Sten Isachsen: Bio

Sten Isachsen

Sten Isachsen has appeared as concerto soloist with the University at Albany
Orchestra and the Ithaca College String Quartet. Possessing a Bachelor and Master of Music in Guitar Performance from Ithaca College, he has studied guitar with Frederick Hand, Ed Flower and Joel Brown, and has participated in master classes with Manuel Barrueco, Sergio and Odair Assad and Benjamin Verdery.

Isachsen is a founding member of the Finger Lakes Guitar Quartet, which has commissioned works from composer Anthony Holland. He is also a member of the Musicians of Ma'alwyck, a string trio in residence at the Schuyler Mansion, the Pruyn House and Schenectady County Community College. Musicians of Ma’alwyck have steadily gained acclaim in the Classical world of music and
the addition of classical guitar make them an unusual and in-demand string trio.

In addition to his work as a classical guitarist, Isachsen is endorsed by Martin Guitars and performs regularly on steel string and electric guitars, as well as mandolin, providing support for artists like living legend Charlie Louvin, Nashville recording artist Bob Bates, Country Music Hall of Famers The Haggar Twins and mny Upstate New York musicians like
MotherJudge, Jim Gaudet and Michael Eck.

A dedicated teacher, Isachsen is member of the faculty at Schenectady County
Community College - which overees an outstanding undergraduate music
studies program - and the State University of New York at Albany. He
maintains a private studio in Delmar, NY.

In addition to his influence on the Capital District guitar studies
community, Isachsen is owner, engineer and producer at Bender Studios, a
recording facility in Delmar, NY. Clients include Gibson-endorsed mandolin
player Skip Gorman and Hammer Guitar--endorsed jazz guitarist George Muscatello.

Musicians of Ma'alwyck - Chamber Music Ensemble

Musicians of Ma'alwyck is a flexible-size chamber music ensemble formed in 1999 by Ann-Marie Barker Schwartz.

In residence at the Schuyler Mansion, a New York State Historic Site, and at the University at Albany, the group performs regularly on concert series in Upstate New York presenting programs specializing in the music of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries.

The core instrumentation consists of violin, cello, guitar, vocalist, and flute; with a second violin, viola, oboe, bassoon, harpsichord or piano added, as demanded by the repertory. We frequently work with singers, collaborating with Beverly Thiele from the Metropolitan Opera and Gene Marie Callahan Kern from Chicago Lyric Opera.

This season we presented our first subscription series in addition to performing at the Marcelle Sembrich Opera Museum, historic Tribes Hill Presbyterian Church and the Vorheesville Public Library. Musicians Of Ma'alwyck has performed on National Public Radio and recently returned from performing in Atlanta for producer Norman Lear, celebrating his purchase of the last private copy of the Declaration of Independence.

We have been selected by audition to be a performing arts ensemble for the Capital Region Center for Arts in Education for the 2004-2005 season.