Classical guitarist Jason Vieaux mixes styles in program

Crafting a program as a solo instrumentalist may be nearly as challenging as the actual performance of the program.

In the case of classical guitarist Jason Vieaux, a number of variables comes into play, starting with whether he has previously performed in a particular venue.

“They often have small, intimate audiences that remember each thing you’ve played,” said Vieaux in a telephone interview from Cleveland, where he is head of the guitar department at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He will perform in Sarasota on March 26 as part of GuitarSarasota’s International Classical Guitar Series.

Jason Vieaux

Vieaux’s parents live here, so he’s a frequent guest of GuitarSarasota. He prides himself on assembling an entirely new program each time he’s here.

“Also, I like a varied program, music from a lot of different styles, but I try to have pieces that are congruent with each other or even have hidden threads from time to time, things that connect them in certain ways within the program, even though stylistically the pieces may not be connected.”

For example, Quatra Pieces Breves by Frank Martin is “a 12-tone, serialized work, but it’s shaped in an homage to a Baroque suite,” said Vieaux, connecting it to Bach’s Lute Suite No. 3, BWV 995. Albeniz’s “Asturias,” from Suite Espa