Terrance Luke Bremkamp, Jr., Oct. 1, 1958 - July 9, 2006, was a protégé of José Rey de la Torre and guitarist at de la Torre’s memorial service. Mentored for years by de la Torre, Terry Bremkamp enjoyed a direct link to Tárrega via de la Torre’s being protégé of Miguel Llobet, Tárrega’s protégé. Terry was fighting cancer for most of the last year.
Terry was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He was a classical guitarist and taught guitar for over 20 years in the South Bay Area in California, where he spent most of his life and studied privately with de la Torre. They enjoyed an especially close relationship, and Terry was clearly de la Torre's most devoted student. In addition to acquiring the Maestro's insights on the repertoire of Llobet, Tárrega, Sor, Carcassi and Coste, Terry assisted de la Torre in many ways as the Maestro's health declined. Over the course of decades of instruction, hundreds of students of all ages studied with Terry. Terry gave many concerts in the South Bay, always playing the repertoire he learned from de la Torre. Terry had thoroughly absorbed de la Torre's expressive taste. Of Terry's recording, de la Torre said, "Many of these pieces simply cannot be played better."
At the memorial service and inurnment held August 12th in San Jose, several dozen friends and family members shared about the impact he had on them. Haight-Ashbury Music, the store where Terry taught for many years, closed so that the staff could attend.Terry's CD, "Terry Bremkamp: Solo Classical Guitar Studio and Live," was given to all in attendance.
Survivors include four sisters, Eileen Salsman of Colarado, Kathleen Pendegraft of Auburn, CA, Michaelene Jackson of Yakima, WA and Nancy Hagloch of Medford, OR, and their families.
Respectfully submitted,
Daniel Roest
August 2006
