The Exposition of Aaron Torres and Jan Fontecchio took place at All Souls Christian Church Thursday night. This event was presented by the Online Music Guild, Keeney Bros. Music and Wine Company of Moscow.
Graeme Wilson, a staff member of the Keeney Bros Music, said this event was significantly unique because the audience could taste their wines while listening to classical music.
Wilson said his team will hold a series of expositions each month this year. The goal is to introduce classical music to the Moscow community and create a supportive and interactive environment for them to appreciate arts and share thoughts and feelings, he said.
The guitarist Aaron Torres is a University of Idaho graduate studying music in the Lionel Hampton School of Music.
Jinrong Lei | Argonaut
University of Idaho guitarist Aaron Torres shared his musical talent at his exposition at All Souls Christian Church on Thursday, Jan. 12.
Torres said his mother forced him and his siblings to study playing guitar, which he did not love practicing at first.
With the encouragement from his mother, Torres said he started finding himself inspired by the rock and electric guitar. Through these instruments, he said he eventually established his taste and passion for classical guitar in his mid-teens.
Torres said he enjoys traveling around the world. He spent his early 20s teaching English abroad in South Korea and Spain.
These experiences have benefited his understanding of classical guitar, he said. His life experiences also expanded the range of guitar pieces he selected for this exposition, including works by the composers from different countries, such as Spain, Italy, Japan and Brazil.
“Music is a universal language,” Torres said.
However, he said his different positions challenged him to manage his time and to practice his guitar skills routinely. Torres said because of this, he believes the guitar has helped him to be more than just a musician. Looking back, he said he wanted to thank his mother’s efforts on pushing him forward to the guitar.
“There’s a lot of benefits to learn music, such as discipline and how to sit down in front of something for twenty minutes a day, and work on it to achieve a goal or improve your abilities,” Torres said.
Torres said guitar beginners should play the Beatles’ songs because these songs contain complexities through their simplicity.
“So many pop songs are just four chords,” Torres said. “But it’s great, you can make a lot out of four chords.”
Torres said he is currently taking a meditation class and he recommended it to all musicians.
“Sometimes I play through difficult passages and I realize that I’m not breathing. (This) is a warning sign,” Torres said.
At those moments, the meditation helps him to relax.
Through his music, Torres said he wants to convey an optimistic attitude to his audience. He said that the popular news has tended to be very negative and believes music is an effective release from that.
In opposition to the negativity of the news, Torres said he tries bringing people a sensation of fulfillment through music and knowledge at his concerts. Although some of the pieces he plays are sad, they are also soft and peaceful, he said.
Based on the target audience, Torres said he prepares detailed explanations for each composer in the exposition. He said he always tries his best to engage his audience by involving an appropriate amount of background information on the music he plays, Torres said.
Torres will perform at the Haddock Performance Hall Apr. 29.
Jinrong Lei can be reached at [email protected]