Kithara Duo
Kithara Duo (Fernand Vera and Olga Amelkina-Vera) was formed in 2002. Since then, they have performed in Europe as well as North and South America. They have been invited as guest artists by numerous Texas organizations and festivals, most notably Foundation of Modern Music (Houston), Col Canto (Houston), Voces Intimae (Dallas), “Classical Minds" Guitar Festival at the University of Houston Moores School of Music, Fort Worth Guitar Guild Music Festival, Mesquite Guitar Festival, and live on "The Front Row," a program on Houston's classical radio station KUHF 88.7. They strive to expand the guitar duo repertoire through their many arrangements and original compositions. Kithara Duo are the creators and directors of the annual Guitar Orchestra Workshop in the North Texas area. They currently live in Denton, Texas.
Accolades for the duo:
"Fernand Vera and Olga Amelkina-Vera are flawless guitarists possessing musical taste and refinement in the highest degree. Their performances show a beautiful command of the entire range of sounds, dynamics, and effects of which the guitar is capable, together with a deep understanding of the repertoire. I consider them one of the best guitar duos I have heard in terms of perfect ensemble, naturalness of expression, and sheer musicality."
--Robert Guthrie, Southern Methodist University
"The Metroplex-based duo impressed with touching musicality, elegant presentation, and seamless coordination. Four preludes and fugues from Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco's "Well Tempered Guitars"...showcased delicate textures and incandescent tones...Of two recent compositions by Amelkina-Vera, subtle effects defined the three character pieces in "Beings"--the low, menacing huff of the mysterious Minotaur; the harp-like strums of incandescent Sylphs; the hypnotic patterns unraveling across Salamander. "
--Chris Shull, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
"...[the duo] wove a dreamy spell in Astor Piazzolla's "Lo Que Vendra."
--Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News
"… an absolutely beautiful sounding duo!"
"A real pleasure to hear--wonderful uniformity of articulation and phrasing. A first rate duo."
"Rhythmic vitality and a light and facile approach."
“Lilting phrases, good communication between players. A fine, expressive performance.”
--University of Texas at Brownsville Guitar Ensemble Festival and Competition
Olga Amelkina-Vera
Composer and guitarist Olga Amelkina-Vera grew up in Belarus and moved to the United States in 1997. She holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in Music Summa Cum Laude from the University of St. Thomas and Masters of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Guitar Performance and Music History from the University of North Texas. Olga is an active soloist, chamber musician, and award-winning composer of works with guitar. She has received commissions for solo guitar and guitar ensemble music, as well as compositions for guitar with other instruments and voice. Olga solo composition Ex Tenebris, commissioned by Valerie Hartzell, has recently been published by the Productions d'Oz as part of the Frank Koonce Series. Her duo work Prelude and Bagatelle is scheduled to appear on the same series soon. In 2009, Olga was named the winner of the Austin Classical Guitar Society's Guitar Ensemble Composition Competition for her quartet Ninochka.
As a soloist, Olga was a prizewinner in the Eastfield Collegiate Guitar Competition and a finalist in the University of Texas at Dallas International Guitar Competition. Her playing was described by the judges as possessing “beautifully sung lines, solid technique, lovely tone and projection!”
In addition to her work in Kithara Duo, Olga, together with Valerie Hartzell, Sabine Madriguera, and Lynn McGrath, has recently formed the first professional all-female guitar quartet in the U.S. The Presti Quartet is scheduled to begin touring in the spring of 2011, and will premiere Olga's several new compositions.
While at UNT, her interest in early music has led Olga to study viola da gamba and to perform with the University of North Texas viol consort. Her doctoral dissertation, published recently in Soundboard magazine, was devoted to the study and transcription of English lyra viol music. Olga is faculty at North Lake College in Irving, TX and Collin College in Plano, TX.
Fernand Vera
A native of Houston, Texas, Fernand Vera is a sought-after guitar soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. He holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in Music from the University of St. Thomas and Masters of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Guitar Performance and Music Theory from the University of North Texas, where he studied under Tom Johnson. Fernand has also studied privately with Houston-based Valerie Harztell, and explored the folk guitar tradition of South America during his three-month stay in Ecuador. Fernand was a prizewinner in the Rantucci Guitar Competition and Eastfield Collegiate Guitar competition (1st Prize-2008), and a finalist in the University of Texas at Dallas International Guitar Competition. His playing was hailed as “sensitive and poetic” by the renowned judges of the Rantucci competition. As a soloist, he has performed nationally and overseas, launching his European performing career in the summer of 2002, when he played a solo concert for Gomel Classical Guitar Society in Belarus. Fernand continuously contributes to the guitar ensemble repertoire through his numerous arrangements and transcriptions.
Always eager to learn new skills, Fernand is the recording engineer and sound editor for Kithara Duo's upcoming debut CD for Soundset label, due to be completed by the end of 2010.
Fernand's unique gift as a teacher have won him many heartfelt accolades from students. His guitar students have won prizes in several competitions and performed recitals in the North Texas area. His interest in guitar pedagogy has culminated in his co-writing, with Olga, of The Beginning Guitar Method, now in its fourth edition. Fernand is currently in the process of completing his method for continuing guitar students, as well his Guitar Fitness: Technical Studies for the Advancing Guitarist. He is faculty at Collin College in Plano, TX.
