The duo Skyflower presents "The Blackbird Singing" Saturday, January 21, 2006 at 7:30pm at the Gualala Arts Center

Gary Digman and Renata Yardumian will perform a recital of piano, guitar, lute and viola da gamba music in the Coleman Auditorium January 21, at 7:30 at Gualala Arts Center. Their program titled "The Blackbird Singing" will include music from 1500 to the present and will be performed on both period and modern instruments.

Born in Dubuque, Iowa, Gary Digman attended Loras College and the University of Iowa. Playing jazz and classical guitar and double bass, Gary purchased a bass viola da gamba from the luthier Lyn Elder in 2000, after hearing Jordi Savall's playing in the French film, Tous les Matins du Monde (All the Mornings of the World). He was captivated by the sound, and knew he had to have one of these Renaissance era string instruments. This, together with the acquisition of a 10-course lute, also made by Lyn Elder, has allowed Gary to continue a life-long interest in early music. He has studied guitar with John Mavreas in Chicago, Fred Draper and Bill Pasquale in Davenport, Iowa, and Joseph Bacon in San Francisco, California. He studied viola da gamba with John Dornenburg, and lute with Ed Martin. Gary is on the music faculty at Santa Rosa Junior College.

Renata Yardumian was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and received her first instruction in music from her father, composer Richard Yardumian. She studied piano privately with Eleanor Sokolof and music theory and composition with the composer and fine artist Timothy Greatatch. Miss Yardumian majored in music at Temple University in Philadelphia and completed her Bachelor of Arts degree at Sonoma State University after moving to the West Coast. She is currently a graduate student in piano performance at San Francisco State University and will continue on to a doctorate in music theory after spending a year in Paris.

The program for this recital will include the "Concerto for Guitar and Small Orchestra" by Heitor Villa-Lobos (reduced for guitar and piano by the composer), works by Faure, Honneger and Ortiz arranged for viola da gamba by Gary Digman. Solo music will include works by Tobias Hume (1603) and Carl Friedrich Abel along with compositions by Alexander Scriabin, Claude Debussy and Richard Yardumian. Tickets are $15 and available by calling Gualala Arts at (707) 884-1138 Monday through Friday 9 to 4 pm.

The Gualala Arts Center is located at 46501 Old State Highway in Gualala, CA. Please call (707) 884-1138 for more information.