By STEVEN JUPITER
BRANDON—If you walked into the ballroom at the Brandon Inn last Friday evening, you would’ve heard Ana Guigui at the Steinway piano leading her audience through a range of expertly rendered classics by Simon & Garfunkel, Carole King, Billy Joel, Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, and even Journey.
It was only the second weekend of a new feature at the Inn: a musical salon on Friday and Saturday nights. These evenings are being hosted by Ms. Guigui, a musician and actress who is a professor of voice at Berklee College of Music in Boston and has worked with Grammy-winning artists such as Christopher Cross.
Guigui was born into a musical family with ties to Vermont. Her father, Efrain Guigui, was originally from Argentina but became the conductor of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, which he led for 25 years. Ana grew up in Middlebury and Essex Junction before heading to college at UVM, where she became involved in the local music scene and got to know the members of Phish. She eventually received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Southern California as well.
Yet, Vermont beckoned.
“Three or four weeks ago, I was visiting an old friend in Brandon,” said Guigui in a recent conversation. “I was telling her that I wanted to create a ‘salon’ somewhere, to create a community where people could get together and sing. She immediately suggested we walk over to the Brandon Inn and meet Sid.”
“Sid” is Isidro Beccar Varela, a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina who bought the Inn two years ago with his wife, Carolina.
“I thought, ok, we’ll go over there and I’ll pitch myself to Sid,” recalled Guigui. “As soon as we walked in, I saw that grand Steinway and thought, ‘Oh my God, this place is amazing.’”
The two Argentinians hit it off, with Ana playing tango for Sid on the Steinway.
“Everyone got excited by the possibilities,” said Guigui.
“Ana is an accomplished artist who not only creates exquisite music but also brings enthusiasm and charm, fostering a delightful atmosphere that unites everyone for an evening of joy and sophistication,” said Sid.
Ana’s first event at the Inn—Father’s Day—was a success and she and Sid decided to try out Friday and Saturday nights. The evening is arranged so that from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Ana “freestyles” at the piano, playing and singing a mix of original compositions and known pieces in her own lovely, sweet voice. Then from 8 to 9:30 she plays songs intended to be sung together with the audience. Individual audience members are welcome to stand at the piano to sing solo as well.
Rock, pop, folk, R & B…Guigui is comfortable playing across multiple genres. And if she doesn’t already know the requested song, she’ll pull up the chord chart on her iPad and wing it along with the audience, as she capably proved a few times last weekend.
The hope is to create a space where people feel comfortable dropping in for a drink, listening to some great music, and perhaps even singing along. Themed nights, such as “Spanish night,” are in the planning stages as well.
“Vermont is such a great place for artists,” said Guigui, who spends half the week here and half in Boston. “I’ve had a great career. I’ve done a lot of what I set out to do professionally. I want to build a community now. Let’s create something.”
Guigui will host these evenings in the ballroom of the Brandon Inn every Friday and Saturday from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Admission is free. Food and drinks are available at the Inn’s bar.
