Acoustic guitarist Peppino D’Agostino (Top) and violinist Carlos Reyes (Bottom) will be performing together at the Benicia Historical Museum’s Stone Hall on Friday, Sept. 28. (Photos courtesy of Benicia Historical Museum)

The Benicia Historical Museum will be bringing two highly accomplished Bay Area musicians together for an intimate concert next week. Peppino D’Agostino and Carlos Reyes will be bringing their unique styles together for what promises to be a very special evening for music lovers.

D’Agostino, born in Sicily but residing in Benicia since the ‘80s, has drawn acclaim throughout the world for his acoustic guitar playing. In 2007, he was named by the readers of Acoustic Guitar magazine as the best acoustic guitarist. Ten years later, the same publication named him among other “Superheroes of Wood, Steel and Nylon.” D’Agostino has performed and conducted workshops all over the world; performed with the likes of Tommy Emmanuel, Leo Kottke and Martin Taylor; and composed music for the Italian film “Ardena” as well as an auditorium program at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. D’Agostino has also performed in Benicia’s musical scene. He has performed numerous concerts at the Benicia Historical Museum for more than a decade, and one of his 14 albums, 2005’s “Bayshore Road,” is a collaboration with fellow Benician Stef Burns, who has played electric guitar for acts like Huey Lewis & the News, Pablo Cruise, Sheila E, Berlin and Alice Cooper.

“I appreciate the quality of his playing,” Elizabeth d’Huart, the museum’s executive director, said of D’Agostino. “He is internationally recognized as one of the best guitarists in the world. When he plays, he produces an experience. It’s not just listening to songs. It’s being put into a musical place that is amplified by the other audience members who feel the same way.”

“Of course, he’s one of our own, so everybody is particularly affectionate of Peppino because he is a native son, so to speak although he’s from Italy, that we’re all very proud of,” she added.

However, D’Agostino will not be alone. Sharing the bill will be Reyes, a Paraguayan-born musician who has been performing since the age of 3. He began by playing the violin and took up the Paraguayan harp at the age of 5 on a dare from his father. Since then, Reyes has performed everything from harp to violin to mandolin to guitar to bass and more. He began playing harp for the Oakland Symphony at the age of 14, helped compose the background music for a little show called “Sesame Street” as a teenager. He also has been a producer, engineer and performer who has played with jazz greats like Bill Evans and Chuck Mangione as well as pop and country artists like The Doobie Brothers, Steve Miller, MC Hammer, The Crusaders, Willie Nelson, Charlie Daniels, Clint Black, Wynona Judd and more.

“There are all bands that we’ve grown up with and we love,” D’Huart said.

D’Huart said D’Agostino and Reyes will play together for a lot of songs and individually for other songs, but the two will have equal billing. She noted that the combination of two skilled, renowned performers should make for a great evening for music lovers.

“Peppino always provides the kind of evening that takes you to another place, and I know that Carlos Reyes playing with him during the same evening and together is going to raise the event even higher,” she said.

The concert will be held at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 28 at the museum’s Stone Hall, located at 2060 Camel Road. Doors will open at 7 p.m., and there will be a no-host bar. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at the museum, online at BrownPaperTickets.com or at Bookshop Benicia, located at 636 First St. D’Huart said the show would provide opportunities for patrons to go upstairs to view the museum’s current exhibit about Benicia’s Gold Rush history.

“I think people enjoy coming to a place where they can buy a drink, hear great music and also have an opportunity to learn some history,” she said.

For more information, call the museum at 745-5435 or visit beniciahistoricalmuseum.org/peppino-dagostino-in-concert-with-special-guest-carlos-reyes/.

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