2008 Woodie Awards
Egyptian-German plays Brazilian guitar around world
Matt Larvey
Issue date: 5/5/08 Section: A&E
A small transformation took place in the De Anza College Choral Hall April 26. The red curtains, usually bunched up on either side, were drawn towards the center.
The projector screen was pulled down to hide the blackboard, making the space feel less like a lecture hall and more like a performance center. When the lights went out, save the ones illuminating the stage, the room was finally ready to showcase the fine performance art it had in store.
The small auditorium was almost filled to capacity with people who came to see guitar virtuoso Ahmed El-Salamouny.
El-Salamouny, who plays the Brazilian guitar, hails from Germany, and currently resides in Munich. He travels around the world playing and teaching guitar.
During his most recent trip to California, he was shuttled between a series of lectures, several performances and a radio interview in the span of four days.
Still, El-Salamouny, who is an avid surfer, managed to get several hours of surfing done in Pacifica.
A diverse crowd gathered at the performance: De Anza music students were scattered about, notebooks out and ready and members of the South Bay Guitar Society, the non-profit group responsible for organizing the show, were also in audience.
From the moment El-Salamouny first walked out, casually dressed in jeans and a collared shirt, he seemed very comfortable with performancing.
He strode confidently to the center of the stage, then turned and faced the audience with a calm smile.
He paused for a moment, sat down in this chair, propped his left foot on the footstool and dove straight into his first piece.
El-Salamouny played 17 pieces, eight of which he wrote himself. Others were written by greats such as Jair de Paula, Garoto and Tom Jobim, who wrote "The Girl From Ipanema."
Before every song El-Salamouny would share a story or bit of history to provide background. He established a healthy rapport with the crowd, joking and making comments such as, "Maybe I should play rock music" - to which one audience member replied, "No!"
The projector screen was pulled down to hide the blackboard, making the space feel less like a lecture hall and more like a performance center. When the lights went out, save the ones illuminating the stage, the room was finally ready to showcase the fine performance art it had in store.
The small auditorium was almost filled to capacity with people who came to see guitar virtuoso Ahmed El-Salamouny.
El-Salamouny, who plays the Brazilian guitar, hails from Germany, and currently resides in Munich. He travels around the world playing and teaching guitar.
During his most recent trip to California, he was shuttled between a series of lectures, several performances and a radio interview in the span of four days.
Still, El-Salamouny, who is an avid surfer, managed to get several hours of surfing done in Pacifica.
A diverse crowd gathered at the performance: De Anza music students were scattered about, notebooks out and ready and members of the South Bay Guitar Society, the non-profit group responsible for organizing the show, were also in audience.
From the moment El-Salamouny first walked out, casually dressed in jeans and a collared shirt, he seemed very comfortable with performancing.
He strode confidently to the center of the stage, then turned and faced the audience with a calm smile.
He paused for a moment, sat down in this chair, propped his left foot on the footstool and dove straight into his first piece.
El-Salamouny played 17 pieces, eight of which he wrote himself. Others were written by greats such as Jair de Paula, Garoto and Tom Jobim, who wrote "The Girl From Ipanema."
Before every song El-Salamouny would share a story or bit of history to provide background. He established a healthy rapport with the crowd, joking and making comments such as, "Maybe I should play rock music" - to which one audience member replied, "No!"
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