Anthony Glise lives and works part of the year in Europe, but Missouri is always on his mind.

The classical guitarist, composer and author teaches guitar in Europe and at Missouri Western State University. He's expanding his domestic teaching to a professorship at the University of Missouri, where he's developing a guitar program from the ground up.

An adjunct at Western for the last decade, he will remain there as he takes on a professorship at MU. He describes the situation as a "win/win" for himself and Western students.

Known locally for heading up the International Guitar Festival every spring, Mr. Glise is currently developing courses and syllabi for a guitar program at MU for undergraduates and graduates. This isn't a stretch for him - the award-winning classical guitarist has headed academic programs in France, Germany and Italy.

Mr. Glise expects close to 20 undergraduate students to enroll in the program, which kicks off in fall 2010. Students must first go through a rigorous audition before being accepted. This is only the third guitar program in 15 years to be built from scratch by a major university, he said.

"Up to this point, there hasn't been a way to target graduating Western guitar majors into a solid graduate program in Missouri," Mr. Glise said. "For the students who do well at Western, this gives them another option, a more

comfortable foot in the door for grad school."

But the focus isn't solely on Western students. Mr. Glise said in the music business, one has to look at what is going to compliment long-term goals. His goal is to put his home state at the music world's focal point.

"I have such a commitment to St. Joe and Missouri in general," he said. "I think long-term what (building the MU guitar program) is going to do is really help contribute to this goal that I have of making Missouri a real arts center."

The International Guitar Festival, held each spring in St. Joseph, brings to the area some of the world's best guitarists from across the globe. He's confident that his contacts overseas and his fluency in French and German will help attract more world players to Missouri.

"It's a diversity that I love," Mr. Glise said of living part of the year in France and teaching in Italy. "It contributes in both directions."

Jimmy Myers can be reached

at jimmym@npgco.com.