
ERNST
BIRSS
classical guitarist
Ernst Birss is a classical guitarist and guitar teacher from
Edmonton, Alberta. His many performances in the Edmonton area
include concerts for the McDougall Music Wednesdays at Noon
series and the Edmonton Classical Guitar Society’s main series.
He has given the Classical Guitar Society of Calgary’s annual
"Alberta Showcase" concert, and has appeared on the
Wednesdays@Winspear series in a guitar trio concert with Trevor
Sanders and David Grainger Brown that was later broadcast on the
CBC Radio program Our Music. The trio were invited guests at the
Northwest Guitar Festival in Calgary and have performed for the
St. Albert Chamber Music Recital Series
In recent years Ernst has worked extensively with soprano
Merrill Tanner. Ernst and Merrill have performed for various
concert presenters and festivals, including the Music Wednesdays
at Noon series, the St. Albert Chamber Music Recital Series, the
Arts Jasper series in Jasper, Alberta, the Edmonton Classical
Guitar Society's main concert series, and the concert series at
the Shurniak Gallery in Assiniboia, Saskatchewan.
Ernst Birss is a first prize winner in the Northwest Guitar
Competition, an annual event open to classical guitarists from
Western Canada and the American Pacific Northwest. He was also a
performer in the 20th annual Christopher Parkening Masterclass
in Bozeman, Montana, and was one of the students chosen to play
in the masterclass recital at Reynolds Hall. He has been
adjudicator at the Grant MacEwan Conservatory's Fall Music
Festival, the St. Albert Rotary Music Festival, the Red Deer
Music Festival and the Canadian Music Competition national
auditions. He performs frequently at weddings, receptions and
other special occasions in the Edmonton area, and has also been
vice-president and president of the Edmonton Classical Guitar
Society.