Classical Guitar Notes November 2025
Dear Friends, Family, and Classical Guitar fans,
Details of my next concert follow this brief update:
When last we left off, it was 2024 and I’d just returned home from my tour of CO, NM, and TX, only to head out on continuous travel engagements for performances (and sometimes for fun) till the Fall of ’25. It’s been fantastic momentum, adding the right kind of positive chaos in a year that has often seemed filled with the opposite kind.
Classical Guitar in Santa Fe at the Governor's Mansion
It seems I have one foot in Colorado and always one foot somewhere else, whether it is Chicago, El Paso, Santa Fe, or Mexico City. In my travels I had the pleasure of playing my guitar at the New Mexico Governor’s Mansion as part of a fund raising event for my Alma Mater, New Mexico Highlands University. Governor Lujan-Grisham spoke to the crowd on the subject of education and our state’s pioneering efforts to offer free undergraduate tuition and free childcare to all NM residents. She also talked about the importance of access to higher education provided by smaller local institutions like NMHU, community colleges, and open enrollment schools. For myself, if not for these schools, my life might be completely different right now. The opportunity they gave me set me on this path I’m on today. Listening to the governor and the other speakers at the event evoked a strong sense of pride for my communities, those in New Mexico and those that I belong to in Colorado and elsewhere. There is incredible value in local investment and compassion. I believe this wild notion doesn't need to be uniquely New Mexican.
Music and Fundraising in Chicago
In September, I also travelled to Chicago (the day after the event in Santa Fe) where my brother, Philip, and I hosted a fundraising event for Compassionate Care ALS, an organization that provides guidance, support, and medical resources for patients suffering from ALS. I played classical guitar for the crowd of about 50 people during the silent auction. The auction included contributions from friends and family: guitar lessons, 3d printed art, marathon training, wine tastings and food tours, and even the highest priced item, a hand drawn comic book, “Bird Race,” written and illustrated by my 8 year old niece. We were happy to see an enthusiastic turn out of our community there, plus some new friends who attended in solidarity with their loved ones affected by the disease. The work is never finished and our small victory with this fundraiser is inspiration to make this an annual event. Though that fundraising effort has ended, anyone interested can donate to CCALS via their website: https://ccals.org
Denver's Newest Classical guitar Studio | Denver's Santa Fe Arts District
Also this past September, another major update: I relocated to a new artist/teaching studio in Denver’s Santa Fe Arts District! This incredible new space is in a mixed use building of studios and live/work spaces, populated by a colorful array of artists, from dancers to photographers, martial artists to a lone classical guitarist. My students have been delighted to meet me in this eclectic building we call 910Arts; it’s always busy with patrons of the courtyard cafe or those passing through to a class or creative endeavor. My brother (and frequent collaborator) Mark visited this past weekend and we put together a performance video of “Cancion” by Antonio Lauro, which gives a rough idea of the space.
I’ll be using the studio for private lessons and monthly group classes, rehearsals and videos, as well as semi-monthly chamber music concerts. The concerts are to be donation based and will feature performances by me and a variety of musicians from Colorado and New Mexico. These will also coincide with 3rd Friday on Santa Fe, an open studio/art-walk event sponsored by Denver’s Art District on Santa Fe. Which brings me to the concert information below:
Concert Info
My first open-studio concert will be December, 19, 2025 @ 7pm and it will be my final performance of the “Registro” program I’d performed since summer of ’24. The set features music by Antonio Lauro, Eduardo Sainz de la Maza, Manuel Ponce, and J.S. Bach. All are welcome to attend, but space is limited. Reservations can be made here: https://craigwinston.net/event/6317106/740916380/registro-recital-finale-third-friday-open-studio
I’m thrilled to welcome you all to my new space and share this set of classical guitar music with you one last time before embarking on another journey with new selections for 2026.
Best,
Craig
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Craig Winston is a classical guitarist and teacher in Denver, CO. He holds a master of music degree from Lamont School of Music. He performs regularly in Colorado and New Mexico and is available to perform for concert and, events. He offers private guitar lessons in Denver's Santa Fe Arts District or online.