma in 2018. Tom has performed in a wide range of musical settings from leading an indie rock band to performing gypsy jazz, Afrobeat, in musical theatre and on acoustic guitar. On classical guitar he is an experienced solo performer but has also played regularly in ensembles, duos and in mixed chamber groupings. Tom plays a 2020 Sam McClaren Spruce Concert Classical guitar.
Second half
Lucy Farrimond soprano
Juanjo Blazquez Garre piano
| Samuel Coleridge-Taylor | Six Sorrow Songs |
| Gabriel Fauré | Poème d’un jour, Op.21 |
| Gabriel Fauré | Après un rêve, Op.7, No.1 |
| Claude Debussy | Nuit d’étoiles |
| Kurt Weill | What Good would the Moon Be? |
Lucy Farrimond is a classical Soprano based in Greater Manchester. She recently graduated with first class BMus (Hons) in Vocal Studies at the RNCM, under the tutelage of Jane Irwin.
Lucy has performed at esteemed venues throughout the UK and abroad, including The Royal Albert Hall, The Bridgewater Hall, Snape Maltings and The Embassy of the United Kingdom in Paris. At 21, Lucy made her BBC Proms Solo Debut in Haydn’s ‘The Creation’ at The Royal Albert Hall, with the BBC Philharmonic and BBC Proms Youth Choir – conducted by Omer Meir Wellber – live on BBC Radio 3. For this performance, Lucy received a mention in The Guardian.
With performance experience encompassing operatic, recital, concert, and contemporary repertoire, Lucy enjoys sharing her love of music, languages and story-telling to international audiences.
Lucy is delighted to have been awarded a scholarship to study for a Masters Degree at the RNCM and is generously supported by; ‘Ann Gerrard Bursaries’, ‘Sophie’s Silver Lining Fund’ and the ‘Hindley and Abram Grammar School Foundation’.
Born in Lorca (Spain) in 1998, Juanjo Blazquez Garre began his piano studies at the Narciso Yepes Professional Conservatory of Lorca in 2006. He received his first lessons from Estrella Romero Jiménez and later from Antonio Agustín González Hidalgo and Helena Ayala Gea. He has performed concerts at musical evenings in Andalusia, Granada, Cádiz, Madrid, and at the ALTI Hall in Kyoto. He recently performed Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto at Madrid’s National Auditorium with the María Rodrigo Symphony Orchestra.
He has received masterclasses from teachers such as Lilya Zilberstein, Anna Malikova, Stephen Hugh, Claudio Martínez-Mehner, Ashley Wass and Nino Kereselidze, among others.
Juanjo has won prizes in national and international competitions and is recipient of the ‘FW Wright Piano Scholarship’ endowed by the RNCM. In 2019 he was chosen to represent Spain in the “Kyoto International music students festival”, for which he received outstanding reviews.
Juanjo completed his piano studies at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid in 2020, under the guidance of Ana Guijarro, having previously studied with Pilar Bilbao Iturburu. He continues his Master’s studies at the RNCM with Graham Scott, Head of Keyboard Studies at the College.
