Simplicio by Christopher Laughlin

Louis Post-Dispatch, February 12, 1999

"Christopher Laughlin, a Chicago-based classical guitarist, has found an interesting hook for this, his second compact disc: the music of the Paraguayan composer Agustin Barrios (1885-1944), played on a guitar that Barrios used extensively.

The guitar, built by Francisco Simplicio in 1927, was recently restored. It has an appealing tone perfect for this music, written, for the most part, in the 1920s and 30s, in the great age of composing for classical guitar. Along with Barrios, the disc has works by Joaquin Turina, Joaquin Rodrigo, Manuel M. Ponce and Manuel de Falla.

Laughlin, and accomplished recitalist, brings the music to vibrant, idiomatic life, playing with both skill and the requisite panache."

Christopher Laughlin Biography:

Christopher Laughlin, classical guitarist, has performed extensively across North America and around the world. Under the sponsorship of the United States Information Service he has toured on five continents, performing in Portugal, Greece, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Doha, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Haiti, Austria, Yugoslavia, Romania, The Czech Republic, Cyprus, Ghana, Benin, Cameroon, and Bolivia.

Mr. Laughlin has performed as soloist with the Symphony of the Shores, Chicago Chamber Orchestra, the Westshore Symphony, the St. Joseph Pro Musica, the LaPorte County Symphony Orchestra, the Northwest Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the Symphony String Quartet. As a recital soloist he has performed in Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Baltimore, Ann Arbor, Toledo, Washington, and New Haven, and numerous other cities across North America. He has made two recordings for Peregrine Records, Danza!, and Simplicio.

Mr. Laughlin began his guitar studies at age 14 in Chicago. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Peabody Conservatory of Music, and a Master's degree from Yale University. In 1984 he was awarded a Fulbright Grant for study in Paris with Uruguayan guitarist Betho Davezac, continuing his studies for a second year with a grant from the French government. While living in Paris he won prizes in two international competitions, the Concours International de Guitar in Sable-sur-Sarthe, France, and the Concours International de l'U.F.A.M. in Paris.

Christopher Laughlin teaches at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music in Milwaukee, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and at his Northbrook, Illinois studio.

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