There are few, if any, classical guitar teachers more revered than Yale University’s Ben Verdery. The head of classical guitar at the Ivy League school the last 40 years, Verdery has jammed with such rock legends as Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, Bryce Dessner of The National, the Police’s Andy Summers, with whom he’s cut two records, and classical guitarist John Williams.

So when Yale staged its 11th annual Guitar Extravaganza this past weekend as something of a retirement party for Verdery, it was much more than a small compliment that Verdery asked McCallie guitar teacher Michael McCallie, a former student, to have his Guitar Quartet of Nathan Campbell, Walker White, Colin Sanders and Sid Cheemakoti perform at the event.

“Having my boys invited, make the trip, and play so beautifully was truly one of my proudest moments as a teacher,” McCallie said upon the group’s return to the Scenic City. “Ben inviting these guys up to play on his last Guitar Extravaganza before retiring was a testament to the work we do in the Guitar Department here at McCallie. I am so proud of how they all played back when he visited in 2023 to leave such a great impression.”

This isn’t the last time Verdery and McCallie are expected to cross paths. Though the lasting memory the Guitar Quartet has of that 2023 Verdery visit is of the 69-year-old, in Sanders’ words, “Lying on his back shredding the guitar” during a concert in the chapel, after Verdery stretches out on his back for a few months in his retirement home of Hawaii, he is expected to debut his “Guitar Concerto” at McCallie in late 2025 or early 2026.

But first there was the Yale Guitar Extravaganza in the historic Morse Recital Hall.

Noted Cheemakoti: “The best part (of the trip) had to be playing in Morse. All our hard work paid off in that moment. It was also probably the nicest hall we’ve ever played at, and the acoustics in there were really nice.”

A somewhat unexpected moment came after the group played the exquisitely intricate “Pacific Coast Highway” by Andrew York for their Extravaganza piece. Verdery came backstage to visit with the Quartet for a bit.

“After we went off, Ben came up to us super excited,” said Sanders. “He made a joke that he ‘needed our ties and blazers signed,’ and he loved the way that we communicated with each other on stage.”

Said Cheemakoti: “He said he was very impressed with our performance, specifically the chemistry we had and the way we communicated with each other on stage. He also joked that he was jealous of our blazers and McCallie ties and wanted to buy them off of us.”

McCallie Middle School principal Scotty Jones also made the trip to New Haven, Connecticut. He said the crowd was in awe of the Quartet.

“People sitting around me were all like, ‘Where are you guys from? You’re so good.’” Jones said. “When the boys got on stage, they really elevated their performance. They were amazing.”

It had all begun on Thursday evening, February 6, not long after they arrived. McCallie had arranged for the Guitar Quartet to meet a number of McCallie alums at Zeneli Pizzaria.

“Eating with the alums was super fun,” said Sanders. “It was almost like a traditional McCallie lunch. We were talking about past teachers and stories about horrible tests and papers that we had to do.”

“It was really cool getting to catch up,” added Cheemakoti. “Many of the alums were kids that went to McCallie while we were still in high school, so I knew them. The others I didn’t know, but it was cool getting to know them because they all had really interesting stories.”

One thing the group didn’t agree on was what pizza restaurant was best, though McCallie said before the trip, “New Haven has the best pizza in the world.” The debate came down to three restaurants – Modern, Frank Pepe’s and Sally’s.

“I think Modern Apizza is the best pizza in New Haven, but I'm biased because I lived around the corner for 3 years,” said McCallie.

Countered Sanders, “In my opinion it was Frank Pepe's. Their pizza was a little bit thicker, and the crust was in different crunchy layers. It was so delicious.”

Said Cheemakoti: “Sally’s was the best in my opinion. Modern was a close second and Frank Pepe’s was third for me. Each quartet member had a different ranking, but that was my personal ranking.”

White agreed with Cheemakoti on Sally’s, but not the others. “Sally's had the best,” he said. “Then Frank Pepe’s, then Modern.”

Nor did they agree on their favorite moment from the trip.

Colin listed his best memory as, “When we were backstage about to play. None of us were nervous. In fact, we were smiling and had high energy, ready to go play well.”

Walker said, “My favorite part was jamming in the hotel room with Sid and Colin. We made some really good songs.“

For Sid, it was the concert itself.

Alas, the trip was cut short because of an impending winter storm that might have stranded McCallie, Jones and the Quartet there for several days.

“We missed the masterclasses and performances that happened after our concert,” said McCallie. “I was, however, able to attend Ben's retirement party on Friday and see several colleagues who I haven't seen in nearly 20 years.”

And White made sure to acquire a souvenir from the trip, though it might run afoul of Honor, Truth and Duty.

“I stole a pen from Sally’s,” he said.

For McCallie, the best part of the trip was getting to spend some extended time with his guitar students, especially the seniors Cheemakoti, Sanders and White.

“They have been with me for a long time,” he said. “It was the perfect opportunity to have one last hurrah before they graduate in May.”

And don those snappy McCallie blazers and striped ties one final time.

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