GFA Youth Division Winner, Saki Kato Plays Hill Signature

I was pleased to exhibit in the Guitar Foundation of America festival in San Francisco this past August. A lot of good things happened, but I have to tell you about one thing in particular. Saki Kato came with her parents from Tokyo to compete in the under 14 year-old division. I was delighted to meet her because I was aware that she plays on a Signature Model guitar of mine that she acquired in Japan a few years ago. I had heard of her when I was in Tokyo last year, but we were unable to get together then.

Saki is 11 years old and has been playing since she was about 3. During the last four years she's been studying with the great guitarist Shin Ichi Fukuda, He was one of the featured performers in the GFA this year, and probably because he was going to be there, he encouraged her to come and compete.

Fukuda is a great player, a great personality, and obviously a great teacher, and it was a pleasure to hear him play and get to know him a bit as well.

Saki is small and shy, and speaks almost no English. When she sat down to play, the guitar looked big for her, but when she actually started playing everything transformed. She completely commands the instrument. There's nothing she can't do - effortlessly. I was amazed, and so was anyone within ear-shot.

On Saturday night it was announced that she was in the finals, and I knew I had to be there. So at 9:00 Sunday morning I made it to Herbst Theater to hear the junior finals.

Unbelievable! She played the Grand Solo by Sor and Fuoco by Roland Dyans, and she dominated the music and the room. The shy young girl who was staying up past her bed time the night before, was now a fully poised and confident virtuoso, but not just a virtuoso, an artist. Her playing and interpretation was flawless, and later that Sunday when the results were announced the judges agreed. They awarded her not only first place, but they announced that she also achieved the first-ever perfect competition score!

I was so proud of her, and thrilled to have been there. I was proud of my guitar under her hands as well. I look forward to hearing her magnificent playing many times in the future. At 11 years old I don't know how she can plan for the future, really, but she has a talent that is without peer. I can't wait to see where it goes.


Kenny Hill with Shin Ichi Fukuda.

The Romeros Concert in Carmel October 4

The Romeros Guitar Quartet
Saturday, October 4, 2008 8PM
Sunset Center, Carmel

Kenny will be showing guitars at this event, including the Signature and Signature Stand-up model. Please contact the Carmel Music Society for more information.

Tickets: $62, $52, $20[student] You can call [831] 625-9938

Kenny Hill Plays Santa Clara

Kenny will be playing a Spruce double top Signature Stand up model at

Doug Young's Acoustic Guitar Night

September 7, 2008 7PM

Mission Coffee Roasting Company
2221 The Alameda, Santa Clara, CA
Directions & Map

Kenny Hill @ GFA San Francisco

Tues., August 5 - Sun., August 10, 2008
San Francisco, California
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
and Veteran's War Memorial Building


For those of you unfamiliar with the GFA International Convention, if you are at all interested in classical guitar, you need to know about this. If you live in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, you need to attend. There will be many guitar builders showing their works, along with associated vendors, competitions, performances, lectures, masterclasses.... lots of activities.

We, of course, would like you to visit with Kenny and try our Standup and Standard Signature model[s]. Kenny will also have Torres 1856, Rodriguez and Hauser '37 available at the show.

From the GFA website:

The beautiful new facilities at the San Francisco Conservatory will be used for the competition and the evening concerts, and the elegant and classic San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center, a few blocks away, will serve as the central location for most of the daytime activities. Both facilities are located within a few minutes walk from a variety of hotels, in the heart of beautiful downtown San Francisco.

Richard Patterson, Director of the highly successful Omni Concert Series, will serve as Convention Director and Co-Artistic Director. Renowned guitarist and Chair of the Conservatory Guitar Department, David Tanenbaum will serve as Co-Artistic Director with Mr. Patterson.

We are excited to welcome some new faces to the convention, wonderful artists who are not seen often in the US, some artists who you may not have heard of but whose music we are confident will move you, and artists who are seen frequently touring in and out of the US, including Dusan Bogdanovic, City of Sao Paulo String Quartet, Thibault Cauving, Zoran Dukic, José Antonio Escobar, Shin-Ichi Fukuda, Boris Gaquere, Antoine Garth, Viviana Guzman, Aaron Jay Kernis, Pablo Márquez, Duo Melis, Gyan Riley, Terry Riley, Hopkinson Smith, Raphaella Smits, Pavel Steidl, Anja Strauss, Axel Strauss, David Tanenbaum, Marc Teicholz, Aliéksey Vianna, Xuefei Yang, San Francisco Conservatory Guitar Ensemble.

ALMANOVA plays SIGNATURE at NAMM

NAMM SHOW, ANAHEIM, CA January 17-20, 2008

Almer Imamovic, Classical guitarist, and member of the ALMANOVA DUO, recently chose a Hill Standup Signature model as his performance guitar. He played it with Jessica Pierce, flutist, at the NAMM show in two booths. Tornavoz music booth #5894 and Gemstone booth January 17, 18 and 19 at 11AM and 1:30PM booth 3512.

AlmaNova is a talented, classically trained flute and guitar duo presenting an eclectic program of styles from music all over the world. Each of these diverse musicians has been trained in the classical tradition while exploring other types of music. This great love of all musical genres shines through to their audience by way of dynamic performances and mesmerizing stage presence. AlmaNova has traveled all over the world playing their unique blend of music from the Balkans, Spain, Latin America, and the British Isles.

Hill Guitar at the NAMM Show

Please visit us at the Anaheim Namm show January 17-20, 2008 our booth #1421. We'll have a selection of SIGNATURE guitars, including the Standup model, a variety of Master Series models including Rodriguez, Torres and Reyes, the new FUSION Crossover and many more. Please contact us if you'd like to make an appointment with Kenny.

Hill Guitars in LA - GFA Convention

We'll be exhibiting guitars at GFA International Convention and Competition 2007

It's being held:
Cal State Dominguez Hills
Los Angeles, California
Tuesday, October 16 -
Sunday, October 21, 2007

More information about the event, directions, etc etc.

This is a good opportunity for Los Angeles area players to check out some of our models not available through our Southern California dealers. These will include Signature models, Panormo, Rodriguez, Reyes, Torres and a variety of New World guitars.

If there's a guitar in which you are interested, or if you'd like to make an appointment to see Kenny, please give us a call at the shop. 800 262-8858

Hill Guitars in Santa Maria, CA La Guitarra California

Kenny is planning on showing guitars at the La Guitarra California show in Santa Maria, CA September 21, 22, 23.

More information about the show can be found here :La Guitarra California

Since 1999, La Guitarra California has become one of the premier classical guitar festivals in the United States with ever increasing international interest.

The 2007 Festival will be a true "Celebration of Guitar" -- we'll present 23 highly acclaimed artists performing in 14 separate events in three days!

There will be eleven major concerts, three Masterclasses, a very unusual lecture, a guitar "silent-auction", dozens of luthiers exhibiting their instruments and the famous Forderer Collection of Rare and Historical Guitars will be on public display.

We're planning on having a Spruce Indian Signature, at least one Signature stand-up model, Spruce Brazilian Signature, Rodriguez, Reyes, Ruck, Torres and a sampling of New World models.

If you'd like to make an appointment with Kenny, or if you'd like to try a specific model, please contact us, and we'll do what we can.