An American Story

  • Jun 18, 2026 by Aaron
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“nobody’s got a monopoly on the American story—in part because there is no single tale to be told.”
– The Arts Fuse on Guitar America 250

In the late 1800’s, my mother’s family escaped from pogroms in what is now Ukraine. Soon after, my father’s family emigrated from outside of Moscow, as Jewish families weren’t allowed to live in Russian cities without a permit. The latter came to the US through Baltimore, hence the C in Caplan and not K (see Declaration below). My mother’s family ended up in Colorado, one of the first Jews to own land in the State. My great-great grandfather Mendel “Max” Fisher was “pushed off” a Colorado cattle train and one relative ran the biggest brothel in Denver. My grandfather grew up poor in Denver, moving every few months to evade eviction. My mother and father met at college. My mother lives in Oregon and father in Colorado. I was born in Oklahoma. In August, I will have lived 30 years in Boston, 24 as a husband to Catherine, an immigrant.

It is my story. An American story. I love American stories. 

As I hear the noise in the world, I recognize shifts in higher education, the arts, and of course, politics. Sadly, I see a grand circling of the wagons both in large and small communities. I work for another outcome where we share our traditions, welcome each other over music, and break bread with good butter and excellent cheese.

As I tour Guitar America and share the stories of the composers featured, I learn stories from audience members, new to America and well seasoned. One thing I hold close to my heart: be elite, not elitist.

Though some disagree, this is the time to celebrate US history. Celebrate those who stood up before us against unjust laws, those who sacrificed for a greater good, and those alive today who inspire and protest – in all forms. I celebrate the premise and belief in an ideal, the USA, with recognizing and learning from where we fall short and our failures. 

As we’ve seen the arts weaponized, a very American thing to do, actively support American music and musicians, stand up for a neighbor (serve them some cider while welcoming them in), be an active and positive member of society, listen well…(American) Dream well

Declaration of Intention

A few years back, my aunt sent me a beautiful copy of the 1911 ‘Final Papers’ for my Great Grandfather, Charles Caplan, renouncing his allegiance to the Czar of Russia and becoming a US Citizen.

I celebrate the bravery of those who left their homes either for safety or a better future, and those who continue to do so. I read this document with great pride, it gives me chills, and have no intention of giving that away easily.

(Click to expand)

What’s your American story?

Read this on my new substack

REVIEW – The Arts Fuse

Thank you to The Arts Fuse and Jonathan Blumhofer for the insightful review of GUITAR AMERICA 250!

Read the review online: https://artsfuse.org/330293/classical-album-review-guitar-america-250-revolutionaries-and-rockstars/

BOSTON’S PREMIER ONLINE ARTS MAGAZINE

June 15, 2026|

By Jonathan Blumhofer

Guitarist Aaron Larget-Caplan’s ambitious survey reframes the American story through guitar, poetry, and protest.

Though it may sometimes seem otherwise, nobody’s got a monopoly on the American story—in part because there is no single tale to be told.

For proof of this, look no further than Aaron Larget-Caplan’s Guitar America 250: Revolutionaries and Rockstars. Bringing together 200+ years of song, verse, and musical experimentation, the album marks the nation’s semiquincentennial through, on the one hand, a warm dose of traditional patriotism. On the other, it embraces, sometimes with admirable subtlety, the United States’ heritage of dissent and protest. Along the way, it makes room for several unfamiliar voices (as well as some more familiar names) to speak, sometimes literally.

The latter emerge in the form of poetry interspersed between musical numbers. Those include Frances Ellen Watkins Harper’s “Songs for the People” and Walt Whitman’s “Proud Music of the Storm,” timely, aspirational texts read, respectively, by Trevor Neal and Charles Coe. An excerpt from John Cage’s “Mureau” (recited by Jeffrey Lependorf) meditates on the natural world, while Larget-Caplan’s reconfiguration of the Bill of Rights underlines some of the contradictions at the heart of the American experiment.

Far from disrupting the flow of the larger project, these spoken insertions tend to reinforce (and are reinforced by) the music surrounding them, most of which has been arranged by Larget-Caplan. “Songs for the People,” for instance, is framed by a pair of anthems—“The Star-Spangled Banner” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing”—and “America the Beautiful.” “Proud Music of the Storm” falls between Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America” and Paul Simon’s “America.” The Cage text is sandwiched between excerpts from the composer’s Apartment House 1776.

That much of the music is reflective in tone makes for a welcome corrective to the bombast and sentimentality that often accompanies July 4th celebrations. “God Bless America,” with its tremolo figurations, comes out particularly well. So—surprisingly enough—does the National Anthem. At the other end of the spectrum, Joseph Brackett’s “Simple Gifts” is unexpectedly robust and dance-like.

Larget-Caplan’s repertoire also mines some less expected terrain. You’d perhaps expect “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” or “America” (from West Side Story) to make appearances, and they do. But there’s also a rendition of George F. Root’s Civil War classic, “The Battle Cry of Freedom,” as well as a peppy arrangement of George M. Cohan’s “Over There.” Alan Hovhaness’s coyly limber Mystic Flute makes for an apt lead-in to Eddie Van Halen’s sweet, swaying 316.

A pair of works written for the guitarist—David Liptak’s Freight (after Elizabeth Cotton) and Ian Wiese’s Midnight Train—provide, respectively, some refreshing plays of dissonance and moments of hypnotic pause (the latter is, improbably, an homage to the Red Line’s Braintree jag). Meantime, Larget-Caplan and violinist Irina Muresanu deliver a beautiful account of Florence Price’s Adoration.

In all of his arrangements, Larget-Caplan’s command of both his instrument’s capabilities and his materials is first-rate. Nothing borders on predictable or cliché; harmonic turns and percussive effects in “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” are particularly ear-catching.

But nothing quite tops the guitarist’s reworkings of Cage’s bicentennial homage, whose adaptations of music by William Billings and James Lyon are radiant and haunting. Better than anything else here, these two tracks—“Judea” and “O Give Thanks”—call to mind the fragility of the American democratic experiment while also emphasizing its underlying resilience and endurance.

Jonathan Blumhofer is a composer and violist who has been active in the greater Boston area since 2004. His music has received numerous awards and been performed by various ensembles, including the American Composers Orchestra, Kiev Philharmonic, Camerata Chicago, Xanthos Ensemble, and Juventas New Music Group. Since receiving his doctorate from Boston University in 2010, Jon has taught at Clark University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and online for the University of Phoenix, in addition to writing music criticism for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.

Colorado and Oklahoma Concerts

  • Jun 16, 2026 by Aaron
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I’m excited to return to the Rocky Mountains for a series of concerts June 25-28 in Garfield County sponsored by the Garfield County Libraries. I’ll be performing music from my album Guitar America 250 with a couple of originals and ‘A Room’ by John Cage. All of the events are free and open to the public.

In Oklahoma, I’ll be taking part in the Leyenda Convention at Oklahoma City University with a recital on Wednesday July 1 at 3:30pm. Again, I’ll be performing music from my album Guitar America 250 with a couple of originals and ‘A Room’ by John Cage. This is ticketed: https://events.humanitix.com/leyenda-convention-aaron-larget-caplan-in-concert

The Leyenda Convention begins on June 29 and runs through July 2. Check it out at: https://www.leyenda-foundation.com/2025-convention-schedule

INTERVIEW – TheCommentary.ca

I had the pleasure of speaking with the podcast TheCommentary.ca earlier this month about GUITAR AMERICA 250. Based in British Columbia, Canadian, Joseph Planta asked me searching and relevant questions about the album and its relation to the state of the world and the Arts. Take a listen. (click any of the images below to listen)

Aaron Larget-Caplan

REVIEW – Take Effect Reviews

Aaron Larget-Caplan •

Guitar America 250
Navona, 2026

9/10

Listen to Guitar America 250

The always impressive guitarist, Aaron Larget-Caplan, celebrates 250 years of America with these primarily solo pieces that span traditionals as well as covers by artists as diverse as Paul Simon and Eddie Van Halen.

“‘America’ From West Side Story” opens with Larget-Caplan’s playful and intricate guitar that draws us in immediately, and it isn’t long until “America, The Beautiful” radiates much emotion and warmth.

Further along, Irina Muresanu’s stirring violin complements the sophisticated guitar across the intimate “Adoration”, while “Midnight Train” is strong on mood thanks to the meticulous guitar and bare moments.

Deeper still, “Mystic Flute, Op. 22”, the album’s best, showcases Larget-Caplan’s expressive and distinct playing, and on the last track, “Bill Of Rights, Amended”, he handles spoken word that’s a good reminder of what our actual rights are and will hopefully always be.

An effort that explores the ideals, contradictions, reinventions and dreams of the nation, other spoken word pieces by Charles Coe, Jeffrey Lependorf and Trevor Neal provide further insight into the artistry of this eloquent commemoration.

Travels well with: Aaron Larget-Caplan– Spanish Gems; Aaron Larget-Caplan– Spanish Candy

Read it on Take Effect: https://takeeffectreviews.com/march-2026-5/2026/3/28/aaron-larget-caplan

INTERVIEW – Be with the Guitar

I had the pleasure of speaking with Justin Lundstrom for HyperLocal Cape Cod about the album release concert at Wellfleet Preservation Hall on April 10. I don’t usually share concert preview articles, but I really enjoyed the discussion and the writing is so well done that I had to share. Cheers, Aaron

Be with the Guitar by Justin Lundstrom

Wellfleet Desk, Published April 7, 2026 • Article Link

With the kerfuffle at full volume as we carom toward our collective 250th birthday (all gas, no brakes), there’s real relief that even in our most critical hours, there’s still love and pride for what this country was – and could be. It’s even more pride inducing when that comes out of the arts, a faction who can go either way on the subject of the flag. Appreciate your spirit, Aaron.

Award-winning classical guitarist and composer Aaron Largen-Caplan (and proud Cherry Creek High School Hall of Famer) is touring his new album, GUITARIST AMERICA 250: REVOLUTIONARIES & ROCKSTARS. The program spans The Star-Spangled Banner, West Side Story, Battle Hymn of the Republic, and even a bit of John Cage, interwoven with spoken word elements.

For the sake of laying a foundation before we climb the radio tower (because that’s where the fun is), let’s meet Aaron: Colorado native, outdoorsman & athlete in his youth, who picked up the electric guitar at about 11 and made his way playing along with Van Halen, The Doors, and maybe even some Paul Simon CDs. In a late spring Spanish class his sophomore year, he came across Andres Segovia’s famous lines from Asturias (Leyenda) by Isaac Albéniz quoted by Krieger and The Doors on Spanish Caravan. Smart enough to figure out that they were quoting him and not the other way around, but not knowing it was originally for piano, he was turned to the Classical light.

Painting cupboards all summer to save money, he bought himself a Classical guitar and found a teacher to put him on the road. Soon he was listening to Beethoven regularly and, after playing some for his brother one day in the car, found a key to his personal playing in a simple take his brother gave him about the movements he just heard “that’s not classical, classical is boring – and that wasn’t boring.”

It seems like that is the same approach to Classical guitar Aaron’s still taking – he’s not interested in sanding down complexity, but he is committed to making sure it never feels like work for the listener. He’ll also cite his time in Speech and Debate with adding to that: yes, you have to win the debate and you’re seldom able to do that with boredom and dry complexity. Voila, the transitive property strikes again. The guitar as form has been refined from Rock & Roll to Classical and the performer’s stage presence the verbal and the cerebral to the aural and emotional. Load up for bear, the time is nigh.

Aaron finds himself in Boston for a short stint at BU before enrolling in, and eventually graduating from, the New England Conservatory. Not only does he secure the education that grants him his trade, and the opportunity to gig regularly (both of which are true), this is also when  he meets, and spends seven years studying privately with, what seems to be his most profound teacher and mentor: Dmitry Goryachev.

On the third floor of a triple decker tenement in Dorchester, Aaron studied with Goryachev and learned how to be with his instrument. And while Aaron did not explicitly tie this learning to be to the magic we’re about to discover on our climb through his antennae’s metal geometry growing out of this foundation, I would say the radio was fired up and tuned at about that time. All that was left was to be found working when the frequency came calling from without.

Magic Black

With the Spanish guitar as the root instrument for both classical and flamenco, there are practical similarities before the philosophical or temperamental differences begin to emerge en masse. Classical players often pursue an ideal sound, something they can reliably produce through hand position, touch, even nail length. Success, in that relationship between player and music, can be measured by fidelity to the source material.

Flamenco is concerned less with strict adherence and more with the living exchange between dancer, singer, and the guitarist’s playing. Interpretation opens up. The Spanish roots and traditions themselves are idiosyncratic, and the guitarist leans into percussion and rhythm as drivers, rather than space and composition. Aaron intimates that the animating spirit of flamenco, when the player is captured, overtaken by something outside themselves compelling their hands, the duende, as Federico García Lorca calls it, is essential to pure flamenco. And yet, he suggests, it is also available in classical guitar, especially in the works of one of his heroes, John Cage.

When considering how Aaron seems to have come across this phenomenon, the order of his experiences does offer the benefit of the doubt. First he immerses himself in classical and the pure skill and adherence to proper execution. Then, widening the lens to include Spanish & Flamenco while also equipped with form & ability as muscle memory, able to perform without thought but by feel, he’s accessible to that animating spirit, available to duende. I’ll bite.

But we’re not done; we need to complete the climb the to the peak of the receiver wire, where the wind will certainly wobble you, If classical addresses the relationship between the instrument and the written music, and Flamenco is concerned less with skill than the encounter’s chemistry between the dancer, the singer, and the guitarist’s playing, when Indian music is introduced, the Rasa rises up, concerning itself with the interplay not only of these available elements but now will incorporate the audience as participant.

Rasa translates as “flavor” or “taste” or “juice.” It IS the emotional or spiritual state that passes between the audience and the performer. The nine traditional rasas in Indian aesthetic theory: love, humor, sorrow, anger, heroism, fear, disgust, wonder, and peace/transcendence. When our man Aaron invokes the concept of Magical Black, he’s getting to a place where the performer, the performance, and the audience’s collective frequency (likely established through engagement & experience) align to the ultimate end of what can almost be described as molecular dissolve: all of the atomic points dissipate, leaving only the realized energy of the music, itself now greater than the sum of its, many parts.

Knowing this is Aaron Largen-Caplan’s goal, are you moved?

We will see you for seance this Friday night at 7p at the Wellfleet Preservation Hall.

•••

Listen to Aaron’s music on Spotify, READ more about his work, especially his New Lullaby Project HERE.

Guest Artists for Spoken Word

As GUITAR AMERICA 250 – REVOLUTIONARIES AND ROCKSTARS features spoken word by Trevor Neal, Charles Coe, Jeffrey Lependorf, and myself, I decided that the album release concerts should also feature spoken word. So, I invited poets, musicians, speakers, and writers to join me. I am honored by their trust and can’t wait to see what happens!
Learn about the artists by reading the brief biographies below.

The Concerts and Performers (click for links):

 

Poet-musician and friend, Charles Coe, passed away in November 2025. He and I had performed Words & Music programs many times for Convergence Ensemble over the last few years. We had planned to tour again this spring and summer, but it was not too be. Because of his loss and his immense presence works in his honor are on each program. 

Jeffrey Lependorf, April 11 & April 25 – Boston & Northampton, Mass.
Jeffrey Lependorf is a composer and visual artist, and is also a certified master of the shakuhachi, a traditional Japanese bamboo flute. In 2025 he became the director of the John Cage Trust. Lependorf’s music has been performed around the globe — literally, in fact: a recording of his Night Pond for solo shakuhachi was launched into space when the shuttle Atlantis took off on May 15, 1997 and remained for a year aboard the Russian space station Mir. Recently, he has made a return to his first love, visual art, focusing on collage. http://jeffreylependorf.com/

Jeannette de Beauvoir, April 10 – Wellfleet, Cape Cod, Mass.
Jeannette de Beauvoir is a poet and novelist who lives in Provincetown, on the tip of Cape Cod. She writes mystery and historical fiction, and her work has appeared in the Looking Glass Review, Avalon Literary Review, and the New England Review, among many others; she received the Mary Ballard Chapbook Prize and the Outermost Poetry Contest national award. More at jeannettedebeauvoir.com

Felice Coral, April 10 – Wellfleet, Cape Cod, Mass.
Host of Café Classical on WOMR Outer Cape Radio.
https://provincetownindependent.org/tag/felice-coral/

Trevor Neal, April 19 – Providence, Rhode Island
Hailed for his “extremely warm and rich baritone” by Opera News, GRAMMY®-nominated Trevor Neal (he/him) has built an exciting international career that makes him a favorite among audiences in the United States, Europe, Asia, and South America. A 2018 Metropolitan Opera National Council Audition award winner and finalist, Neal has performed leading and supporting roles with renowned companies such as New York City Opera, The Dallas Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Sarasota Opera, Virginia Opera, and Opera San José. 

Lloyd Schwartz, April 14 – Boston, Mass.
Lloyd Schwartz is currently Somerville’s Poet Laureate, for which he has been awarded a major fellowship from the Academy of American Poets. His latest book, “Who’s on First? New and Selected Poems,” is published by the University of Chicago Press. His work has been selected for “The Best American Poetry,” “The Best of the Best American Poetry,” and the Pushcart Prize, and he is the recipient of a 2019 Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship for his poetry. The longtime classical music critic for NPR’s Fresh Air, he was also the classical music editor of The Boston Phoenix, for which he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1994. He is the Frederick S. Troy Professor of English Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

Jonathan Blake, April 30 – Southbridge, Mass.
Jonathan Blake has been following the gospel of his heart his entire life. Writer, educator, arts organizer, he makes his home in central Massachusetts. His book of poems, In the Kingdom, can be found at lostvalleypress.com, local independent bookstores, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Julia Hesse, May 3 – Astoria, Oregon
Julia Hesse has lived in Astoria for nine years. She works to weave together a sense of community, an awareness of our shared humanity, and a deep belonging within the wider web of the living world. Music has been a lifelong source of inspiration and comfort for her. She is the director of Vocal Uprising, a community-powered chorus that brings people together to raise their voices in service of action, courage, and joy. She offers this poem as another small act of connection—a testament to the power of music and song to soothe, strengthen, and guide us forward. Julia is also a semi-retired tarot teacher and reader. Learn more at www.juliahesse.com.

Patrick Webb, May 3 – Astoria, Oregon
Patrick Webb is the retired managing editor of The Astorian who will celebrate 50 years in newspaper journalism in July. He is an occasional actor in plays at the PAC and most recently at the Ten Fifteen Theater in Astoria where three of his four characters in “Macbeth” were slaughtered. From his childhood in England until now, he has embraced a lifelong love of words and is delighted to be sharing one of Walt Whitman’s pieces, “Proud Music of the Storm.” It was written in 1869.

Richard Hoffman, May 15 – Dorchester, Mass.
Richard Hoffman is the author of five books of poetry: Without Paradise; Gold Star Road, winner of The Barrow Street Press Poetry Prize and the Sheila Motton Book Award from The New England Poetry Club; Emblem; Noon until Night, which received the 2018 Massachusetts Book Award for Poetry, and his most recent, People Once Real. His other books include the memoirs, Half the House and Love & Fury; Interference and Other Stories, and the essay collection Remembering the Alchemists. His Each Child a Disappearance: New & Selected Poems, and Children Elsewhere: Collected Series, Sequences, & Suites are forthcoming in September. He is Emeritus Writer in Residence at Emerson College and Nonfiction Editor of Solstice: A Magazine of Diverse Voices. https://richardhoffman.org/

Charles Coe (1952-2025) – Everywhere
Charles Coe (1952–2025) is the author of three books of poetry: “All Sins Forgiven: Poems for my Parents,” “Picnic on the Moon,” and most recently “Memento Mori,” all published by Leapfrog Press. His novella “Spin Cycles,” about a homeless man living on the street in Boston, was published by Gemma Media. “Peach Pie,” a short film by filmmaker Roberto Mighty based on his poem “Fortress,” has been shown in film festivals nationwide. https://www.charlescoe.org/

INTERVIEW VIDEO – Meet Aaron Larget-Caplan

I had the privilege of speaking with Jack Schoenfeld of Clarion for a beautifully recorded and edited interview, especially liked the slow-mo tremolo. Love the beautiful shots of Boston and reminiscing on why I came to this musical city.
Music: honey cadence by me. 

Shouts to Stephen Drury, Sharan Leventhal, New Lullaby Project composers, luthier Olivier Fanton D’Andon, Catherine, and the many musicians that make Boston so musical. 

New Album – Guitar America 250

Click for Listening links, Liner Notes and Biographies

CDs available through Bandcamp

 

Recent Happenings – APAP, Kantorei, Piano Solo

Quick Update!

In December, I was awarded the Professional Development Grant from the professional music fraternity Foundation of Mu Phi Epsilon to attend and showcase at APAP NYC in January (Association of Performing Arts Professionals).

Taking place at the Hilton NYC Midtown, I performed two 25min showcases of two programs: 1) Solo Guitar – Revolutions in Music and 2) Azimuth Duo with cellist Stephen Marotto.

With over 3000 attendees in the music industry including Artists, Presenters, Management, and many more, it was a very intense time.

Showcasing is not a small or inexpensive endeavor. I’m extremely grateful for the funds provided by the Professional Development Grant. Getting seen by the buyers in our industry is very powerful and we are already seeing the benefits from it.

Azimuth Duo plays Asturias at APAP: 

 

In December, the 60-voice choir Kantorei, under the direction of Joel Rinsema, premiered my ‘Cider Meditation’ for SATB + Guitar on a choir & guitar holiday program featuring 18 compositions by various composers including a couple of premieres. I wrote a text inspired by the events happening in the US and the ideals of the holidays: protecting strangers from the cold, and warmth and safety.

Performed six times in a three-week period in the Greater Denver area, it was heard by over 2000 people. It will air on Colorado Public Television later this year. The score is available from the American Composers Alliance.

In December, the American Composers Alliance published my latest collection of arrangements to commemorate the USA at 250: American Patriotic Songs Arranged for Guitar. Featuring 6 solo from pre-Civil War through World War I and an Amended version of the Bill of Rights by James Madison, all the works are featured on my forthcoming album ‘Guitar America 250’ being released on March 6 on Navona Records. Pre-Save the album.

In February, composer and pianist John McDonald premiered the second piano solo, Foraging, from my forthcoming solo piano collection! It is inspired by the Mushroom Hunter, John Cage. The rest of the collection will be premiered later this year.

Foraging (2026):

 

Aurore (2024):