Internationally acclaimed guitar player Elliot Frank will visit Mississippi State Sunday to perform a free public concert. The recital will take place in the Bettersworth Auditorium in Giles Hall at 3 p.m.
Frank has been praised by critics around the world for his unique skill and ability to play classical music. He’s made numerous appearances throughout the United States performing solo recitals in cities including Richmond, Va., Raleigh, N.C., Winston-Salem, Mass., Memphis, Tenn., Tallahassee, Fla., and Houston and Dallas. He has had the opportunity to entertain crowds in Colombia, Venezuela and Vienna.
“I actually started out majoring in math and wasn’t very happy,” Frank said. “I pursued music because I found it was the only thing I liked.”
It only took six weeks for Frank to become hooked on playing the guitar, he said. A close friend of his mother’s actually gave guitar lessons, so it made things convenient for him.
Frank began teaching private guitar lessons to students after he received his bachelor’s degree at the University of Georgia. He attended graduate school at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and received his doctorate from Florida State University.
“I saw a lot of talented people drop out, but I just really wanted to do it,” Frank said. “I made a lot of contacts along the way, including professors at East Carolina University, and one day they just called me and asked if I would teach guitar classes.”
Frank continues to teach at ECU.
He has one album titled South American Guitar Music released out of Atlanta that includes works of Agustin Barrios and Venezuelan artist Antonio Lauro. Frank described his album as very romantic, pretty and easy to listen to.
Although Frank has played with many other musicians, he said he plays professionally better by himself. Frank’s showtimes vary. Usually he’ll play four or five concerts in a row and then not play for a month or two, he said. His performance at MSU will be his first of four shows during his tour of the South.
Senior business information systems major Dustin Ware said he is looking forward to Frank’s performance on Sunday.
“This will be a nice change from some of the musicians that have visited campus in the past,” Ware said. “It’s also a great opportunity for some of the students and the community to get a taste of what real classical music sounds like.”
“[Frank] possesses that rare combination of scholarship and artistry,” said Andrew Zohn, director of Columbus State University’s guitar symposium, on Frank’s Web site. “His clean and flawless technique combined with a careful attention to detail and expression, make his playing vibrant, intelligent and captivating.”
Frank’s Web site, www.elliotfrank.com, also says he has won two international competitions, the Concurso Internacional de la Casa de Espa‹¨a in San Juan, and the Concurso Internacional de Guitarra, “Alirio Diaz,” in Caracas. He has also appeared in the North Carolina Symphony.
Frank’s performance is sponsored by the department of music at MSU and is part of the visiting artist series.