Gary Ryan is one of the world's leading classical guitarists. He has been captivating audiences with his exceptional virtuosity and creative genius for over a decade, winning universal critical acclaim for his formidable blend of flawless technique, profound musical artistry and highly varied concert programmes.
Gary Ryan and I have been working together for 12 years and this collaboration has resulted in the successful development of my Lattice model guitars now known amongst players as the ´Gary Ryan model´!
”I have the pleasure of owning 2 cedar top Stephen Hill guitars and have been exclusively using his instruments in concert since 2001. They are truly remarkable guitars with fantastic projection and an amazing range and depth of colour. They also feel so nice to play and look beautiful. People are always coming up to me after recitals and asking about them. Stephen is a great maker to work with and I would highly recommend him to anybody."
DECLAN ZAPALA
Described by BBC Radio 3’s Max Reinhardt as “virtuosic and committed, with stunning sonic awareness”, Declan Zapala was born into a musical family in Watford in 1985 and first started learning the guitar at the age of 10. In his subsequent 20 years as a guitarist, he has performed on BBC Four television, as well as BBC Radio 3, and has performed internationally, achieving great success as a solo artist for his unique and innovative classical & percussive guitar concerts. Declan regularly performs at international Fringe festivals, and has received numerous ★★★★★ reviews worldwide for his sell-out solo shows.
Declan plays 2 Hill guitars, a 1a Concert guitar in Cedar and Madagasgar rosewood and a !a Fusion spruce and Cocobolo.
Kai Narezo
I met Kai back in 1988 in Cordoba Spain where we were both on a Flamenco course. Afterwards we travelled in my 2cv and tools around southern Spain, ending up in Granada where years later we would both end of living and staying for a while. On my return to the UK Kai purchased my number 8 guitar that he still plays today!
A little about Kai.
Kai Narezo is a Los Angeles based Flamenco guitarist whose background includes study both in the caves of Sacromonte in Granada and at the Berklee College of Music in the states . He has been fortunate to have studied with some of the top guitarists in both countries., and is now himself a much sought after performer and teacher. Kai has performed throughout the U.S. as well as in Spain, Japan, Russia, Mexico and Canada. He has also put in thousands of hours of Tablao playing and is equally comfortable in the most intimate settings as on the concert stage.
He is the driving force behind the exceelent Flamenco onlne courses FLAMENCOEXPLAINED
Kai says about his Hill guitars:
In the 25 years since I started playing I've bought and sold countless guitars (Condes, Ramirez, Reyes, you name it), but the one guitar I've refused to part with is my Stephen Hill flamenco (#8). Last year I sent it to Stephen to have it refinished, as it gets a lot of play, and it was pretty much destroyed during the shipping (reminder to insure your instruments). After we both freaked out, Stephen managed to salvage the back and the neck, along with the original bridge and rosette, but he had to add new sides and a new top. Seems like more trouble than it may have been worth, but the guitar has been with me throughout my career and I couldn't bear parting with it, so Stephen did the restoration, or resurrection, of the guitar, and the result is spectacular. It's one of the best guitars I've ever played.