hago welcomes you!
"Let hago change your perception of Classical Guitar forever"

Hampshire Guitar Orchestra » Meet hago

hago with alto and bass guitar orchestra guitars

hago (hay'go ) defn : to "have a good one"
the hampshire guitar orchestra's motto!

Meet hago

Our Musical Director Derek Hasted writes...

"Hello - welcome to hago.org.uk, our award-winning website!
We're amateur guitarists from Hampshire, Surrey & Sussex enjoying something really unusual. We play 4 different sizes of Guitar, like the different sizes in a recorder consort, brass band or string quartet. We're one of only a few true guitar orchestras with a unique sound you can hear online.

We rehearse at Lovedean in South East Hampshire; we're always looking for players to join us.

hago plays Concerts - many raise funds for charities - we hope to see you at one!"

hago was formed in 1999 and has become a tight-knit group of players with a reputation for putting on concerts packed with exciting music and presented with a real sense of fun.

 

Enjoyable and entertaining concerts

Our concerts always include a huge variety of styles. Listen to audio clips of us live. Watch us on video.
We love playing to audiences unfamiliar with the Classical Guitar and then surprising them! See photos in our gallery.

Come to a hago concert - you'll hear music from Early to Pop, from Classical to Jazz, from Stage to Film, from Renaissance to Reggae . . .
If there's one comment we often get at Concerts, it's "What an amazing sound - I didn't know guitars could sound like that"

Our different sizes of guitar free us from the limitations of pitch that constrain guitar ensembles. We aim to change our audience's perception about classical guitar!

 

The hago story so far . . .

2008 hago plays concerts to particularly appreciative audiences at HIADS and Waterlooville Music Festival
We add some exciting new pieces to our repertoire and some great jokes to back them up!
Our fundraising is up yet again to a new record - a massive £4463.09
2007 hago plays the Portsmouth Guildhall and 2 sell-out concerts
We improve our bass instruments with a Tornavoz and launch a Youth Scheme
Our fundraising is 43% up on 2006 - a massive £4157.43
2006 hago plays for Project Mali and the new Waterlooville Music Festival
Our fundraising is 46% up on 2005, totalling £2894.72
We welcome flautist Louise Harbert and 'cellist Gwen Treharne at rehearsal
2005 hago plays at the Birdman of Bognor and with Bruce Paine at St Agatha's Portsmouth
We move to Lovedean Village Hall, our new rehearsal venue, and present our first Long Service Awards
2004 hago plays at the International Guitar Festival at Bath and with Amanda Cook and West Sussex Guitar Club
Our outreach gathers speed with music at Hale Court and QA Hospital
We hold our first Open Rehearsal, welcoming local players for an evening of music-making and fun
2003 hago wins the Guitar Orchestra of Great Britain competition
We hold our first "Rehearsital" - part rehearsal/part recital - at The Rowans Hospice
Our website includes a new "News" section
2002 hago shares a Concert with Cambridge Guitar Orchestra - now an annual tradition
Our website now includes a shop
2001 hago wins the Guitar Ensemble section at 2 Festivals, Portsmouth and Chichester
We celebrate the arrival of our first contra guitar - our 4 sizes of guitar are here!
2000 hago's website is launched - our outreach begins
Our repertoire grows to 32 concert items and 6 Christmas pieces
We add percussion to some items; in April our requinto becomes an alto guitar!
1999 hago meets with 12 founder members - the journey begins on 25th February
In September we acquire our first 2 Niibori guitars - a requinto and a bass
Our first two concerts raise £1601 for good causes locally