About

Musique Royale welcomes the Annapolis Guitar Quartet to the Old Confidence Lodge in Riverport on Sunday March 29 at 3 pm, for an evening of vibrant, virtuosic repertoire spanning three centuries. Founded as a unification of two separate guitar duos (the German/Canadian Amadeus Guitar Duo, and the Canadian Duo Cormier-Martin), these four guitarists have known each other for many years after meeting at guitar festivals around the world. Blending quartet, duo, and solo performances, this richly varied program celebrates the expressive range and colour of the classical guitar, culminating in Karl Jenkins’ dynamic Palladio for a thrilling concert experience!​

About the Artists

Amadeus Guitar Duo

Canadian Dale Kavanagh and her German partner Thomas Kirchhoff have made up the Amadeus Guitar Duo since 1991. They are counted among the top-class international guitar duos, receiving enthusiastic reviews from all over the world. The secret of their success, regularly documented by more than 70 concerts per year, is the complete devotion of the two artists to their instrument. Hence they did not limit themselves to playing as a duo, but began to concentrate on the repertoire for guitar and orchestra. Thanks to their commitment, this genre was soon able to emerge from its niche. In more than 100 cities, they played their “Spanish Night” recital, featuring concertos for one, two and four guitars and orchestra by Joaquin Rodrigo and the world-famous panpipe player Gheorghe Zamfir and they are considered as the specialists for works for guitars and orchestra.

The Amadeus Guitar Duo has so far appeared in more than 1.800 concerts in some 70 countries in Europe, Central, South and North America, and Asia. The duo has always been able to delight its audience with its exuberant temperament, virtuoso performance, sensitive creative power and a fulsome, warm, carrying guitar tone. They regularly play together with the Prague, Mainz and Mannheim Chamber Orchestras, the Munich Symphony Orchestra, the Halle Philharmonic State Orchestra, the International Philharmonie, the Gotha-Suhl Thuringian Philharmonic, the Philharmonia Hungarica, the Capella Cracoviensis, the Ankara President Orchestra and the South Westphalian Philharmonic.

Dale Kavanagh and Thomas Kirchhoff have recorded a large number of productions for radio and television (BBC, ZDF, CBC, WDR, BR, TRT, etc.). They have also recorded 17 CDs (NAXOS International, Haenssler-Classic) which document the high quality of the Amadeus Guitar Duo. The two artists’ stirring commitment and inspiring style of playing have enabled them to considerably broaden the repertoire for guitar, especially for guitar and orchestra. Such renowned composers as Harald Genzmer, Gheorghe Zamfir, Roland Dyens (Paris), Jaime Zenamon (Curitiba), Christian Jost (Cologne), Carlo Domeniconi (Berlin), Gerald Garcia (Oxford), Martin Herchenröder (Siegen) have written orchestral concertos for them. Stephen Dodgson (London), Harald Genzmer (Munich), Jaime M. Zenamon (Curitiba) and Christian Jost (Cologne) have dedicated compositions for two guitars to them. All works have been published by Schott‘s, Mainz - Edition Margaux, Berlin, Edition Peters, Frankfurt, and Verlag Hubertus Nogatz, Essen.

In 1992 they founded the International Guitar Symposium in Iserlohn, which is today one of the most important festivals of its kind in Europe, with more than 300 participants from more than 50 countries, concerts featuring world-famous stars, master courses, lectures, exhibitions and many other activities (www.guitarsymposium.com).

They celebrated their 30th anniversary as the Amadeus Guitar Duo in the season 2021/22. In the upcoming season, these successful musicians have been invited to tour the U.S.A., Canada, China, England, Italy, Lithuania, Romania, Hungary and Poland. Today, Dale Kavanagh and Thomas Kirchhoff live with their daughter Melissa-Rachel in Germany and in Canada. The Amadeus Guitar Duo play exclusively D’Addario strings on guitars made in Germany by Toni Mueller, Aarbergen and Steven Connor, USA as well as on guitars made by MARTINEZ GUITARS, Guangzhou (Model Godoy III).

Eugene Cormier

Eugene Cormier is in high demand as a solo performer, chamber musician, accompanist, studio musician, adjudicator, and as a teacher. Born in Corner Brook Newfoundland, Eugene received his Bachelor of Music in Classical Guitar Performance from Acadia University under the guidance of Ken Davidson. After completing his degree he travelled to Toronto, where he continued his guitar studies under the tutelage of world renown guitar teacher Eli Kassner. He has also attended masterclasses/studied with: David Russell, David Tanenbaum, Alvaro Pierri, Pavel Steidl, Dale Kavanagh, Hubert Kappel, Bruce Holzman & Stephen Robinson.

Eugene is currently Assistant Head of Music at Acadia University in Wolfville Nova Scotia and currently teaches Classical Guitar, Guitar Ensemble, Rock History, Music Technology and Music Theory. He has adjudicated many festivals including the Canadian National Music Festival and given masterclasses at many guitar festivals including the Montreal Guitar Competition, Sauble Beach Guitar Festival and Iserlohn Guitar Symposium (Germany).

His guitar students are frequently top prize winners in many competitions. He is the Vice-President and co-founder of the Halifax Guitar Society and the Musical Engraver for the Guitar Foundation of America’s magazine ‘Soundboard’. In 2019 Eugene was nominated for a Music Nova Scotia Award for Classical Recording of the Year, and won an East Coast Music Award for Classical Composition of the Year along with Derek Charke for Ex Tempore, the title track off The Charke-Cormier Duo’s debut CD.

Matthew Martin

Matthew Martin is a Canadian classical guitarist and dedicated teacher known for his engaging performances and commitment to musical excellence. Born and raised in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Martin began his musical journey on piano at a young age, later discovering guitar at age 15, which quickly became his primary artistic focus.

Beginning his classical studies with renowned teacher Eugene Cormier, Martin achieved early competitive success: he won the prestigious Senior Rose Bowl at the Corner Brook Rotary Music Festival—making history as the only classical guitarist to receive an award typically dominated by pianists and vocalists. He continued to excel in competition, placing in provincial and national festivals across Canada.

Martin holds a Bachelor of Music in Instrumental Performance from Acadia University and earned a Post Graduate Diploma in Performance with honours from the Koblenz International Guitar Academy in Germany, where he studied under acclaimed Canadian guitarist Dale Kavanagh. He has also participated in masterclasses with leading guitarists from around the world.

Based in Kentville, Nova Scotia, Martin balances a thriving teaching studio with a busy performance schedule throughout the Annapolis Valley and the Maritimes. In addition to his solo work, he performs with ensembles such as Bossa Nova Scotia and Flamenco en Rouge, bringing diverse styles and repertoire to audiences.