Sub Rosa Sessions: Peppino D'Agostino in Concert w/s/g Ben Ellis

A native of Italy, Peppino D’Agostino has made his considerable international mark as a musical artist on the guitar since he arrived in America 35 years ago. In 2017 Guitar Player listed him as one of the 50 transcendent superheroes of the acoustic guitar. The CD, “Every Step of The Way,” was awarded by Acoustic Guitar’s People’s Choice Awards with a Bronze medal for Best Acoustic Album of All Time. His signature Seagull acoustic guitar has been voted among the ten best signature guitars by Guitar Player magazine. Peppino gives guitar workshops, master classes, and seminars worldwide. Top leading publishers such as Truefire, Alfred Publishing, Hal Leonard, and Acoustic Guitar Magazine Books have published his compositions and instructional methods. Peppino and his wife Donna are the founders of the Music World Retreats, where they host music workshops across the globe and partner with some of today’s best instrumentalists and songwriters. To date, Peppino has recorded 19 CD’s, performed in over thirty-five countries at international festivals and concert halls. He has shared the stage with such greats as Larry Carlton, Eric Johnson, Tommy Emmanuel, Leo Kottke, Martin Taylor, Roland Dyens, David Tanenbaum, and many more. D’Agostino’s 2020 release ‘Connexion’ was released by A-Train Entertainment. Classical guitarist Ben Ellis builds programs around unusual pairings of works, finding unexpected threads that connect contrasting pieces. His programs have included paired transcriptions of violin music by Eugéne Ysaÿe and J.S. Bach as well as the standard “When You Wish Upon A Star” arranged by Chet Atkins paired with an homage to Walt Disney by contemporary composer Darragh O’Neill. Recent performances include recitals at the WCNY Performance Space in Syracuse, The Orangeburg Fine Arts Center in SC, the Niagara Classics Series in Ontario, Canada, and the Tenri Cultural Institute in Manhattan. Determined to reach new audiences, Ellis also curates special programs that couple music with either art, wine, dance, or historical events. He has presented these custom designed events at venues in New York such as the The Smith Opera House in Geneva, the historic Barnes Mansion in Syracuse, and Shelter Studios in Manhattan. Among his past projects, Ellis presented arrangements of rock and roll songs for the classical guitar at The Principle Art Gallery in Charleston, SC. T Beyond performing, Ellis is a dedicated teacher offering private and group lessons through his Westcott Music Collective. Ellis serves as President of the Great Lakes Guitar Society, a non profit organization focused on providing music education and performance opportunities throughout the community. Pink Rock Culture Co-op is an all-ages intoxicant-free Performing Arts and creative community gathering space for artists and the community to connect, expand, experiment, create, collaborate, stretch, learn, and champion each other! A 1350 Square Foot downtown Flex-space / additional 500sq ft community space for any and all events! Founded and Curated by Amanda Rogers. email her for more information, space usage, and collaborations. [email protected]