World-renowned guitarist Anthony Glise returns for performance with St. Joseph Symphony
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- Classical guitarist Anthony Glise has performed on some of the world’s most prestigious stages, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and with the French National Orchestra in Paris.
But later this month, he will be performing for a night with the St. Joseph Symphony at the Missouri Theater.
“The fun thing about St. Joe is the Missouri Theatre. It's iconic,” Glise said. “It is one of the most beautiful and acoustically stable halls that I’ve ever worked in my life.”
Glise, was raised in St. Joseph and later moved to Europe, and has spent more than 60 years mastering the guitar, practicing an average of seven hours a day.
“I get up at 5:00 in the morning and I practice from five to nine, and then I take a break, and I practice another hour or so,” he said. “It’s a job.”
The upcoming concert, scheduled for April 25th, will feature Glise’s very first guitar concerto, a piece he composed years ago.
The evening is French-themed, with works by Claude Debussy, selections from Bizet’s Carmen, and Ravel’s famous Bolero.
“The primary theme of the concert is sort of French-oriented,” Glise said. “It’s an exceptional orchestra, an outstanding conductor, in one of the best halls in the United States right here in St. Joe.”
According to Nancy Schmidt-Brunson, executive director of the St. Joseph Symphony, the collaboration began over a bowl of chili.
“Anthony was playing at a restaurant just down the street,” Schmidt-Brunson recalled. “I was eating a bowl of chili while Anthony was beautifully playing guitar with a friend. Afterward, I walked up to make a donation to his project in Ukraine, and I told him what I was doing. I said, ‘Would you ever want to play with the St. Joseph Symphony?’ He said, ‘Sure.’”
From there, Schmidt-Brunson introduced Glise to the conductor.
“They hit it off,” she said. “The rest is going to be history as of April 25.”
Glise also recalled a big motivator for his music, as during his time in Vienna, he lived in an apartment that Beethoven used to live in, and when renovating the wallpaper, he stumbled across the same wallpaper that Beethoven used to look at.
"To have the opportunity to travel and dip your feet in those historic memories that go back hundreds and hundreds of years," he said, "that is one of the coolest things. I love music, but you get these peripheral activities along the way at the same time."
The concert will also feature a free wine reception will begin at 6:00 p.m. on the mezzanine of the Missouri Theater before the performance.
Tickets are still available through the St. Joseph Symphony website or by calling the box office at (816) 233-7701, open Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“Come make some new friends,” Schmidt-Brunson said. “Meet Anthony. We’re going to have fun.”
Glise, who last performed in St. Joe about six months ago, said he’s thrilled to be back.
“It’s been a fun run,” he said. “But it’s nice to be back in St. Joe and have a chance to play with a small symphony.”
