For classical guitar prodigy Chaconne Klaverenga, putting on a show for her hometown is an appreciated change from her typical touring schedule.
“It was great,” she said Sunday. “It was different because so many people I know said they would be coming to see me play, so it wasn’t so bad.”
Hundreds of people packed Purdue University’s Loeb Playhouse to be a part of the 17-year-old’s first big Lafayette-area show in more than two years.
West Lafayette’s Diego Solis said it was worth the wait.
“She’s amazing,” Solis said after the show. “If you close your eyes when you listen to her play, you’d think it was a CD. She doesn’t make mistakes or play any wrong notes.”
Named after Johann Sebastian Bach's “Chaconne in D-minor,” Klaverenga started playing piano as a toddler and began guitar lessons with her parents at age 6.
The daughter of Jim Klaverenga of Klaverenga Guitar & Piano Studio, she became attracted to the instrument because of how often she heard it at home.
By age 14, Klaverenga was traveling the world and earning honors in prominent international competitions. To date, she holds 10 national and international classical guitar championship titles.
In 2009, she was featured in a duet with maestro JoAnn Faletta and the Buffalo, N.Y., Philharmonic on National Public Radio’s “From the Top” program. While still a high school student, she became the youngest collegiate division winner in the history of the Society of American Musicans’ Classical Guitar Competition in Chicago.
On Sunday, Klaverenga put on a show comprised of songs from her two CDs — “Debut” and “Chaconne plays the Chaconne and Spanish Favorites” — as well as new Spanish, Italian and Turkish guitar pieces picked up from her Chicago-based guitar teacher, Denis Azabagic.
Klaverenga said she dedicated 4 1/2 hours of practice to Sunday’s show.
“I usually try to get in five hours before a performance, but I’ve been really busy the last few weeks,” she said.
Martin Jacobs of Lafayette said Klaverenga seemed calm and natural on stage.
For Klaverenga, the best part of the show is stepping back onto the stage for the encore.
“I’m glad that so many people came. They showed a lot of appreciation for classical guitar music,” she said. “It’s a big help to me.”
