CLOSTER, N.J.—Guitarist and composer Tomas Rodriguez returns to St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church on Sunday, Oct. 4, at 3 p.m. as part of the church’s 2026–2027 Concert & Lecture Series.
Rodriguez, a New York City-based guitarist, will introduce a new album of original compositions drawing on a wide range of influences, including the folk music of Galicia, Spain; Venezuelan harp music; and musical traditions from Africa and the Americas.
Born in Washington, D.C., to a Spanish father and a mother from Virginia’s Appalachian region, Rodriguez grew up in New York, New Jersey and Idaho. As a teenager, he learned electric guitar by ear from Jimi Hendrix records before going on to study classical guitar with Sharon Isbin at the Manhattan School of Music.
Rodriguez is also a music educator. He runs an honors-level guitar program for young people in Brooklyn using African, Latin, flamenco, jazz and classical styles, and previously founded and directed an after-school guitar program at a Latino social service organization in New York City. He is a registered Suzuki guitar instructor and has taught at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music.
The concert is free and open to the public, with a suggested donation of $10. A wine-and-cheese reception and meet-and-greet with Rodriguez will follow.
St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church is at 171 Closter Dock Road and is wheelchair accessible.
For more information, call the church office at 201-768-6310.