bringing the excitement of live classical music to York Region since 2001

Echoes of España : Sat May 23 2026, 7:30pm

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This season concludes on May 23, 2026, with a dazzling Spanish-inspired celebration.

The York Chamber Ensemble will perform selections from Isaac Albéniz, whose music evokes the vivid landscapes of Andalusia; Manuel de Falla, whose Danza ritual del fuego ignites with intensity and colour; and Arturo Márquez, whose popular Danzón No. 2 pulses with the sensual rhythms of Veracruz. The centrepiece is Joaquín Rodrigo’Concierto de Aranjuez, a deeply expressive and iconic work for guitar and orchestra, performed by internationally renowned guitarist Jeffrey McFadden.

Jeffrey McFadden, Guitar

Since his professional, debut at the Guitar ’87 Festival in Toronto, Jeffrey McFadden has established a place among the most admired guitarists of his generation. He has performed extensively in Europe and the Americas and at numerous prestigious festivals.

His prolific recording career, primarily on the Naxos label, has been chronicled in outstanding reviews in Daily Telegraph of London, Gramaphone, El Pais, Soundboard and numerous other publications.  The recordings have focussed on a wide range of repertoire from the 19th Century (including the fist ever complete recording of the 25 Etudes de genre of Napoleon Coste) to

the lesser-known works of Agustin Barrios, to Enrique Granados, to the complete Cello Suites of J.S. Bach.

Jeffrey McFadden was the first ever graduate of the Doctor of Musical Arts degree

program at the University of Toronto. His dissertation forms the basis of his groundbreaking book, Fretboard Harmony: Common-Practice Harmony on the Guitar, published in 2010 by Les Productions d’Oz.

His activity as a composer started in 2016 and has resulted in works for SATB Choir, guitar solos, and works for guitar with flute/violin, with voice, and for guitar quartet. For many years, he has been a prolific arranger targeting works from composers as diverse as Monteverdi, Falla and

Antonio Carlos Jobim.

McFadden is Head of Guitar Studies and Professor, Teaching Stream, in the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto. A highly sought-after pedagogue and clinician, his students have garnered numerous Canadian and International awards and scholarships.

www.jeffreymcfadden.com

McFadden’s ability to make the guitar sing is second to none.”

Daily Telegraph (UK)

Canadian guitarist Jeffrey McFadden’s interpretations were exalted, full of magic and virtuosity.”

El Sur de Acapulco (Mexico)

Bass lines simply soar, and the bell-like sound he gets from the higher strings and remarkable registral independence makes us wonder if McFadden is actually playing a piano disguised as a guitar!

Classics Today (USA)