Concert Programmes

Dr Avril Kinsey’s classical guitar repertoire covers a wide range of styles including works by Narvaez, Milan, Sanz, Bach, Mertz, Carulli, Carcassi, Sor, Guiliani, Tarrega, Lauro, Villa Lobos, Pernambuco, Torroba, Albeniz, Granados, Rodrigo, Ponce, Turina, Bennett, Brouwer, Walton, Bolling, Lindsay-Clarke, Ryan, Powlesland and Kinsey. 

Avril is most well-known for her African-inspired works for classical guitar, where she uniquely creates the sounds of bird calls and some indigenous African instruments on her guitar.  Her compositions are described as ‘evocative’ and she is referred to as ‘a master musician of unusual ability’ by Classical Guitar Magazine. Her music is often programmatic and narrative and takes the audience on a journey,  which captures the very essence of Southern Africa in a most unique and special way. Mokoro (Song of the Water) is inspired by the Okavango Swamps in Botswana and features the sound of the Fish Eagle cry created acoustically on the guitar. Her video filmed there, can be viewed on YouTube (see the sample recordings listed below).

In a Hermanus Music Society and Bosky Dell concert Avril Kinsey performed a solo guitar recital of works by Eythor Thorlakkson, Sor (the virtuosic Variations on a theme by Mozart) Llobet’s beautiful Canco del LLadre, Paganini’s Romanze from the Grand Sonate,  Pernambuco’s famous Sons de Carilhoes, Vincent Lindsay-Clarke, Morel (Danza Brasilera) and several of Avril’s own most famous works, including Sad Song, Sensual and Mokoro.

Avril when she prepared for the Pavarotti World Tour Concert

SAMPLE SOLO CLASSICAL GUITAR PROGRAMME

El Maestro: 4 Fantasias  – Luis De Milan (transcribed for guitar by A Kinsey)
Suite No I for cello (BWV1007)  – J S Bach (transcribed  for guitar by M Lorimer)
Variations on a Theme by Mozart  – F Sor
Garrotin y Soleares  – J Turina
2 Venezolano Waltzes  – A Lauro
Capricho Arabe  – F Tarrega
5 Impromptus  – R R Bennett
Fynbos Suite – A Kinsey

Rehearsing for the Concierto de Aranjuez – Rodrigo

SAMPLE ORCHESTRAL GUITAR PROGRAMMES

Concerto for Guitar and Strings in D Major – A Vivaldi
Concierto de Aranjuez – J Rodrigo
Fantasia para un gentilhombre – J Rodrigo
Concerto for Classical Guitar and Jazz Piano – C Bolling

Avril’s African-inspired repertoire includes mostly her own works, as well as those by South African composers: Glasser, Hewitt, Buss, Klatzow and Zaidel-Rudolph.

SAMPLE AFRICAN-INSPIRED CONCERT PROGRAMME

4 Traditional African Songs – arr. A Kinsey
4 Bagatelles – F Buss
Mokoro (Song of the Water) – A Kinsey
Modjadji (The Rain Queen) – A Kinsey
Bushmen (Spirit of the Wilderness) – A Kinsey
Mr Masenga’s Walk – S Glasser
Afrique du Temps Jadis – A Kinsey

Rehearsing in the Whale Well

SAMPLE YOUTUBE RECORDINGS