John Sikora

A member of the Classical Guitar Society of Upstate New York since 2004, John Sikora learned classical guitar technique during the four years that passed between the end of high school and the beginning of college (1970s). Joe Giangrande, a graduate of Mannes Conservatory in NYC, gave Mr. Sikora informal instruction in guitar technique and guitar repair at a music store in Silverton, NJ. This quickly resulted in some part-time work giving guitar lessons and repairing instruments. However, having taken up the study of physics and mathematics at college, the guitar gradually receded into the background. Studies, work, marriage and the arrival of two children followed in their own time, with the guitar taken out of its case no more than once or twice a year.

Once his children reached an age where they no longer took naps at school, they were now asleep by 9PM or so. Mr. Sikora used this surplus time to begin the study of music and the guitar once again. At one point this included taking music theory and musicianship classes at Cornell University, where he is now employed. Mr. Sikora did pretty well at the theory, but his poor performance at musicianship led to the informal title "Cornell Certified Non-Musician". He is the author of the website CortlandMusic.Org, and organizer of a series of Classical Music Festivals in Cortland. On Sundays, Mr. Sikora also participates at Classical Open Mic at the Blue Frog in Cortland, along with his son Emmanuel.