Guitar Sessions: Kim Perlak featuring David Tronzo and Francisco Mela with Special Guest Wendy Jehlen

Kim Perlak’s inclusive approach to classical guitar embraces new music. Her performances and recordings have been featured on National Public Radio, at the Yale Guitar Extravaganza, and at Boston GuitarFest. The Austin-American Statesman praised her playing as “thoughtful, enchanting, vivid…a songwriter’s circle without the lyrics.” She holds degrees from the University of Texas at Austin, Yale University School of Music, and Stetson University. Perlak is the chair of Berklee's Guitar Department. 

David Tronzo is a master slide guitarist, improviser, and composer. He has been voted among the Top 100 Guitarists of the 20th Century and the Top Ten Jazz Guitarists by Musician Magazine, as well as Best Guitarist in NYC by the New York Press. Tronzo was one of 30 musicians worldwide to receive a nomination for the CalArts Alpert Award in the Arts for music.

Francisco Mela is a master drummer in the avant-garde and jazz styles, as well as a composer, improviser, collaborator, and leader. His vision for texture, color, and space in his music has led to collaborations with Chucho Valdés, Joe Lovano, Kenny Barron, McCoy Tyner, Lionel Loueke, and John Scofield. He has recorded five albums as a leader. 

Special guest Wendy Jehlen is the artistic director of the ANIKAYA Dance Theater. Her creative work in modern dance and cultural exploration has led to international collaborations in dance diplomacy and grant funding from the Doris Duke Foundation, Theatre Communications Group, the Japan Foundation, and the Boston Foundation. She is a Fulbright Scholar and an arts envoy of the U.S. Department of State.  

Perlak, Tronzo, and Mela serve on the Berklee faculty, where Perlak is chair of guitar and Tronzo and Mela are professors of guitar and percussion.