The guitar studio in the VCUarts Department of Music offers guitarists the opportunity to gain performance experience by participating in one of its two ensembles — the VCU Guitar Ensemble and the VCU Community Guitar Ensemble.
These ensembles offer music majors, university students and members of the community the opportunity to get involved in the Richmond music scene. Performances feature works ranging from Bach to the Beatles, as well as compositions by VCU students and commissioned works.
For more information on these ensembles, contact David Toussaint (dtoussai@vcu.edu).
VCU Guitar Ensemble
The VCU Guitar Ensemble has been a part of the Richmond music scene since 1982. Consisting of 15 to 20 music majors, this unique ensemble’s repertoire ranges from Bach to the Beatles, from Renaissance to contemporary music. In addition, this group frequently premieres new compositions by VCU student composers, as well as commissioned works by established arrangers and composers. The ensemble has been featured on several National Public Radio stations and on local television arts segments.
VCU Community Guitar Ensemble
The VCU Community Guitar Ensemble is open to classical guitarists in the Richmond community, including alumni and high school students. Established in 1986 by John Patykula, this ensemble has performed as part of the Richmond International Music Festival and Richmond’s Big Gig summer festival. It is the resident ensemble for VCU’s Guitar and Other Strings Series. The VCU Community Guitar Ensemble has been featured on local television and on WCVE-FM’s “An Hour with the Guitar.”