ʻATENISI INSTITUTE

In late 2015, ‘Atenisi dux graduate Salise Faiva’ilo redeemed a postgraduate tuition scholarship at the University of Wroclaw in southwest Poland ... and soon found himself coached by the celebrated Polish guitarist, Maestro Anna Pietrzak. This past August the ‘Atenisi community witnessed the results of this meticulous training, as the young musician held his audience spellbound whilst executing a diverse repertoire of classical and flamenco pieces.

The programme began simply enough with a charming Bach prelude written for the cello. But with a Handel sarabande, Cordoso tango, and Albéniz leyenda, the scores became increasingly frenetic, requiring deft fingering on the part of the performer. And by the time the guitarist capped his concert with two rousing flamenco numbers by Spanish composer Paco Peña, he'd achieved an artistic triumph.

Ironically, Salise's focus had been on social science rather than music whilst an undergraduate. Yet he doesn’t regret the choice: “My professors at ‘Atenisi alerted me to the interplay of dominant and underlying themes,” he told friends afterwards. “And that's come in handy when interpreting complex composition.”