Take a journey through the evolution of musical colour, featuring Simon Farintosh‘s innovative arrangements for guitar. The program pairs the delicate Impressionism of Ravel and Debussy with Alexander Scriabin’s piano preludes, reimagined to exploit the guitar’s natural penchant for tonal colour. Traditional masterworks are juxtaposed with the atmospheric textures of electronic pioneer Aphex Twin, and the vivid, celestial imagery of Takashi Yoshimatsu’s Sky Color Tensor, offering a unique bridge between 19th-century romanticism and the sonic landscapes of today.
 

---

 

Recital Program

Intermission

 

---

 

 

---

 
Simon Farintosh is an award-winning guitarist, composer, and educator based in Victoria, British Columbia. Named one of CBC’s “30 Under 30 Classical Musicians” in 2023, he has distinguished himself through unconventional programming that integrates the classical guitar with contemporary forms such as ambient electronica. This innovative approach is best highlighted by his multi-volume series, Aphex Twin for Guitar—a project that reimagines the intricate works of electronic legend Richard D. James for the nylon string. By successfully bridging these seemingly disparate musical worlds, Simon has reached a vast global audience, amassing over 3 million streams on Spotify to date.

These arrangements have earned significant praise from both classical and electronic music circles. Marc Weidenbaum, founder of Disquiet and author of the 33 1/3 book on Aphex Twin, lauded the project for its ability to translate mechanical precision into a “living, breathing human element,” creating a “shimmering, 4-dimensional soundworld” that transcends the boundaries of acoustic and electronic music. Reviewing the same project, Bradford Werner of This is Classical Guitar praised Simon’s “warm, sensitive sound and strong rhythmic delivery,” noting that these “touching and intricate works showcase his refined virtuosity and a sophisticated command of the instrument’s tonal possibilities.”

This evocative quality reached a new peak with the 2023 release of his debut studio album, Noctuary, a set of brooding vignettes composed specifically for the solo eight-string guitar. Critics at Sinusoidal Music highlighted the profound emotional impact of the collection, remarking: “It is heart-warming, yet tells of a sadness inside you that can be reached without words. Simply gorgeous.” In addition to his solo output, Simon was recently featured on the Navona Records album Filamentos, performing the works of Dominican-Canadian composer Liova Bueno.

Simon’s academic journey began at the University of Victoria under the revered pedagogue Dr. Alexander Dunn. He subsequently earned a Master’s Degree at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2020, where he was a student and teaching assistant to Rene Izquierdo, a renowned Cuban virtuoso. Currently, Simon is finishing a Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of Toronto under the tutelage of Jorge Caballero and Dr. Jeffrey McFadden. His doctoral research is dedicated to devising a comprehensive sight-reading curriculum for undergraduate guitar students.

A decorated performer, Simon won 1st Prize at the 2018 Northwest Guitar Festival and has been a finalist or prizewinner in the Canadian National Music Festival, the GuitarLab International Competition, and the Twisted Spruce Guitar Competition. As a composer, he received First Prize in the 2022 Ottawa Guitar Society Composition Competition for his piece, Distant Light, published by Les Productions d’Oz.

Beyond the stage, Simon leads the guitar department at the University of Victoria and operates ReVamp Guitar Academy. As President of the Victoria Guitar Society and founder of Coastline Concerts, he is a leading arts advocate; in 2026, he served as Festival Director for the Northwest Guitar Festival, marking the event’s first return to Canada in decades.

Simon performs on a 2025 double-top guitar by Martin Blackwell and a 2021 eight-string guitar by Jeff Sigurdson.