hago welcomes you!
"Let hago change your perception of Classical Guitar forever"
Hampshire Guitar Orchestra » Meet hago
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!
- Download our free trios
- Visit our shop and buy professionally published collections of ensemble music - try before you buy.
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 |
- For hago players only - there are details of all past concerts & events in our members scrapbook.