Jâca, a clarinet-guitar duo, will be performing tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the Buchanan Center for Performing Arts recital hall.
Consisting of clarinetist Wesley Ferreira and guitarist Jaxson Williams, Jâca’s goal is to stimulate emotion, inspire imagination and bridge cultural divides with audiences by going beyond the boundaries of classical repertoire.
“We aim to have a sound that transcends genre,” Williams said. “The clarinet and the guitar are really complementary instruments, and both are used not just in Classical music but also in Jazz and Folk music around the world to name just a few.”
With their first-ever concert at the University of Wyoming, the two will present a program of “music of the people” from around the world. Folk-inspired music from Portugal, the Balkans, Brazil, Appalachia, Central America and the Middle East will also be featured in the show.
In 2013, the duo met while Williams was a graduate student at Arizona State University and Ferreira was in town to record a studio album and needed a guitarist for a duo piece. Williams was highly recommended by a guitar professor and the two contacted one another.
“Immediately, he and I got along both personally and musically,” Ferreira said. “We began speaking about forming a chamber ensemble together and since that time we have been speaking, arranging music, sharing our vision for our duo, planning future engagements, and collaborating about every week.”
Ferreira lives a very active and diverse life and career, performing worldwide as a soloist, orchestral and chamber musician, he also serves as an adjudicator and clinician. He has been a featured soloist with numerous wind bands and orchestras in North America and Europe and is no stranger to press as he has been broadcasted nationally on both Canadian and Australian networks.
Following his four years as single-reeds instructor at Mount Allison University, Ferreira has since joined Colorado State University in 2011 as an associate professor in the music department while he maintains a clarinet studio.
Williams began studying classical guitar at age seven and has won numerous prizes and awards in classical guitar competitions. Some include the OSAA Classical Guitar Competition, San Francisco Bay International Guitar Competition and, most recently, the Beverly Hills National Auditions. He too works as a studio guitarist, writing songs for commercials and adding guitar parts in to music for original artists.
He has performed in solo recitals and chamber music concerts throughout the U.S. and Europe. Williams frequently pairs up with soprano Laurel Irene to perform and he also plays the Flamenco guitar.
He also teaches undergraduate guitar courses at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of music, works in more than 20 difference schools in four states, specializes in children’s guitar education, works with the nonprofit organization Lead Guitar and does private lessons for students.
Living far away from one another and having busy schedules does not prevent Jâca from making music. The duo uses FaceTime to practice along with recordings and discuss musical ideas.
“We have very similar personalities and musical ideas, so when we get together it’s very easy to sync up,” Williams said.
Sponsored by the Department of Music, the concert is free and open to the public.
