Experience a mix of classical guitar, patriotic and upbeat songs that evoke a sense of pride and celebration and embrace the American spirit of camaraderie. Pieces performed will include the “National Anthem,” honoring the country’s history and values; “America the Beautiful,” a classic patriotic song celebrating the beauty and diversity of the United States; “Yankee Doodle,” a traditional American song that is synonymous with independence and “This Land Is Your Land,” Woody Guthrie’s folk song that highlights the natural beauty and inclusivity of the United States.

Distinguished as a teacher and performer Lawrence Ferrara has taught guitar as a full-time professor at City College of San Francisco, Lecturer at the University of California Berkeley, and as a studio guitar teacher, ensemble director, and pedagogy teacher at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Mr. Ferrara currently teaches guitar at San Francisco State University, and at the Spindrift School of Performing Arts, in Pacifica CA. He is rewarded the distinction of being the first guitarist to receive a master’s degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where his teachers have included Julian Bream in master classes, and George Sakellariou in studio lessons.

Mr. Ferrara has performed major recitals in San Francisco, Los Angeles and at the Carnegie Recital Hall in New York. Additionally, he has performed with the San Francisco Symphony, SF Ballet Orchestra, the Bay Chamber Symphony, the Classical Philharmonic and the San Francisco Conservatory’s Chamber Orchestra, and New Music Ensemble. His playing was described by The New York Times as “subtle, intimate and inherently musical.” The San Francisco Chronicle commented, “Ferrara has an exceptional style, pure and sweet, rhythmically precise yet supple … playing everything with elegant grace and a notably serious feeling for introspection.”