Happy Valley Guitar Orchestra

Founded as a 501(c)(3) in 2009 by musical director and guitar-innovator Peter Blanchette, HVGO delights audiences at classical music halls to rock clubs to outdoor shows at public spaces and farmers’ markets.

What does HVGO do for your community?

HVGO is dedicated to the democratization of music by creating genre-busting programs that challenge and entice both classical and modern audiences. HVGO teaches the highest level of musical literacy to its players, strengthens community by bringing together classical, rock, and world music audiences, and ignites a passion for music and artistic experimentaion with innovative workshops for children and college students.

HVGO and Holyoke Summer Strings

In 2015, HVGO began an exciting collaboration with Holyoke Summer Strings. Holyoke Summer Strings began nearly thirty years ago to provide private string instruction in the Holyoke Public Schools. The project has evolved to include a free full-day five (5) week music day camp for students in public grammar and middle schools in Holyoke. Holyoke Summer Strings focuses on providing introductory instruction in violin, cello, and viola, while they also offer elective classes in diverse areas such as yoga, chorus, and creative writing. 

Now, in addition to instruction in violin, viola and cello, the collaboration with HVGO (which - starting in 2016 is funded, in part, by the D'Addario Foundation) Holyoke Summer Strings is able to offer its students free, introductory guitar ensemble classes. Assistant Musical Director Joe Ricker developed a simple curriculum that includes an arrangement of Cheki Morena, a traditional Puerto Rican children’s song. The children are truly exuberant and thrilled to be learning classical guitar. The size of the classes is only restricted by the number of guitars that HVGO can provide. Pictures are included from the recital on July 29, 2015 at a local historic home museum – Wistariahurst House, assisted also by HVGO member Don Rovero. 

2016 CD Release

Thanks to generous donors like you, HVGO will be releasing its much-anticipated CD this May 6, 2016, 7:30 at Smith College's Sweeney Hall. (Tickets at the door and nohoarts.org). In 2010, HVGO’s debut album won Springfield Republican’s annual “LiveWire” award, “one of the best CD’s of Western Mass.”

Blanchette on HVGO’s new CD: “I named it Unknown Albumbecause this is music that’s never been heard before. Beethoven’s 7th certainly wasn’t conceived for electric guitars. 16th century French dances didn’t have back-beats, and Wilco’s One Wing wasn’t originally arranged with as much counterpoint as a Beethoven Symphony. HVGO’s process -- where I arrange music for all these guitars and the musicians lend their particular guitar sound to the piece -- is always an exploration of great music. It’s a search for sounds unknown to the music as it was, and repertoire previously unknown to the guitar. And, what unifies our style, our sound, is the joy we have experience translating these masterpieces to the language of the guitar.”

Performances

In 2014, HVGO was invited by WGBH to play at The Boston Globe and Classical New England's Summer Arts Weekend in Copley Square. HVGO introduced the exuberant Boston audience to the joys of 20 electric guitars performing Blanchette’s pulsing arrangements of Philip Glass, Wilco's One Wing, and a haunting interpretation of Bach's Adagio from Toccato BWV 564 for archguitar and electric guitar.

Other highlights of the HVGO repertoire include Arvo Pärt’s Fratres (originally for 8 cellos), unforgettable excerpts from Philip Glass’s opera Satyagraha: M.K. Gandhi in South Africa, and uncannily colorful arrangements of Led Zeppelin & Lady Gaga.

In 2014 and 2012, HVGO was awarded Massachusetts Cultural Council's competitive Cultural Investment Portfolio Grants. Also, in 2012, HVGO received a national "Meet the Composer" grant from NewMusic USA for its inspiring work with contemporary composer Frank Wallace.  In 2011, Blanchette was named “Outstanding Individual Artist,” by New England Public Radio for his community impact with HVGO.