SongSpace Presents A Nylon Summit with Damon Buxton, Danny Rectenwald and Alex Meleshenko
Saturday March 22, 2025
7:30pm
Advance Tickets at uusongspace.eventbee.com!
For March we present a Nylon String Summit – three outstanding guitarists who have made their reputations on nylon strings!
Damon Buxton (https://damonbuxton.com/) is an American fingerstyle acoustic guitarist and composer. His primary instrument is the six-string classical guitar. Damon’s compositions draw on musical traditions of classical, new age, and jazz, and his arrangements of existing pieces are infused with an inspiring dynamic and beauty. With a catalog of 12 albums, he delivers an uplifting and powerful instrumental guitar performance with positive humor and grace. Damon was educated at Cornish College of The Arts in Seattle Washington USA. After an early collaboration with Windham Hill Records founder Will Ackerman, he built his own studio and set out to create some of the world’s most beautiful and intimate guitar music. Damon has performed at Seattle’s Kirkland Performance Center, Bastyr University Chapel, Seattle Exhibition Center, and Thumbnail Theater, The Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh, and other performing arts centers throughout the United States.
“Nice, haunting guitar melodies, as if from the soundtrack of a foreign movie about death and first love.” – Neil Gaiman, Author
“Damon Buxton is a rare, unique visionary on the acoustic guitar.” – Bill Binkelman, Wind and Wire
Danny Rectenwald (https://sites.google.com/site/dannyrectenwald/) is a locally and nationally acclaimed guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, song-writer, and arranger, earning numerous awards for as a guitarist, mandolin player, and collaborator. Danny is integrally rooted in the Pittsburgh music scene playing guitar and mandolin in various groups in the area. He maintains a busy performance calendar, playing solo and in-collaboration at the local and national level. He has performed with Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Jim Avett, (father of Scott and Seth Avett of The Avett Brothers), Michael Glabicki, Jim Donovan, and Liz Berlin of Rusted Root, The Clarks, Donnie Iris, and The Commonheart, to name a few. Danny’s own music has been heard across the entire dial of local radio, including WRCT, WQED, WYEP, WDVE, and WXDX. Danny holds a Master of Music degree in Classical guitar performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and he has studied with with some of the great Classical Guitar pedagogues of our generation, including Daniél Marchan, Aaron Shearer, Denis Azabagic, and Jason Vieaux. Misra Records released his solo debut, Samadhi, in 2018. His newest album, Canyon, came out in 2022!
..lovely guitar textures, both cinematic and soothing. — Scott Tady, Beaver County Times
Alex Meleshenko (Alex.meleshenko@gmail.com) is one of Pittsburgh’s most wonderful and best-kept secrets. Alex plays amazing instrumental pieces on guitar, ranging from Augustin Barrios and Miguel Llobet to Jerry Reed, Leo Kottke and more. If that weren’t enough, Alex is an outstanding luthier, creating custom-built 6-, 12- and nylon-string guitars that are treasured by players and listeners alike. As a performer, Alex’s goal is to send you to a peaceful place for a time of quiet reflection.
Each artist will present their own compositions and interpretations in a wonderful evening of music. And there could be some surprises – they don’t always just play nylon strings!!
Photos of Damon, Danny and Alex courtesy of the artists.
Doors 7:00pm
Show 7:30pm
General $15+fee advanced; $20 at the door
Student/reduced income: $10+fee advanced; $15 at the door
Or, pay what you can to support live music in Pittsburgh!
Find Advance Tickets at uusongspace.eventbee.com!
SongSpace at First Unitarian
First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh
605 Morewood Avenue, Shadyside
Pittsburgh PA 15213