By Kathleen A. Bergeron

The Salisbury Symphony will present “A Night in Spain,” on March 1 with a wide array of Iberian-themed favorite musical numbers, including the Overture from the Barber of Seville and Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, also set in that city in southern Spain.  

“This program highlights the rich, colorful and rhythmic musical traditions of Spain,” Conductor Daniel Wiley said. “From the well-known overtures of Rossini and Mozart to the depths of Spanish classical works, it offers a musical passport for audience without their having to leave Salisbury.”

But what would an evening of Spanish music be without the guitar? As Nobel laureate Vicente Alexandre — himself born in Seville — declared, “The guitar is the soul of Spain.” Filling that role will be one of the most talented and widely acclaimed young classical guitarists today, Meng Su.  

Meng began studying guitar at age five in her hometown of Qingdau, China. She fell in love with the instrument, and after two years, she won a children’s competition. Like many parents here in the U.S., Meng’s mother wanted her daughter to get the best education possible, so she began taking her daughter to Beijing by train every Friday night. The 400-mile trip took 16 hours, and the two slept along the way, then went directly to Meng’s teacher’s house or the school. She would have her private lesson, then watch other students’ lessons or have group lessons. Mother and daughter would then get back on the train and head home.

“My mom was very dedicated,” Meng said. 

That dedication paid off, as did Meng’s own hard work and talent. She went on to win competitions on three continents: the Vienna Youth Guitar Competition at age 14, Tokyo International Guitar competition at 17, and Parkening Young Guitarist Competition in Malibu, California at 18. Then, in May 2015, she returned to the Parkening to compete in the adult category. She became the first female guitarist to win the top prize, the gold medal. 

Meanwhile, she has given performances at venues across the world: in New York’s Carnegie Hall, the Herbst Theater in San Francisco and Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow, to name a few. And, yes, she has played in Spain, at Barcelona’s Palau de la Música Catalana. She has also recorded albums, both solo and with others. Her good friend, Yameng Wang is also from Qingdau, and both studied with the same guitar teacher. They also both ended up studying with maestro Manuel Barrueco at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. And it was Barrueco who later suggested the two perform as a duet. They have since toured as the Beijing Guitar Duo and put out three CDs together, and, with Barrueco joining them, recorded as a trio on an album entitled “China West.”   

In addition to her other work, Meng has been on the guitar faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music since 2021 and has a guitar studio of 10 students from all over the world.

Meng’s performance with the Salisbury Symphony will include Concierto de Aranjuez, the best-known work of Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo. The piece has been performed by a wide range of classical guitarists from across the world, but its popularity has gone well beyond that realm. The concierto, or portions of it, have been recorded by musicians as varied as Miles Davis, Tommy Emanuel, the Modern Jazz Quartet, Paco de Lucia and Carlos Santana. Even Led Zeppelin keyboardist John Paul Jones lifted portions of the piece during an improvisation while on tour. Rodrigo’s concierto was written in 1939 and premiered the following year in the Palau de la Música Catalana, where Meng performed many years later. 

“Meng Su is an exceptional guitarist, and her performance of Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez will be a special moment in the program,” Wiley said. “We can’t wait to share her artistry with our community.”

One other bonus for the evening: Meng will be playing a guitar made by German luthier Matthias Dammann. Although the construction of classical guitars has been largely the province of the Spanish for many years, Dammann developed a concept for creating a guitar top that sandwiches two very thin pieces together, and the result has been a sound quality unmatched by others. Dammann has been willing to share his design concepts with others, and several other German luthiers also have become proficient at making such double-top guitars. However, Dammann’s work is so highly regarded, the waiting list for new ones stretches more than 10 years. Fortunately, his son, Julian has taken up the mantle and is making equally fine instruments.

Having the opportunity to hear a world-renowned classical guitarist, playing a world-renowned guitar, here in our city is a rare treat, and together with our own Salisbury Symphony, the “Night in Spain” presentation should be quite special.     

The event is being held at Catawba College’s Keppel Auditorium at 2300 West Innes Street, and it begins at 7:30 p.m. 

“With the arrival of Conductor Daniel Wiley, the Salisbury Symphony has seen a fresh new vision for our performances, one that includes a wide array of new music and classics that our audiences haven’t heard before,” Acting Director for the Symphony Bill Bucher Jr. “The program for A Night in Spain will be no exception with its emphasis on Spanish influences and composers. Meng Su will electrify our audience with her performance of the evocative Concierto de Aranjuez for guitar and orchestra.”