Seattle guitarist-composer Michael Nicolella to appear at Benaroya

Michael Nicolella

Seattle Classic Guitar Society presents Seattle guitarist-composer Michael Nicolella in a program of works by Paganini, Cuban-Spanish composer Joaquin Nin-Culmell, Italian composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Nicolella's guitar arrangement of Bach's Cello Suite No. 2, along with two selections from Nicolella's new CD, "Ten Years Passed": Robert Beaser's "Shenandoah," inspired by the American folk song, and Nicolella's own elegantly thorny "Prelude."

While "Ten Years Passed" offers mostly classical-guitar selections, it also includes some lively experiments, the highlight being "Garden of Love," a goofily frisky guitar-and-boombox setting of a William Blake poem by "Dutch avant-pop composer" Jacob ter Veldhuis. It's not on Nicolella's recital program — but some enterprising Seattle choreographer should surely set a dance to this!

7:30 p.m. Saturday, Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall, Benaroya Hall, 200 University St., Seattle; $24-$30 (206-297-8788 or www.seattleguitar.org).

Michael Upchurch, Seattle Times arts writer