One of the last events I shot for the Walton Arts Center in May was Frank Vignola and the Virtuoso Band at Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs and at Crystal Bridges in Bentonville. A modernized string quartet — guitars, upright bass, violin — these guys put on a good show, performing both classical songs with a modern twist as well as modern songs with a classical twist. Here’s a bit about the band from the Walton Arts Center website:
About Frank Vignola and the Virtuoso Band As many witnessed during his appearance with Fayetteville Jazz Collective last August, Jazz guitarist Frank Vignola is considered one of the most extraordinary musicians in the world today. His jaw-dropping technique and style have made him the guitarist of choice for everyone from Ringo Starr to Madonna, and has earned him countless turns performing with world-renowned orchestras like the Boston and New York Pops. This celebrated guitarist brings together a virtuosic team of musicians that shatters the barriers between classical, popular and traditional music to create a powerful new string experience.
Sounds about right.
Thorncrown was tough to shoot in due to the glass walls and bad highlights, but it was fun and I came back with some shots I was pleased with. One quick story: as I walked in quietly (through the open doors) with my camera in hand, the band had just started playing their first song. They all saw me, stopped playing, and crouched down for this shot. Everyone in the audience turned around and looked at me. I hadn’t even turned my camera on yet, much less adjusted any settings. I threw it into aperture priority mode at 2.8 and fired off a few shots all within about 2 seconds. Not bad for handheld at 1/25th at almost 200mm. Hooray VR! Luckily everyone got a laugh out of it, and I got my shot.
Anyway, here are a few photos from the events. More here on Flickr.
