Zachary Seifert-Ponce started playing classical guitar when he lived in Orange County, in what he called a dangerous neighborhood. A quiet friend who surprised him with his soulful playing first inspired Mr. Seifert-Ponce to play, but he dove deeper when he was about 14. Though he briefly enrolled at Tomales High when he moved to Inverness with his dad—who started practicing reflexology on workers at West Marin ranches—he soon returned to his troubled neighborhood. “That’s when I really started playing my instrument… I grew up in a violent neighborhood. It was not a good idea to go outside,” he said. He studied classical guitar and composition at Pacific Union College in Napa, from which he recently graduated. His grandmother, who bought him his first instrument in the hopes of having a guitarist in the family, is pleased that he has made it so far, he said. These days he splits his time between Inverness and Davis while playing at a long list of venues and events like Tony’s Seafood Restaurant, the Point Reyes Farmers Market and the Mesa Refuge. He will have his first solo concert in West Marin on July 9 at the Dance Palace, an event that will raise money to help him pay off his student debt, where he will perform pieces by classical composers from around the globe as well as one of his own compositions, called “Purple Lilies.” He says he has a “late-Romantic harmonic sensibility,” and his works are infused by South American-inspired rhythm. He names Astor Piazzolla, a 20th-century Argentine composer, as a major influence. “What I get from this composer is how to make music sound like chocolate and wine. Because so much music sounds square. What gives chocolate that ‘ooh’ factor and wine the ‘aah’ factor?” Zachary Seifert-Ponce plays at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 9 in the Dance Palace Church Space. Tickets are by donation.
Classical guitarist to make debut solo performance
