International Guitar Series Connects Students to Composers
Oct 9, 2025This year’s International Guitar Series at Bellevue College is about music exploration. World-renowned artists slated to perform on campus this academic year are known for their creative innovations in guitar music and performance. In addition to exposure to global guitar talent, students also get a unique opportunity to innovate alongside them.
This year’s International Guitar Series at Bellevue College is about music exploration. World-renowned artists slated to perform on campus this academic year are known for their creative innovations in guitar music and performance. In addition to exposure to global guitar talent, students also get a unique opportunity to innovate alongside them.
The Eastside community can experience guitar in a new way. Naeim Rahmani, Bellevue College guitar faculty member, curates the concert series. This year Rahmani is bringing something especially meaningful: three original compositions co-created with students from the college’s Guitar Ensemble class. These artistic pieces will be collaborative projects, shaped by both the guest composer and Bellevue College students’ personal narratives and experiences. These works will then be shared with the community and performed live. Opportunities for musicians to work directly with composers are often reserved for those at the most elite levels of professional play. At Bellevue College, those opportunities are central to the student experience.
“Working with a living composer is one of the most profound learning experiences for any musician,” Rahmani explains. “It challenges students to think about music as an evolving conversation, not just a performance. When performing works by someone like Bach or Beethoven, students can only guess at the composer’s intent. With a living composer, they can ask questions, offer suggestions, and get real-time feedback. The process becomes a conversation.”
One student recently shared, “Working with Tom Baker [composer in residence for October] was very reassuring. Initially, having been introduced to the idea of Shendos [the original composition], I felt quite lost. I felt like the skills I’d developed were useless, and I didn’t have much to bring to the piece. Hearing Tom explain his ideas and concepts directly really gave me a deeper understanding and a new confidence performing his improvisational style.”
Suddenly, musicians are not just performers interpreting someone else’s vision; these artists become part of the creative process itself. The piece can evolve, grow, and change based on this collaboration.
Rahmani’s vision is clear: experiential music education should neither be defined by limits nor reserved for the most elite musicians. Instead, it should be a space for creative exchange, personal exploration, and global connection.
From handmade instruments to improvisational sounds, Rahmani has curated a lineup centering on experimentation, artistic expression, and inspired innovation. At the heart of everything is a simple but profound idea: that musical artists learn best not simply by watching and listening to music, but by testing the boundaries of music.
With the 2025–26 season, Bellevue College is continuing to build its reputation as a hub for musical creativity. This series brings internationally renowned performers to a local stage while immersing students into the original music composition process. Together, students, artists, and collaborators are leading to new discoveries in music exploration while expanding their own artistry.
For tickets or additional information about the artists or performances, visit the Bellevue College International Guitar Series.
The 2025-26 Bellevue College International Guitar Series:
The Tom Baker Quartet – October 17, 2025
The series opens with the Tom Baker Quartet, a beloved ensemble in the Pacific Northwest known for its improvisational, genre-blending style. Tom Baker is a composer and guitarist who has built his reputation on bridging contemporary classical music with jazz and experimental traditions.
Wu Fei – December 10, 2025
Wu Fei is a master of the guzheng, a Chinese zither often compared to the slide guitar for its expressive tonal range. Her performances weave Chinese folk traditions with avant-garde experimentation, creating a sound that feels at the same time ancient and contemporary, demonstrating how traditional instruments carry new meaning in modern hands.
Pablo Garibay – January 16, 2026
Hailing from Mexico City, Pablo Garibay is widely regarded as one of Latin America’s premier guitarists. His interpretations of both classical and modern works are deeply expressive and rich in nuance, showing how cultural heritage can inform musical innovation.
Goran Krivokapić – March 21, 2026
The season continues with Goron Krivokapić, a professor at the University of Cologne and an internationally celebrated performer. Krivokapić’s playing style is known for its clarity, technical precision, and emotional depth.
João Luiz – April 17, 2026
Luiz, a two-time Grammy nominee and professor at Yale, brings his uniquely Brazilian lens to the guitar world. His performance will explore the balance between technical guitar mastery and personal artistic expression.
Paolo Angeli – June 12, 2026
To round out the series, Paolo Angeli plays in June. He is best known for constructing his own hybrid instruments. Sometimes he plays with a bow. Sometimes he uses his feet. Always, he brings a sense of imagination and play that inspires students to think beyond the traditional form.