Sometimes it’s from a deeply internal sense of beauty or fascination with a conceptual thought or a phrase that I improvise on the guitar. In a recent wide-ranging phone conversation, York shared many thoughts on composing.ĬLASSICAL GUITAR: How does inspiration for a new piece come?ĪNDREW YORK: Inspiration has always come from so many different places.
The melodic appeal and diverse musical influences (classical, new age, jazz, folk, world music, and more) in his music have prompted guitarists worldwide to explore his ever-expanding catalog. York’s compositions gained wide visibility when John Williams began performing “Sunburst” and “Lullaby” in concert and recorded them on his 1989 album Spirit of the Guitar. Other artists, including Christopher Parkening, Sharon Isbin, Jason Vieaux, and many younger guitarists, have since played York’s music. During his LAGQ years, York contributed compositions and arrangements to the ten CDs they recorded together, among them the group’s 2005 Grammy winner Guitar Heroes. He was a member of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet from 1990 to 2006, and has since pursued a solo career. From the Summer 2017 issue of Classical Guitar | BY MARK SMALLĪndrew York has enjoyed an extraordinary career as both a composer and performer.
