Lunchtime Recital: Gus McQuade (Guitar)

He graduated with distinction from the Royal Academy of Music, where he received the Regency Award for his master’s degree. A former Musicians’ Company New Elizabethan Award holder (2022/23), Gus made his Wigmore Hall debut in 2023 and is currently a City Music Foundation Young Artist. His studies have been supported by scholarships from the Drake Calleja Trust, Help Musicians, the Craxton Memorial Trust, and the Royal Academy of Music.

As a soloist, Gus has performed at venues including the Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room and Kings Place. He is also a keen chamber musician and collaborator, with projects spanning a variety of musical styles. Most notably, he performs as one half of Eleanor & Gus, a duo blending classical, folk, and jazz influences. Their debut at Wigmore Hall in 2023 marked the beginning of a rapidly growing concert career, with performances at festivals and venues around the UK including St Martin-in-the-Fields, Petworth Festival, Surrey Hills Festival, Bath Guitar Festival and Proms at St Jude’s. Their debut album, Seasons in Time, is set to be released June 2025.

Programme (Subject to change):

Enrique Granados (1867-1916) – Danza Española no. 10 ‘Danza Triste’

Joaquín Turina (1882–1949) – Fandanguillo

J.S. Bach (1685–1750) – Prelude from BWV 998

S.L. Weiss (1687–1750) – Passacaglia

Federico Mompou (1893–1987) – Suite Compostelana

Movements I, II, III, VI: Preludio, Coral, Cuna, Muñeira

Toots Thielemans (1922–2016) arr. Roland Dyens – Bluesette

Roland Dyens (1955–2016) – Libra Sonatine