Trio Ghidorah is a classical guitar trio formed by Ken Luk, Bernardo Marcondes, and Erik Gibelyou. The three musicians banded together while pursuing their doctoral degrees at the Eastman School of Music. The trio creates arrangements for three guitars of music not originally written for the instrument, including works by Stravinsky, Mozart, and Philip Glass.
Trio Ghidorah’s debut album, Dances and Fantasies, was released in March 2021. The recording includes the group’s arrangements alongside works composed for three guitars by Paulo Bellinati, Stephen Dodgson, and Annette Kruisbrink. The album’s release was celebrated in Rochester, NY with a concert at Bop Shop Records and an article in City Newspaper. Selections from the album have been played on the public radio program The Intimate Guitar.
The trio has performed frequently in the Rochester area and beyond, with concerts at the George Eastman Museum, the Little Theatre, the Eastman School of Music, Alfred University, and SUNY-Geneseo. Their concert programs include music from the classical canon, contemporary works, and Latin American music.
Trio Ghidorah at the Eastman School of Music
Photo by Byron Fong
Reviews
“We are all very excited about the forthcoming recording by Trio Ghidorah, Dances and Fantasies, with original compositions by Annette Kruisbrink, Paulo Bellinati, Stephen Dodgson, and arrangements of John Dowland, Mozart, Stravinsky, Egberto Gismonti, and Philip Glass.
Trio Ghidorah is made up of three superb guitarists: Ken Luk, Bernardo Marcondes Rodriguez and Erik Gibelyou. They each represent the new breed of guitar virtuosity as they are technically brilliant and have a colorful sense of stylistic performance practices, beautiful sound, and imaginative programming.
It was my honor to guide them through their doctoral studies at Eastman, and I have no doubt that the musical firmament will be enriched by their work. I have always believed that the guitar trio as an ensemble was a unique and highly satisfying configuration. This trio will demonstrate that at the highest levels of instrumental virtuosity. “
— Nicholas Goluses, Professor of Guitar, Eastman School of Music
“Dances and Fantasies from Trio Ghidorah is a well matched and well performed collection of music spanning five centuries, two continents, and multiple compositional sensibilities. In it one hears elements of Classical and Renaissance music, South American tango, Indonesian gamelan music, and much more, all held together through artful and restrained arrangements many of which were created by its three performers. Sensitive and thoughtful, this collection draws you in with its relaxed approach, unforced delivery and avoidance of showmanship. In service of the music these three Eastman grad students take us on a relaxed journey through an unconventional neighborhood in today’s classical guitar world. At a time when people are dealing with a lot of stress and worry this is a bright spot in the news cycle. Take a listen.”
— Kinloch Nelson, guitarist, composer, singer
“Trio Ghidorah is one of the few guitar trios of today with an excellent and pleasant sound to the ear. On the one hand the trio members all know how to play the same in timbre and timing and on the other hand each member knows how to guard his own individual input. This makes the interpretations very clear and transparent. Trio Ghidorah knows exactly what the different music styles and periods call for. To name a few: An elegant and fresh Mozart, a meditative Indonesian Wayang Style and an exciting swing in Bellinati's Baiao De Gude. I am looking forward to hearing the full album.”
— Annette Kruisbrink, guitarist and composer
“Trio Ghidorah is a collective of three guitarists who formed their ensemble as graduate students at the Eastman School of Music. Their recent release showcases the group’s formidable technical and musical skills while navigating music ranging from minimalist to Mozart. Their selections range from a lesser-known minimalist work by Kruisbrink paired with a Baiao by Bellinati, merged with a delightful arrangement of a Mozart Minuet. This eclectic offering showcases what the trio does best: merge disparate sound worlds together. Their artistry and technical skills are evident in the precision of the fast, angular lines of the Bellinati, and in the delicate, trance-link pulse of the Kruisbrink. Overall, an excellent ensemble offering new music and new arrangements that warrant serious attention.”
— Brad DeRoche, Disipline Coordinator for Music Department at Delta College (Michigan)
"In terms of ensembles, the guitar throughout its history has been guided, above all, by legendary duos such as Abreu, Assad and Presti-Lagoya. Examples of quartets like Los Romeros, Los Angeles Guitar Quartet or European Guitar Quartet are not difficult to find, however for a reason ignored by us, the formation of three guitars finds very little relevance in the pantheon of the great guitar ensembles in history: not as organically gestated ensembles within this formation, which would exclude the brilliant meeting between Paco de Lucia, Al di Meola and John Mclaughlin.
This information should suffice for the listener to understand a part of the challenge that the repertoire present in this work offers us, but Trio Ghidorah goes far beyond a group formed by three creative musicians who masterfully arrange and recreate a repertoire for this forgotten formation. Bernardo, Erik and Ken conform to a single body, of such rhythmic precision and cohesion between the three guitars, almost an obsession! Their sonority effortlessly traverses the desirable extremes between light and dark and shows the interpretative coherence and the extraordinary musical affinity between the three musicians.
The delicately selected repertoire reveals to the listener a journey between tradition and modernity, with flavors ranging from the most lulling minimalist harmony to moments of vehemence and rhythmic complexity, although without ever renouncing the melodic lyricism, which projects like an admirable idiosyncrasy of the trio. With all these predicates, Trio Ghidorah asserts a respectable position among guitar ensembles, contributing to the development of an original repertoire and the diffusion of this fascinating formation."
— Juliano Camara, member of Guanduo