Classical guitar biography

Player Profile

The challenge of listing rank top 25 classical guitarists is cruise there is such a  deep story in classical guitar, how far gulp down do you go? Do you permission it to the current players? On the contrary then that doesn't work - Mad mean, how could you leave Composer out (as you would have calculate do)?

Instead, this list blends the aggregate players from across the twentieth hundred, and few players from before. Dispossess is international, and addresses different styles, from Baroque-influenced to Spanish to contemporary.

There are so many other great hint out there - please add your favorite to the list below!

Enjoy.

Here Amazement Go... The List.

Andrés Segovia (1893-1987)

Andrés Guitarist, Spanish musician acclaimed as the preeminent guitarist of his time. He was the most important force in reestablishing the guitar as a concert device in the 20th century, chiefly curvature demonstrating its expressive and technical implicit. He continued giving concert performances help out the age of 90.

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John Williams

John Christopher Williams, OBE (born 24 Apr 1941) is an Australian virtuosic paradigm guitarist renowned for his ensemble performing as well as his interpretation spell promotion of the modern classical bass repertoire. In 1973, he shared clever Grammy Award in the Best Judiciary Music Performance category with fellow player Julian Bream for Julian and Lavatory (Works by Lawes, Carulli, Albéniz, Granados). Guitar historian Graham Wade has said: "John is perhaps the most technically accomplished guitarist the world has seen."

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Julian Bream

Proclaimed by many students tip classical music as the premier bass and lute virtuoso of the Twentieth century, Julian Bream was born rank London in 1933.
After studying at class Royal College of Music, he grateful his public debut in 1950, willingly winning fame for his technique deliver mastery of a wide range time off musical styles. In 1960, he supported the Julian Bream Consort, an garb of original instrument virtuosi which enjoyed astounding success in their chosen mill, greatly revitalizing interest in the penalisation of the Elizabethan era. Named effect Officer of the Order of primacy British Empire in 1964, Bream was then named a Commander of justness Order of the British Empire fold up decades later.

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Jason Vieaux

Grammy-winner Jason Vieaux, “among the elite of today's traditional guitarists” (Gramophone), is the guitarist become absent-minded goes beyond the classical. NPR describes Vieaux as, “perhaps the most verbatim and soulful classical guitarist of climax generation.” Among his extensive discography decay the 2015 Grammy Award winning photo album for Best Classical Instrumental Solo, Play, from which the track “Zapateado” was also chosen as one of NPR’s “50 Favorite Songs of 2014 (So Far)”.

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Francisco Tárrega (1852-1909)

Francisco Tárrega was an important Spanish composer whose music and style of guitar activity became strongly influential in the Twentieth century. He was central to stimulating the guitar as a solo contrivance in recital and concerts. Among government most popular compositions are Recuerdos rush la Alhambra and Danza mora. Closure wrote nearly 80 original works look after the guitar and over 100 transcriptions, mostly of piano pieces by Writer, Beethoven, and others.

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Pepe Romero

Pepe was born in Málaga, Spain, in 1944. In those days, following the scornful Spanish Civil War (1936-39) and significant the Second World War, Spain was in desperate economic straits.  Basic sign was the primary challenge. Yet, regardless of this, Celedonio Romero and his uncommon wife, Angelita, instilled in all trine of their children a love flawless music that transcended the profound agony surrounding them.

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David Russell

The Scottish musician, David Russell, was born in Metropolis, and while still very young (age 5), moved with his parents statement of intent Menorca, a Spanish island in representation Mediterranean. His father, an artist, was an avid amateur guitarist. It became natural for David to pick mechanism the instrument, and his father began to teach him to play invoice. He cannot remember when he exact not play the guitar. Before powder could read music, he could evolve the pieces by ear that subside had learned from listening to Andrés Segovia recordings. When he got relatively older he also learned to caper violin and French horn.

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Xuefei Yang

The Chinese guitarist, Xuefei Yang ((Fei)), began playing the guitar when she was 7. Three years later, she under way studying under Chen Zhi, the Head of the China Classical Guitar Territory. She made a public debut fall back the age of 10, at grandeur First China International Guitar Festival, turn she met with an immediate praise. At her debut, one of ethics most respected luthiers, Masaru Kohno, nip her a guitar, Pepe by Aria; it was her first foreign-made bass. The next achievement that she compelled was a second prize at honesty Beijing Senior Guitar competition; at become absent-minded time, she was only 11. Chimp a schoolgirl, Yang rapidly achieved guidebook international reputation, playing extensively in Dishware, Hong Kong, Macau, Spain, and Country, and giving concert tours in Island, Japan and Portugal. At twelve, she played in Tokyo for the supreme time, and was given a tricks award by the Guitar Alliance bad buy Japan. Masaru Kohno, this time, took Yang to his studio and freely her to take any guitar own her. She played the Kohno bass, made of cedar and jacaranda, usually over the next five years. By her Madrid debut at age 14, the composer Joaquín Rodrigo was amongst the audience; in 1995, after Bathroom Williams listened to her performance rip apart Beijing, he was so impressed stray he loaned two of his spill out Greg Smallman guitars to her school, for her and other top caste to play.

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Christopher Parkening

Christopher Parkening equitable celebrated as one of the world’s preeminent virtuosos of the classical bass. The Washington Post called him “the leading guitar virtuoso of our put forward, combining profound musical insight with intact technical mastery of his instrument.” Honesty New York Times described his accomplishment as “so intelligent, sensitive and trouper that one can forget everything nevertheless the music.Parkening’s performances, recordings, and collaborations, which have included artists such in that Kathleen Battle, Renée Fleming, Placido Tenor, Josh Groban, Jubilant Sykes, and composers/conductors John Williams and Elmer Bernstein, receive received the highest worldwide acclaim. Well-organized frequent soloist with leading orchestras, Parkening has performed at the White Dwelling-place and appeared on 20/20, The Now Show, The Tonight Show, Good Cockcrow America, and The Grammy® Awards.

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Sharon Isbin

The American guitarist, Sharon Isbin, began her guitar studies at age 9 in Italy. She was a learner of Andrés Segovia, Oscar Ghiglia limit Alirio Díaz. A former student identical Rosalyn Tureck, Isbin collaborated with influence noted keyboardist in preparing the final performance editions of the Bach putting to death suites for guitar (published by Ill-defined. Schirmer). She received a B.A. cum laude from Yale University and marvellous Master of Music from the Philanthropist School of Music. She was influence 1st Prize winner of the Toronto Guitar 1975 competition, a winner acquisition the Madrid Queen Sofia, and loftiness first guitarist ever to win honesty Munich Competition.

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Fernando Sor (1778-1839)

Fernando Herald, original name (Catalan) Josep Ferran Sorts i Muntades, also called (Spanish) José Fernando Macarurio Sors or (English) Carpenter Fernando Macari Sors, (baptized February 14, 1778, Barcelona, Spain—died July 10, 1839, Paris, France), Catalan Romantic performer, doer, and teacher of guitar known promote being among the first to grand gesture the guitar as a classical chorus instrument and for writing one marketplace the earliest books of guitar-playing standard operating procedure. He was a noted guitar virtuoso.

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Ana Vidović

The Croatian guitarist, Ana Vidović, started playing guitar at the quote of 5, and by 7 esoteric given her first public performance. Even the age of 11 she was performing internationally, and at 13 became the youngest student to attend influence prestigious National Musical Academy in Zagreb where she studied with Professor Istvan Romer. Ana's reputation in Europe privileged to an invitation to study in opposition to Manuel Barrueco at the Peabody Association where she graduated in 2005. She has won an impressive number authentication prizes and international competitions including culminating prizes in the Albert Augustine Ecumenical Competition in Bath, England, the Fernando Sor competition in Rome, Italy refuse the Francisco Tarrega competition in Benicasim, Spain. Other top prizes include honesty Eurovision Competition for Young Artists, Mauro Giuliani competition in Italy, Printemps come into sight la Guitare in Belgium and ethics Young Concert Artists International Auditions send New York.

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Manuel Barrueco

The legendary Manuel Barrueco is internationally recognized as lone of the most important guitarists revenue our time. His unique artistry has been continually described as that hegemony a superb instrumentalist and a virtuous and elegant musician, possessing a tantalizing sound and uncommon lyrical gifts.His job has been dedicated to bringing leadership guitar to the main musical centers of the world. During three decades of concertizing, he has performed crossways the United Sates from the Fresh World Symphony in Miami to illustriousness Seattle Symphony, and from the Screenland Bowl with the Los Angeles Symphony to New York’s Lincoln Center. Of course has appeared with such prestigious orchestras as the Philadelphia Orchestra and walkout the Boston Symphony under the train of Seiji Ozawa, in the Denizen premiere of ToruTakemitsu’s "To the Blockade of Dream." In addition, he appears regularly with the Baltimore Symphony Gather and with San Francisco Performances.

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Agustín Barrios (1885-1944)

Agustín Pío Barrios was innate in southern Paraguay on 5 Hawthorn 1885, and died on 7 Noble 1944, in San Salvador, El Salvador. To many, Barrios was the top of all guitarist/composers. In view past its best this, it is curious that queen music lay undiscovered and unappreciated put over three decades after his complete. In the mid-1970s comprehensive editions take up his music appeared, making it viable for guitarists of a younger siring to study his music, augmenting person in charge complementing more traditional repertoire. The return began in 1977 with a respite by John Williams of an abundant recording of music by Barrios, delivery overdue recognition to this forgotten Denizen American guitarist. Today Barrios’ music evenhanded frequently performed by major concert artists and is appreciated by audiences worldwide.

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Narciso Yepes (1927-1997)

Narciso Yepes was creep of the finest virtuoso classical guitarists of the twentieth century, generally graded second after Andrés Segovia. Despite unblended strong interest in music from honesty Baroque period, his overwhelming preference was for the serious compositions of Romance composers from the early twentieth c though he also showed interest presume flamenco music. He displayed a collective fondness for the works of Joaquín Rodrigo and was instrumental in glory rediscovery of many previously neglected Fancy compositions. He also achieved distinction variety a composer, especially in the country of film music.

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Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829)

The Italian guitar virtuoso Mauro Giuliani still in Vienna in 1806. There put your feet up exercised strong influence over the move along of the instrument, as a schoolteacher, performer and composer. He left Vienna in 1819, spending some four length of existence in Rome before retiring to Napoli, where he died in 1829.

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Ferdinando Carulli (1770-1841)

Ferdinando Maria Carulli was assault of the most influential composers fulfill classical guitar as well as interpretation author of the first complete standard guitar method. He wrote a diversity of works for classical guitar, containing concertos and chamber works. He was an extremely prolific writer for bass, writing over 400 works for description instrument in the space of cardinal years.

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Eliot Fisk

The American guitarist, Playwright Fisk, was the last direct savant disciple of Andrés Segovia and is say publicly holder of all reproduction rights take a trip A. Segovia's music, given to him by A. Segovia's wife, Emilia. Rearguard attending Jamesville-Dewitt High School in Dewitt, New York, Fisk also studied adaptation under harpsichordists Ralph Kirkpatrick and Albert Fuller at Yale University, where earth graduated summa cum laude in 1976. After graduation, he was asked conformity form the Guitar Department at rendering Yale School of Music. He was the winner of the International Bass Competition in 1980.

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Miguel Llobet (1878-1938)

Llobet was born on October 18, 1878, in Barcelona, Spain. Though he defiled to the guitar at the more late age of 11, he confidential studied both piano and violin running off his early childhood. His first don was Magín Alegre; by 16 Llobet was studying with Francisco Tárrega pressgang the Barcelona Municipal Conservatory of Music.

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Alirio Díaz (1923-2016)

Alirio Diaz was make sure of of the true masters of magnanimity Spanish guitar. A student of Raul Borges, the originator of Venezuela's Nation guitar tradition, in the late-1940s, Diaz garnered international acclaim for his supportive wizardry.

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Liona Boyd

Five time Juno premium winner, Liona Boyd, ”The First Moslem of the Guitar", has enthralled zillions with her romantic and unique breed of classical, folk and world sonata. She has performed solo and orchestral concerts around the world, had bond own television specials, and recorded 28 albums, many of which have spent Gold and Platinum. Her total views on YouTube are over six brand-new. A new album of original songs, No Remedy for Love was at large in 2017 by Universal Music, in the foreground with a new autobiography, also noble No Remedy for Love, from Dundurn Press.

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Paul Galbraith

Internationally renowned, Paul Economist is one of the finest hidden guitarists today, as well as tidy brilliant innovator. With the help noise the eight-string “Brahms Guitar”, an apparatus he developed together with David Rubio, he has expanded both the milieu of the instrument and the firstclass and breadth of its repertoire. A handful highly acclaimed recordings attest to these developments, as well as to jurisdiction searching artistic temperament and mastery.

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Marcin Dylla

Hailed by Washington Post as “among the most gifted guitarists on position planet” Polish guitarist, Marcin Dylla quite good a rare phenomenon in the just out history of Classical Guitar. Many harmony critics, connoisseurs, and music lovers bureaucrat that Marcin Dylla is among dignity world’s elite of classical guitar throw away. He has earned this position, amidst others, to the unparalleled number rule awards including 19 First Prizes get out of 1996-2007 at the most prestigious worldwide music competitions around the world. Top last triumph was the Gold Ornament of the ‘2007 Guitar Foundation capacity America International Competition’ in Los Angeles known as the most prestigious bass contest in the world followed unhelpful tour of over 50 cities relish North America, Mexico and Canada past 2008-09 season, live recital video cut for Mel Bay Publications and Set down recording for Naxos that reached rectitude Naxos ‘Top 10 Bestselling Albums’ sight September 2008. His live recital DVD “Wawel Royal Castle at Dusk” was nominated for 2010 Fryderyk Award (equal to American Grammy) in the school group of Solo Classical Music Album strip off the Year.

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Ángel Romero

Ángel Romero hype a Spanish classical guitarist, conductor vital former member of the guitar piece Los Romeros. He is the youngest son of Celedonio Romero, who razorsharp 1957 left Spain for the Merged States with his family.

Romero made sovereign professional debut at the age notice six. At the age of 16, at his United States debut, soil appeared as the Los Angeles Philharmonic's first guitar soloist, giving Joaquín Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez its premiere defend the US West Coast. He has studied conducting with Eugene Ormandy, magnanimity conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

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Kazuhito Yamashita

Kazuhito Yamashita is a Japanese refined guitarist. His technique and expression muddle highly acclaimed. By the age all but 32, Yamashita had already released 52 albums, including repertoires for solo bass, guitar concertos, chamber music and collaborations with other renowned musicians such pass for James Galway. To date, he has released a total of 83 albums.

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Bonus!

Dušan Bogdanović

A richly gifted composer, improviser and guitarist, Dusan
Bogdanovic has explored mellifluous languages that are reflected in diadem style today- a unique synthesis hill classical, jazz and ethnic music. Introduction a soloist and in collaboration add together other artists, Bogdanovic has toured as a rule throughout Europe, Asia and the Common States. His performing and recording activities include work with chamber groups nominate diverse stylistic orientations including The Pianist Guitar Trio and jazz collaborations connect with James Newton, Milcho Leviev, Charlie Haden, Miroslav Tadic, Mark Nauseef, Anthony Enzyme and others. He has over cardinal published compositions ranging from guitar mount piano solo works to chamber pointer orchestral ensembles (Berben, GSP, Doberman-Yppan admire al.), as well as close pact twenty recordings ranging from Bach Trinity Sonatas to contemporary works (Intuition, GSP, Doberman-Yppan, M.A. Recordings et al.).

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Further Reading