A lifetime of devotion
Classical guitarist, Eric Hamilton is in his 40th year as a soloist and chamber musician. He has a particular affinity for the music of the Renaissance and Baroque periods but just as keenly embraces the more contemporary Spanish guitar schools of Villa-Lobos, Albeniz, Rodrigo on into the 21st century composers. He often creates his own arrangements from the vast guitar repertoire and has recorded 15 full-length CDs to date. His playing has been termed in reviews as “sensitive,” “powerful,” and “kaleidoscopic.”
Eric continues to serve as a regular guest artist (since 2004) at the First Unitarian Universalists Society of San Francisco, performing 2-4 services each year. In 2016, he performed a full concert of pieces gathered together from throughout those years. He has been a regular performing artist for concert series’ at Harbin Hot Springs Resort in Northern California, the Trinity Chamber Concert Series in Berkeley, and in San Francisco, at the Shrine to St. Francis of Assisi in North Beach artist series, where he recorded two live CD’s. He has also given concerts and performed formal services at Grace Cathedral, Trinity/St. Peter’s, St. Luke’s, and St. Peter’s Episcopal churches, also in San Francisco.
Recently, Eric was selected as principle guitarist and lead musician during six sold-out performances of “Heart of Spain: A Musical of the Spanish Civil War” at U. C. Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall. In addition, he has given performances at some of San Francisco’s finest hotels – The Fairmont Hotel and the Four Seasons in San Francisco to name a few. He is currently guitarist in residence at The Musical Offering, a classical music specialty CD salon and cafe in Berkeley California.
In 1994, Eric began a decade-long collaboration with legendary guitarist and composer Mason Williams, a 1968 triple-Grammy winner for the instrumental, Classical Gas.
Of the three commercial CD releases and music collection publications to which Eric contributed, Music for the Epicurean Harkener was a 2004 Grammy nominee.
Eric also recorded a tribute CD – Eric Hamilton plays Mason Williams – Music for Guitar and Orchestra in full collaboration with the composer. The work became a four-year endeavor and included contributions from more than 150 musicians, coast to coast.
Although primarily self-taught, Eric Hamilton has been privileged to retain teachers such Dr. Phillip Catlinet of Carnegie-Mellon University, Paul Henry of the Cincinnati Conservatory, and the Beijing Guitar Duo and Arina Burceva of the San Francisco Conservatory. Additionally, he has been invited to attend master classes with world-famous guitarists, Christopher Parkening and Roland Dyens, professor of guitar at the Paris Conservatory, among other luminaries.
Mr. Hamilton has taught guitar classes for the San Francisco Unified School District at the Cathedral School for Boys, the French American International School, and Katherine Delmar Burke School for Girls. In 2005 he was awarded the “Certificate of Honor” by then mayor, Gavin Newsom and the City and County of San Francisco for his work with ‘Young Performers International.’ From 2011-2014, he collaborated with The Beijing Guitar Duo for a series of master classes at the Conservatory of Vocal / Instrumental Arts in Oakland CA.
Currently, he is in his tenth year on faculty at COVAH College/High School located at Merritt College in Oakland CA. Mr. Hamilton also accepts gifted and serious young guitar students throughout the San Francisco Bay Area for private training, and offers video conference tutoring world-wide.