The American-born classical guitarist, ANTHONY GLISE has just been featured in the November, 2005 issue of the French Magazine, “Femina.” One of the leading women’s magazines in France (similar to “Glamour Magazine” in the US) “Femina” has never featured an American-born personality in their highlights section.
The full color photo interview with Glise is translated into English below and focuses on Glise’s life and work between France and the US midwest where he maintains a second home.
It also cites Glise’s work with the brilliant musicians, Ken Sugita (violinist with the French National Orchestra) and Jason Riley (noted US rock/jazz guitarist).
Sincerely,
Aevia Publicity
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FEMINA MAGAZINE,
November, 2005 - FRANCE
Head Editor: Mr. Christian Brackers-d’Hugo
[TITLE]
Anthony Glise - Messenger of the Guitar
He lives his life between Kansas City and Sainghin-en-Mélantois. Anthony Glise has made this small northern community a place of contemplation and a breeding ground for composition.
[ARTICLE]
Anthony Glise shares his life between Kansas City and Sainghin-en-Mélantois. It’s a vast expanse and a world between the two. So what has brought this guitar virtuoso to our region?
Emerging like a cicada into our world, he composes, sings and drinks chiroree coffee because he can’t conceive of life in Sainghin without total emersion in the local environment.
Otherwise, Mr. Glise loves passing the time in hang-outs of the village where he has learned French in his past 7 years. Now, he admits, “I’ve started to learn a little Ch’ti [the local French dialect].”
In his arboured garden, accompanied only by the singing birds, the American of Sainghin composes pieces for orchestra, ballets, trios and duos.
For each project, the concept takes root in his mind and blossoms up to 5 years later. The incubation is long. Anthony ultimately takes up to a year to compose his pieces.
Currently, he’s preparing a ballet about the “Dream Catcher,” dear to the Indians who he met during a stay in South Dakota.
“I’m writing the pieces for chorale in the Indian language,” he explains. An approach that further establishes his compositional prowess.
The instrument of this breeding ground for this American is fairly atypical: it’s the guitar. Specifically the classical guitar and everything begins from there. But his specialty is the early guitars of the 19th-Century - a rarity. “They’re much more fragile and many of the instruments disappeared during the two world wars.”
Because the strings are made of catgut and not nylon, Anthony finds a greater sense of sensitivity. “You feel like you’re directly touching the sound.”
His presence in Sainghin is hardly an accident. In Boston, where he studied music, he met a friend, Ken Sugita. The Japanese violinist then met a French native from Valenciennes and they were married.
He [Sugita] moved to the north where he accepted a post with the French National Orchestra - Lille. His friend, Anthony, who is the Godfather of Ken’s youngest daughter, visited frequently. After having danced between Milan, Vienna and Berlin, “where I still have business,” Anthony Glise posed his luggage in Sainghin, the region that currently pleases him most. He currently composes almost exclusively in France because, “life in the country offers a peaceful existence.”
The guitar and violin are always included in his concerts. The two comrades have infatuated audiences with the inclusion of a third partner-in-crime, the American rock guitarist, Jason Riley who recently played with them at the Cathedral in Chartres. “We presented a concert of rock & classical improvisation and the nuns were totally into it!”
Anthony Glise composes, performs sings and also records. He has written compositions already included in the French National Orchestral repertoire and at the same time he has authored books specializing in music as well a dictionary of contemporary international musical terms and a book for the parents of music students needing assistance, “Help! My Kid is Taking Music Lessons” - in other words, a book for parents who need help when their children begin taking music lessons.
Like a good number of musicians, Anthony prefers the stage. With his beard and long, gently graying hair, he exudes an air of country music and presents around 30 concerts per year.
A star? “That depends if you talk with my manager or my mother.” A rare individual, a tremendous player and collector of guitars, this modest musician is gifted with discovering archived historical pieces of music like a museum develops a collection of fine art. He can mix rock, jazz classical and folk music. Using Latin to write his works for chorale, he juggles between English and French, but in Sainghin, they’re still awaiting a piece in Ch’ti; a hymn of 100% arrival in his new homeland.
[MID INSERT]
In preparation: A ballet about the “Dream Catchers” [the catcher of dreams] of the South Dakota Indians.
[END]
[photo caption]
To compose in the midst of the cattle, according to Anthony Glise, gives one a preview of paradise. Because the man wants to take his time, it takes up to five years of long maturation for a musical concept to take life.
The wisdom of a sage.
CREDITS
Femina Magazine staff writer, Justine Hostekint
Photos by Hannelore Balesse
Copyright by Femina Magazine.
English translation by The Aevia Group