2010 CSU Guitar Symposium Artists
Carlos Perez- Carlos Pérez was born in Santiago in 1976. His interest in guitar playing started at an early age through his father. He studied under Ernesto Quezada at the Arts Faculty of the University of Chile where graduated with top honors.
He was awarded top prizes in major international competitions in Europe and America, winning first prize in: “Alirio Díaz”, Venezuela; “René Bartoli”, France; “Printemps de La Guitare”, Belgium; “Forum Gitarre”, Austria; “Fundacion Guerrero” Spain and “Joaquín Rodrigo Competition” Spain.
He has issued eight CDs, two DVDs, and recorded at several European radios. He has given recitals in more than thirty countries in North, Central, and South America as well as Europe, and has played with orchestras from England, Belgium, the United States, Germany, Lithuania, Spain, Russia, Portugal, Poland and Chile. His international activity have taken him to play at Berlin Philarmonie (Germany), Auditorio Nacional (Spain), Royal Festival Hall (England), Teatro Monumental (Spain), and other prestigious concert halls.
Carlos has participated in many Guitar and Chamber Music Festivals around the world and is constantly invited to give master classes and lectures at Universities and Schools of Music in Latin America, Europe and USA. He joins the Arts Faculty of the University of Chile as Proffesor since 2008.
Editions Henry Lemoine of France, Productions d’Oz of Canada and Grenzland-Verlag Theo Hüsgen of Germany have published some of his arrangements and compositions.
“Without a doubt, his musical ability is that of legends… Perez is a marvelous artist, fleet of finger, facile but never shallow. He's at home in a variety of styles and brought them all to vivid musical life”. St. Louis Today, St. Louis- Missouri, USA, 4 de Abril de 2007.
Matteo Mela and Lorenzo Micheli - two among the most active and famous Italian guitarists - met in Texas, far away from native Italy, in Autumn 2000. Since then, they have shared a number of ideas, musical projects, and travels all over the world.
In 2002, with violinist Ivan Rabaglia and cellist Enrico Bronzi, they created a chamber music group devoted to the discovery of unknown works from the XIX Century repertoire. A year later, in 2003, they formed a duo that has already performed throughout Europe and North America, and has been acclaimed everywhere as one of the best ensembles ever heard.
Matteo and Lorenzo have recorded François de Fossa's Three Quartets, op. 19, Antoine de Lhoyer's Music for two Guitars, and a selections of Masterworks of the 20th Century (forthcoming), as well as half a dozen solo recordings on the labels Naxos, Kookaburra, Stradivarius, Brilliant Records and Mel Bay.
Matteo Mela was born in Imperia in 1971. A student of Renzo Doria Miglietta in his hometown, he moved to Cremona to pursue his studies of musicology at the University. In Cremona he met Giovanni Puddu, who played a major role in his musical education; at the same time, he had the chance to attend the classes of Angelo Gilardino, Alirio Diaz, Oscar Ghiglia, David Russell, the Assad brothers. Moreover, he studied chamber music at the Accademia Pianistica di Imola with Dario De Rosa, Alexander Lonquich, and Pier Narciso Masi.
As a member of the Mela-Bandini duo Matteo won – between 1991 and 1998 – the first prize in several prestigious chamber music competitions, such as the Aram (Rome) 1992, the F. Cilea Competition in 1993, the GMI in 1994, the Città di Gubbio, Città di Caltanissetta and Perugia Classico Competitions in 1995. Recently he has been enjoying regular collaboration with Lorenzo Micheli in a number of projects.
Matteo also regularly gives recitals and makes tv and radio appearances across Europe and North America (recent engagements have included performances in Rome, Milan, Bologna, Turin, Naples, Paris, Hamburg, Cologne, Warsaw, Oslo, Cincinnati, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston).
A teacher at the Accademia di Perfezionamento “G. Caccini” in Montopoli Val d’Arno and at the Accademia Musicale Tema in Milan, Matteo has released a CD of Latin American Dances (Quadrivium, with G. Bandini) and the solo CD Italian virtuosos of the nineteenth century (Kookaburra), as well as the Three Quartets, op. 19, by french composer François de Fossa (CD Stradivarius). His forthcoming new CD includes Astor Piazzolla’s complete guitar music, featuring Ivan Rabaglia (violin), Lorenzo Micheli (guitar), Per Arne Glorvigen (bandoneon) and the Piazzolla String Ensemble.
Hailed by the musical critics as “virtuoso extraordinaire” (Nice Matin, France), “absolutely astonishing” (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, USA), “prodigious talent” (Soundboard, USA), “the prince of the guitar” (Suonare, Italy), Lorenzo Micheli is today one of the most important and active Italian guitarists in the world. A student of Paola Coppi in Milan, Frédéric Zigante in Lausanne and Oscar Ghiglia in Siena and Basel, he graduated with full marks from both the Conservatory of Trieste and the Musik-Akademie of Basel.
Since winning the first prize in some of the most important guitar competitions in the world (Gargnano, 1996; Alessandria, 1997; ARAM, Rome 1999; Mauro Giuliani, 1999; Guitar Foundation of America, 1999), Lorenzo Micheli has taken up a busy concert career throughout the world, performing regularly—both as a soloist and with orchestra—in many European countries (Italy, Switzerland, Greece, Spain, Austria, Ireland, Germany, the UK, France, Croatia, Finland, Turkey, Poland, Slovenia) and all over the US and Canada, as well as in Africa and Latin America. He gives masterclasses at universities and music festivals throughout North America and Europe, and he has made recordings for radio and TV in three continents. As years go by, he is more and more involved in chamber music projects with friends Matteo Mela (guitar), Ivan Rabaglia (violin) and Enrico Bronzi (cello).
His several recordings, reflecting his leaning towards works written originally for the guitar, include the music of Dionisio Aguado (Stradivarius)a selection of guitar works by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (Naxos), the Three Quartets, op. 19, by the French composer François de Fossa with Matteo Mela and the members of the Parma String Trio (Stradivarius), the complete works for solo guitar by Miguel Llobet (Naxos), the complete guitar Concertos by Castelnuovo-Tedesco (Brilliant) as well as the live video Live at Texas Tech University (Mel Bay).
Duo Spiritoso - Duo Spiritoso [guitarists Jeffrey McFadden and Andrew Zohn] was formed in 2004 and has performed throughout Europe and North America to high audience praise. Considered widely to be among the top new guitar duos in the world, they continue to delight with unique programming and a characteristic energy in their performances. Guitart magazine raved about a recent performance saying, “their shared musical sensibilities, technical prowess and unwavering standards provided a performance that was at once audacious, dynamic, moving and powerful”.
Duo Spiritoso has been invited to perform at major guitar festivals including the Toronto Guitar Symposium, Guitare Rotterdam (Netherlands), Kitarre Kras (Slovenia) and the Guitar Foundation of America Convention. Their unique programming has included such diverse composers as Rossini, Bartok, Mozart, Granados, and Celso Machado. Their debut recording Duo Spiritoso (Clear Note), has been praised as “a powerhouse of duo playing and a treasure trove of inventive transcriptions. Their great ensemble and easy execution allow one to enjoy the pieces not as transcriptions but as beautiful music. This is a great new duo!” (Rosewood Review).
Andrew Zohn is recognized internationally for his work as a performer, instructor, and composer. A prize-winner in five international competitions including the Guitar Foundation of America and the Stotsenberg International, Zohn has performed concerts on four continents. Zohn has served on the faculty of Columbus State University since 1999 in Georgia, where he directs the annual CSU Guitar Symposium, and also serves as a visiting faculty at the Istituto Musicale Pareggiato della Valle d’Aosta in Italy. Andrew Zohn regularly receives commissions to compose new works for performing artists and arts institutions. His original compositions and transcriptions are published through Les Productions d’Oz, Canada, Tuscany publications (Theodore Presser), and FJH Publications.
Jeffrey McFadden has performed across North America and Europe. He has recorded seven highly celebrated CD’s with the Naxos label, which have sold in the tens of thousands of copies. He regularly performs as a member of Toronto’s acclaimed New Music Concerts Ensemble and is heard frequently on CBC radio in Canada and NPR in the United States. A lecturer in guitar at the University of Toronto, McFadden is also a sought-after clinician and editor of pedagogical materials.
Eliot Frank - Applauded by critics and audiences for his unique blend of powerful virtuosity, beautiful tone, and natural musicianship, Elliot Frank has appeared as solo recitalist, chamber player, and as concerto soloist throughout the Americas and Europe. He is a frequent guest performer and teacher at guitar festivals throughout the Americas.
Recent highlights include performances by Elliot Frank for the 2006 Guitar Foundation of America Festival, the 2006 Classical Minds Guitar Institute, Alexandria Guitar Festival, Piccolo Spoleto, and the Appalachian Guitar Fest. Elliot Frank made his Canadian debut at the Festival Lachine in Montreal, Canada, at the Southwest Guitar Festival in San Antonio, and at the Sixth Guitar Festival of the Dominican Republic. Most recently, Elliot Frank was selected to give the inaugural performance at the inaugural Sauble Beach Festival of the Classic Guitar in Sauble Beach, Ontario.
Elliot Frank's first compact disc, South American Guitar Music, was recently released by ACA Digital Recordings. It has been praised as "eloquent" and "delightful." He has also appeared in solo recitals for the Florida East Coast Guitar Society, the Memphis Classical Guitar Society, the Dallas Guitar Society, the Piedmont Guitar Society, the Richmond Classic Guitar Society, the Triangle Guitar Society, and Guitar Houston.
Elliot Frank's international performances include appearances in Colombia, Venezuela, and Vienna, Austria. He has also performed for the Tampa Classical Guitar Festival, the North Carolina Bach Festival, Columbus State University Guitar Symposium, and the East Carolina University Summer Guitar Festival, where he also serves as Artistic Director. ACA Digital Recordings recently released his first compact disc, South American Guitar Music, which has been praised as being "eloquent" and "delightful."
Elliot Frank has given solo concerts for the Tallahassee Guitar Society, the University of Memphis Classical Guitar Society, the Dallas Guitar Society, the Piedmont Guitar Society, the Richmond Classic Guitar Society, and Guitar Houston. An aficionado of guitar music of Hispanic cultures, Elliot Frank has performed lecture/recitals pertaining to the music of Antonio Lauro for the Guitar Foundation of America at international festivals in Pasadena and New Orleans. Elliot Frank has commissioned and performed works for guitar including an important new sonata by Andrew Zohn, E Sonata, which was premiered in 2004 at the New Music at ECU Festival.
Elliot Frank also is a prizewinner in national and international competitions including the Concurso Internacional de la Casa de España in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Elliot Frank was selected to initiate the guitar studies program for East Carolina University and is currently teaching there in addition to maintaining an active concert schedule. When not performing. practicing, or teaching, Elliot Frank is a dedicated runner who recently completed his first marathon.
Elliot Frank is represented by New Fine Arts Management, at www.newfinearts.com.
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