He teaches classical guitar at the Hochschule für Musik Köln in Germany. Guitars International states that “Hubert Kappel is among the most influential teachers and guitarists of his generation.”
He has performed internationally, both as a solo artist and as part of “Fénix – International Guitar Quartet” (Hubert Käppel, Sotiris Malasiotis (Greece), Luciano Marziali (Italy) and Piraí Vaca (Bolivia)). He has released several recordings and music textbooks.
Dyens studied guitar with the Spanish classical guitarist Alberto Ponce and analysis with Désiré Dondeyne. He has won several prizes in competitions for classical guitar performance as well as for composition.[citation needed]
As a performer, Dyens is known for his extraordinary capacity for improvisation. Essentially unique among classical guitarists, Dyens frequently opens his concerts with an improvised piece, in order to help him get a feel for the hall and the audience. His guitar music draws on many elements of folk music and jazz, and has become popular with players. Tango en Skaï (1985), is one of his best-known pieces, but also widely played is the more extended Libra Sonatine (1986) written in three movements: “India”, “Largo”, “Fuoco”, composed after Dyens had suffered a heart attack. Skaï is a French slang term for imitation leather, and here references the Gauchos of Argentina and Southern Brazil who are known for their distinctive leather outfits. Hence “Tango en Skaï” is a humorous, gaudy take on the tango. In addition to being the most prolific guitar composer of his generation, Dyens has also released several volumes of arrangements. Ranging from Jazz standards to Brazilian folk music, these arrangements have made their way into the repertoire of both professional and amateur guitarists. Dyens tours extensively and has performed at many music festivals and held master classes at many locations across Europe, the United States and Asia.
York was born in 1958 in Atlanta, Georgia and grew up in Virginia. He received a Bachelor of Music degree in Classical Guitar Performance in 1980 at James Madison University and completed his Master of Music degree at the University of Southern California in 1986, both degrees magna cum laude. He was the recipient of numerous awards and scholarships at USC, including the Jack Marshall Memorial Scholarship and the Del Amo Foundation Grant for Study in Spain. Andrew is the only alumni in USC’s history to have received their Distinguished Alumni Award twice, in 1997 as a member of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet and again in 2003 for his solo music career.
York was a performer with the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet for 16 years and played lute with the USC Early Music Ensemble. In addition to his solo career, recording and performing his own compositions, York’s recent collaborations include projects with Andy Summers, Allaudin Mathieu, Dai Kimura, and Mitsuko Kado. York’s tour schedule has included concerts in thirty countries.
He has over 50 works published for guitar in its many varieties: solo, duo, trio, quartet, and ensemble. He has appeared in 3 DVDS, has recorded or appeared as soloist on more than 10 CDs, and has published a three-volume work on in-depth jazz study for classical guitarists. York plays on 10 recordings with The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet including the Grammy Award winning “Guitar Heroes“ (2005).
Solo CDs include: Perfect Sky (1986), Denouement (1994), Into Dark (1997), California Breeze (2006), Hauser Sessions (2007) and Yamour (2012). Regarding Denouement, Jim Ferguson stated that the five original suites that make up the recording “demonstrate [York’s] exceptional compositional breadth, commanding instrumental abilities, and rich tone. Rife with folk, jazz, and ancient influences, the material ranges from challenging to simple yet highly musical.”
Aniello Desiderio (born 1971 in Naples) is an Italian virtuoso classical guitarist.
Desiderio began playing at a very young age. He attended interpretation exercises by the Cuban composer Leo Brouwer. To date he has won 18 first International Awards in both national and international competitions, including:
First Prize at the Donia Competition Messina, Italy (1986)
First Prize at the International Guitar Competition in Havana, Cuba (1988)
First Prize at the International Guitar Competition in Tokio, Japan (1988)
“Neapolitan of the Year” Award, Italy (1988)
First Prize and Special Prize at the International Francisco Tarrega Competition Benicasim, Spain (1992)
First Prize at the International Competition “Citta’ di Sanremo” Italy (1994)
First Prize at the International “Guerrero, Competition Madrid, Spain (1995)
Artist in Residence Award by the German Radio & Musikfest Bremen, Germany (1999)
He has played in concerts in Norway, Canada, Germany, Croatia, United States, Turkey, Romania, Austria, Spain, Greece, Mexico, Indonesia, Luxembourg, Brasil, France, Slovenia, Switzerland, Denmark, Colombia, Poland, Venezuela, Portugal, Georgia, Russia. South Korea and Thailand.
He received his early musical education from his mother, Ada Estades, on the piano and his aunt, Olga Pierri, on the guitar. Later he studied with Abel Carlevaro, the composer Guido Santorsola and also at the Uruguayan National Institute of Musicology.
From the age of 11 he was already winning prizes in international guitar competitions, including 1st Prize in the International Guitar Competition in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1st Prize in the International Guitar Competition in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and the Gold Medal at the 18th International Competition by France Musique/Radio France in Paris.
Pierri′s debut in the USA took place in New York and received outstanding reviews: … ”Mr. Pierri revealed an artistic maturity not commonly encountered” … ”compared to artists as Segovia, Bream, Williams” … ”brilliant, sensitive, versatile, breathtaking” (New York Times & Continental Reviews). In 1983 he made his debut in Germany with the string soloists of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, and he subsequently appeared on numerous radio and television programmes produced by the German, Austrian, Danish, Spanish, French, Canadian, Korean and Japanese Radios.
As a musician popular with both the public and the critics, Pierri is a regular guest at the major concert halls of Europe, North and South America, and Asia. Contemporary composers such as Leo Brouwer, Guido Santorsola, Jacques Hétu, Astor Piazzolla, Abel Carlevaro, Carlo Domeniconi and Terry Riley have written major works for Alvaro Pierri, in each case, he has premiered them brilliantly.
