Latin American Popular & Folk Guitar Workshop

This workshop with guitarist Benjamín Schnake focuses on techniques, styles, rhythms, and harmonic concepts o f Latin American guitar, with special emphasis on popular genres like bolero and the Peruvian waltz, as well as practical approaches to improvisation within these genres.

Lead sheets (melody and chords) will be provided for ensemble playing, giving students the opportunity to experience both lead and rhythm guitar roles in a collaborative setting.

Open to students of all levels (ages 13 and up). Please bring an acoustic guitar (nylon strings preferred) and a notebook.

This is a free event! Donations to The Brooklyn Classical Guitar Society are appreciated. Space is limited. Sign up early!

Workshop Schedule:

• 2:00 PM – Arrival
• 2:30 PM – Part I: Techniques, styles, rhythms, and harmony of the Latin American guitar
• 3:30 PM – Break
• 3:45 PM – Part II: Ensemble workshop, repertoire, lead guitar and rhythm guitar roles
• 4:45 PM – Wrap-up
• 5:00 PM – End of workshop

About the Instructor

Benjamín Schnake is a Chilean musician based in New York City whose work fuses Latin American and Andean folk traditions with contemporary music. A versatile multi-instrumentalist on guitar, charango, mandolin, Andean flutes, and voice, Schnake is an award-winning composer and arranger whose career spans international stages and a wide range of genres.

Among his recent honors are 3rd place in the Luis Advis Composition Competition with Huari (2024) as composer and performer; 2nd place at the Festival of Osorno with Los Sayas (2024) as orchestral arranger and performer; and 1st place at the Festival del Huaso de Olmué (2023) as arranger for the band Ankaly. He has also received 1st place at the Festival of Osorno with Huari (2019) as composer and performer.

Schnake leads his band Benja Schnake. His album The Joy of Playing (2021) features original compositions in Latin American, Andean, jazz, and contemporary styles, written for nonet and small ensembles, and includes the participation of Dave Pietro and a Grammy-winning production team. He has given notable performances in New York at Barbès and Terraza 7, and in Chile at the Escuela Moderna de Música and La Casa En El Aire.

He is the director of Nostalgia, a Latin American ensemble dedicated to original and reimagined classic boleros, producing singles such as “Mi Gran Pasión,” “Viejo Bolero” (feat. Bhietxa), “Te Quiero, Te Adoro,” “Piel Canela” (feat. Jill Peacock), and “Quédate Conmigo Esta Noche.” He is also a member of the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop at Fordham University, where he composes new works for jazz orchestra; a guitarist and vocalist with Trio Caliente, performing throughout the United States, including Carnegie Hall (2023); and a charango player/vocalist with Eclectic Charango Beats, whose EP Desierto Incierto has been presented at venues such as Sony Hall and SOB’s.

As a collaborator, he has worked with José Luis “Cheo” Pardo, Alea, Felipe Fournier, Erni Lu, the metal band Non Residents, and the Chilean ensembles Los Sayas and Huari. His projects have taken him to festivals and cultural events in Chile, the United States, Bolivia, and Peru, including performances at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.

Schnake holds a master’s degree in Jazz Studies from New York University, where he studied with renowned musicians such as John Scofield, Peter Bernstein, Adam Rogers, Alan Ferber, Gil Goldstein, and Alan Broadbent, and also served as an adjunct guitar instructor. His work as an educator continues as an instructor at Sage Music, in his private studio, and through community-based music workshops, sharing knowledge and a deep love for folklore and Latin American music.

Find him at benjaschnake.com, @benjaschnake, Spotify, and Apple Music.

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