Pictured from left to right: Francisco Segovia, Shawn White, Patrick Kinnell, Peg Barrett, Dawson Calugar, Nathan Manzano, and Christian Scheibe.
On Saturday, April 12, 2025, at 7:30 p.m., Pensacola State College will present the Pensacola Guitar Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Joe Stallings, in their 42nd Annual Spring Recital. The performance will be presented at the Pensacola State College Ashmore Fine Arts Auditorium. Admission is free.
This year’s recital is dedicated to the memory of Michael Chapdelaine, an amazing guitarist, composer, arranger, and teacher who passed away unexpectedly on November 16, 2023, at the age of 67. Michael lived in Pensacola until his high school senior year and visited Pensacola many times to see his mother and family. Over the years he performed four concerts, taught four master classes and adjudicated two Finger Style Acoustic Guitar Competitions in Pensacola. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Guitar Performance from Florida State University and was a Professor of Music at the University of New Mexico, where he was the head of guitar studies for 33 years. Michael Chapdelaine is the only guitarist to win the world’s top competitions in both “finger style” (the 1998 National Finger picking Championship) and “classical” guitar (the 1982 Guitar Foundation of America International Classical Guitar Competition). He left an indelible mark on the guitar world with his creative arrangements and beautiful original compositions.
Performing in the 2025 Spring Recital will be the 8-member guitar ensemble and soloists from Pensacola State College, the University of West Florida, and prize winners from the 2025 Pensacola State College Finger Style Acoustic Guitar Competition. The members of the Pensacola Guitar Ensemble are Pensacola State College students Peg Barrett, Patrick Kinnell, Shawn White, Francisco Segovia, Nathan Manzano, and Israel Railing, and University of West Florida students Christian Scheibe and Dawson Caluger. Also performing as soloists are the three prize winners from the PSC 2025 Finger Style Acoustic Guitar Competition: 1st prize winner, 16-year-old Benjamin Poczatek from Birmingham, AL; 2nd prize winner, 14-year-old Micah Fetner from Bayou La Batre, AL; and 3rd prize winner, 18-year-old John Marchlewski from Milton, FL.
The program will include works from a variety of composers, including Franz Joseph Haydn, Isaac Albéniz, Johann Sebastian Bach, Gerardo Tamez, and Lennon and McCartney. The program will also feature two original compositions by members of the ensemble, “Farewell” by Israel Railing, and “Sea of Tranquility” by Dr. Joe Stallings.
For more information concerning the Pensacola Guitar Ensemble’s 2025 Spring Recital, contact the Pensacola State College Performing Arts Department at 850-484-1847.
Contact: Joe Stallings 850-484-1805