Nine Questions

Julia Pernet

Julia Pernet is chairwoman of the Tucson Guitar Society. On Saturday and Sunday, April 6 and 7, the society's last concerts of the season will feature Grammy-award-winning guitarist David Russell performing at the UA's Holsclaw Hall. Tickets are $30 for nonmembers, $25 for society members and $20 for students. For more information, visit tucsonguitarsociety.org.

What was the first concert you attended?

The first one I went to on my own was probably either Jimi Hendrix or Otis Redding.

What are you listening to these days?

I am listening to a whole lot of guitar, as you can imagine. But I am also on the board of the new Tucson Desert Song Festival. So, I am currently listening to a lot of vocalists trying to find somebody that I could bring in to sing love songs with a guitarist.

What was the first album you owned?

Beatles. It probably would have been something like A Hard Day's Night or Help!.

What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone seem to love that you just don't get?

Anything loud. I have good hearing for a person of my age and I like to keep it that way. I mean, I go to loud concerts, I'll go see Dick Dale, but I bring earplugs.

Which musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?

If I could see her in her prime, I would love to see Maria Callas. I mean, that would have been so fantastic.

Musically speaking, what is your favorite guilty pleasure?

I guess I'm a sucker for the old crooners.

What song would you like to have played at your funeral?

Edith Piaf singing "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien" came to my mind. But funeral music isn't for the person that's dead; it's for the people who are there.

What band or artist changed your life and how?

I would say listening to my mother's LP of Carmen with Victoria de los Angeles singing it is when I really fell in love with classically trained voice.

Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?

That's really impossible. When I really need to calm down, I will pick up something like Bach's cello suites or Chopin's nocturnes.