about timTim Beattie is a classical guitarist who doesn’t buy into the idea of “classical exceptionalism.” He believes his instrument belongs as much in the folk tradition as it does in art music. His programs combine the familiar and the foreign, blurring the lines between musical idioms, genres and classifications.
He’s won numerous competitions and awards in Europe (including first prize at the Brussels International Guitar Competition in 2018) and North America (the Sylva Gelber Foundation Award in 2020). And he’s played concerts all over the world, even curating an environmentally themed program for the UN Climate Conference (COP 26) in Glasgow. He’s a member of The Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance Residency Program at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto - the first guitarist to be invited. Toronto may be home, but he’s a musical nomad, his guitar taking him around the world with regular stops in Glasgow, Amsterdam and Jaén, Spain. Tim devises brilliant programs, often inspired by folk tales, short stories, poetry, parables and songs. And he’s an avid chamber player and collaborator with artists of all disciplines. He’s co-founder of Quartet Malamatina, a guitar ensemble that commissions a lot of new music. He’s formed duos with cellist Daniel Hamin Go and actor Tucker St. Ivany and explores the interaction of music and images with filmmaker Rosslyn McCormick. He loves playing in care homes and schools - any way he can engage with an audience that normally doesn’t hear much concert music. Written by Denise Ball |
“Moving between textures and moods with ease ... Beattie’s guitar dazzles.” Classical guitar at its very best. Played by a most subtle and able artist … virtuoso passages projected with great variety of tone and attack … well brought out in Beattie’s intimate beautiful way.” |