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January 14-17 2016 2016 Nadia Guth Biasini President David Tanenbaum Artistic Director

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Page 1: download the Festival Booklet

January 14-17

2016 2016

Nadia Guth Biasini President David Tanenbaum Artistic Director

Page 2: download the Festival Booklet

The San Francisco Conservatory of Music is honored to host the 3rd International Maurizio

Biasini Guitar Competition and Festival (cciMB). On behalf of our school, I am pleased to

welcome such a distinguished group of artists, faculty and competitors from around the world.

This year we will launch an inaugural festival to accompany the Biasini Competition. This

initiative resulted from an inspired effort undertaken by the Chair of our Guitar Department,

David Tanenbaum; the President of cciMB, Nadia Guth Biasini; the Harris Guitar Foundation

and the OMNI Foundation for the Performing Arts. We are excited to feature the Conservatory’s

exceptional faculty, students and alumni in performances that will include four world premieres

for classical guitar.

San Francisco is an international center for innovation and music, and SFCM is home to the first

graduate degree program in guitar in the United States. It is an ideal place to celebrate the history

and future of classical guitar and this great partnership with the Biasini Competition and Festival.

Over the next four days, I invite you to explore our wonderful city and enjoy the thrilling music

that will comprise this event.

Thank you for being with us and for your support.

Sincerely,

David H. Stull

President

San Francisco Conservatory of Music

Page 3: download the Festival Booklet

Acknowledgements

The cciMB 2016 Competition and Festival would like to thank the following individuals who have enthusiastically supported this event. Special thanks to:

David H. Stull

President, San Francisco Conservatory of Music

Gloria S. Kim Vice President of Artistic Operations, San Francisco Conservatory of Music

Scott Sandmeier Music Director of San Francisco Conservatory of Music Orchestra

Nicole Paiement New Music Chair, San Francisco Conservatory of Music

Richard Patterson Director, OMNI Foundation for the Arts

L. John Harris President, Harris Guitar Foundation

Mauro Battocchi Consul General of Italy in San Francisco

Paolo Barlera Director, Italian Cultural Institute in San Francisco

Martin Schwartz Cultural Coordinator, Consulate General of Switzerland in San Francisco

The cciMB 2016 Competition is generously sponsored by the family of Maurizio Biasini, in partnership with the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. In addition, the OMNI

Foundation for the Performing Arts has provided concert ticket sales through their box office, while the Swiss and Italian Consulates in San Francisco promoted

the cciMB Competition and Festival.

Acknowledgements

Page 4: download the Festival Booklet

50 Oak Street | San Francisco | CA

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I am delighted to welcome you to the third edition of the International

Guitar Competition Maurizio Biasini (cciMB) at the wonderful San Francisco

Conservatory of Music. cciMB started seven years ago as a concert at the

Bologna Conservatory dedicated to Maurizio Biasini. He would certainly have

been touched to see our first edition of the competition unfold in Bologna

with its very well-prepared participants and its fine jury. The substantial

advancement this competition has made––from the Musikakademie Basel,

where it took place in 2013, to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music––would

astonish Maurizio even more.

For the first time, our program includes a festival with a series of concerts by

outstanding classical guitarists and musicians. I am looking forward to getting

to know our talented young participants who will be performing in the semi-

final and final rounds, and hope that the weekend will be an important and

rewarding experience for all the participants.

I would like to express my gratitude to the San Francisco Conservatory of

Music and its guitar department, chaired by David Tanenbaum, for their warm

hospitality and collaboration. I would like to also thank our six jurors for their

engagement, and my friend Marianne van Buuren for her dedicated preparation

of the competition.

Kindest,

Nadia Guth Biasini

President

Association of the International Guitar Competition Maurizio Biasini

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International Guitar Competition & Festival

Maurizio BiasiniOn behalf of the Associazione Concorso Chitarristico Internazionale Maurizio Biasini, the

San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the Harris Guitar Foundation, and the Omni Foundation for the

Performing Arts, I am thrilled to welcome the 3rd International Maurizio Biasini Guitar Competition

and Festival to San Francisco.

Maurizio Biasini was a noted scientist as well as a beloved classical guitarist with a master’s degree from

the Conservatory of Bologna. Upon his premature passing, a community of his friends and fellow guitarists,

spearheaded by his widow Nadia Guth Biasini, decided to create a roving competition in his honor. After

highly successful versions in Bologna (2011) and Basel (2013) the competition moves here; it will next occur

again in Europe in 2018. What is different about this third version is that we have also turned it into a festival,

and in doing so we have marshaled some of the main forces behind the classical guitar in the Bay Area.

At this event we will feature classical guitar tradition as well as innovation. Festival-goers can experience

Conservatory guitar students playing on instruments from the Harris Guitar Collection, and you will hear a

wide variety of repertoire ranging from the first major guitar concerto (Giuliani) to the most famous guitar

concerto (Rodrigo) to a brand new guitar concerto (Clarice Assad). Three other world premieres include a new

piece for amplified guitar with electronics by the Italian composer Nicola Evangelisti, a solo work written for

the competition by SFCM faculty member Sérgio Assad, and a piece dedicated to our Conservatory Guitar

Ensemble by Chilean composer Javier Fariás, in which the ensemble will be joined by two narrators. This

program book contains program notes for each of the four new pieces, to help the listener gain a way in.

The festival will open with that first guitar concerto, and as the weekend unfolds, you will hear guitars played

with pipe cleaners under the strings to imitate the sound of marimbas, guitarists singing a Mayan prayer,

beating rhythms on their chests, interacting with electronics, and of course playing the core repertoire

that we all love.

On Friday night you will hear the excellent young Italian guitarist Emanuele Buono, who came back

with great determination to take the top prize in Basel after having placed second in Bologna. And on

Saturday night our international panel of jurors will play a program of Swiss and Italian guitar music

to honor the heritage of the Biasini Guth family.

At the center of all this activity will be the Biasini’s guiding purpose, the competition: the drama

of young guitarists vying for a major prize that will help launch a career.

Thank you for joining us!

David Tanenbaum

Artistic Director, International Guitar Competition Maurizio Biasini

Chair, Guitar Department, San Francisco Conservatory of Music

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International Guitar Competition & Festival

Maurizio Biasini

The International Guitar Competition Maurizio Biasini (cciMB) and Festival is proud to present its 3rd edition (Jan. 14-17, 2016) at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) under the artistic direction of David Tanenbaum, chair of the SFCM guitar department. Dedicated to the physicist and musician Maurizio Biasini, the competition aims at selecting young (ages 18 to 35), exceptionally talented classical guitarists and to promote their professional career through musical events, concerts, and various promotional activities. The winner of the competition will receive a cash prize of $12,000, an invitation to perform a recital in Switzerland (Rising Stars series of the Allgemeine Musikgesellschaft Basel, 2017/2018), as well as other concerts in Italy (Associazione Conoscere la Musica – Mario Pellegrini, Bologna) and France (Festival International de Guitare de Paris, 2016).

The competition is unique in its efforts to create a permanent connection between conservatories with a long-standing tradition in classical guitar performance and composition in different countries (Italy, Switzerland, and the USA) and to alternate between them. For each edition, a composition for classical guitar is commissioned from a composer connected with the hosting conservatory. While setting high standards in respect to its program, the competition pays special attention to the learning experience of its participants, who are invited to take part in various social and musical events during the competition.

2016 Competition

For the first time the preliminary round of the competition was completed through an online screening procedure which resulted in the selection of the semi-finalists by the international jury consisting of Artistic Director David Tanenbaum, Gérard Abiton (Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Paris and Pôle Supérieur Paris-Boulogne, France), Marco Vinicio Carnicelli (Conservatorio Piccinni di Bari, Italy), Alberto Martelli (Conservatorio Boito di Parma, Italy), Stephan Schmidt (Musikakademie Basel, Switzerland), and Walter Zanetti (Conservatorio Martini di Bologna, Italy).

The semi-finalists, coming from nine different countries (Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, France, Italy, Slovenia, Ukraine, and the USA), will continue the competition at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music on January 15 and 16, playing a 25-minute individual program that includes two movements from the four lute suites by Johann Sebastian Bach as well as the cciMB 2016 commissioned piece Imbricatta by Sérgio Assad. The final round, which will take place on Sunday, January 17, features the three finalists performing the Concierto de Aranjuez accompanied by the SFCM Alumni Orchestra, Imbricatta by Sérgio Assad, as well as a free-choice piece.

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International Guitar Competition and Festival Maurizio Biasini Schedule

January 14-17, 2016

San Francisco Conservatory of Music

THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2016 8 PM Opening Concert Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall Marc Teicholz and Cristóbal Selamé, soloists Nicole Paiement, conductor SFCM Alumni Orchestra SFCM New Music Ensemble SFCM Guitar Ensemble, David Tanenbaum, conductor

FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2016 10 AM–1 PM Semi-Final Round Sol Joseph Recital Hall 2:30–6 PM Semi-Final Round Sol Joseph Recital Hall 8 PM Concert by Emanuele Buono, 2013 cciMB winner Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall

SATURDAY, JANUARY 16, 2016 10 AM–12 PM Semi-Final Round Sol Joseph Recital Hall 4 PM Harris Guitar Collection Showcase Sol Joseph Recital Hall 8 PM Concert featuring the cciMB 2016 jurors Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall

SUNDAY, JANUARY 17, 2016 2 PM 2016 Final Round and Awards Ceremony Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall SFCM Alumni Orchestra Nicole Paiement, conductor

COMPETIT ION & FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

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Thursday, January 14, 2016, 8 PMCaroline H. Hume Concert Hall

Guitar Concerto No. 1 in A Major, Op. 30 Mauro Giuliani Allegro maestoso (1781-1829) Andantino (Siciliano) Polonaise. Allegretto

Cristóbal Selamé, guitarSFCM Alumni Orchestra

Nicole Paiement, conductor

Nazcan (2015) World Premiere Javier Farías La Noche, la Nada, la Vida (The Night, Nothingness and Life) (b. 1973) Castigo de las profundidades (Punishment of Profundities) No magia (No Magic) Cazadores celestes (The Celestial Hunters) La caceria (The Hunt) Baile de las Quimeras (The Dance of the Chimeras)

Joaquin Navas, Spanish narratorTamara Richards, English narrator

San Francisco Conservatory Guitar EnsembleBradly Pupa, Josh Moore, Patrick Smith, Nathania Isnandar,

Nathaniel Martinez, Natalka Georgievova, Katrina Gavelin, Kevin AyersDavid Tanenbaum, conductor

-Intermission-

O Saci-Pererê (2013-2014) World Premiere Clarice Assad The Magic Cap (b. 1978) Matita Perê Dust Devil

Marc Teicholz, guitarSFCM New Music EnsembleNicole Paiement, conductor

Guitarist Cristóbal Selamé ’17 is the winner of the 2015 SFCM Guitar Concerto Competition.

Nazcan is dedicated to David Tanenbaum and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Guitar Ensemble.

O Saci-Pererê, dedicated to Marc Teicholz, was commissioned by the Harris Guitar Foundation with the generous support of private contributors, SFCM, and New Music USA.

Mr. Teicholz is playing a 2008 Stephan Connor guitar from the Harris Guitar Collection.

O P E N I N G C O N C E R T

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Javier Farías NazcanNazcan (Born) is a tribute to the Guatemalan Nobel Prize winner Miguel Angel Asturias (1899–1974). I have based the piece on his little known poem Clarivigilia Primaveral (Clear Vigil in Spring), a history-dream poem in which Asturias evokes the creation of artists by the Mayan gods.

Richard Kelly Washbourne writes that Asturias “is widely considered the first modern Spanish American author to bring genuine ethnographic consciousness, combined with a surrealist,

experimental technique and undercurrents of scathing social protest. His narrations are full of images of mysticism of the Mayan people as well as his anger towards social injustice. As he noted in an interview, the fusion of realities that characterizes many of the early indigenous writings––specifically the Popol Vuh––springs from the ‘magical imagination’ of the indigenous sense of causality: ‘The Indian thinks in images. He does not see things in process, but he always displaces them into another dimension, in which we see the real disappear and the dream emerge, in which dreams are transformed into tangible and visible reality.’”

In order to get some specific and coloristic sounds, I used different effects throughout the music, such as the use of pipe cleaners at the beginning to mute the strings and evoke the sound of marimbas, hits on the chest to give unexpected and primitive percussion sounds, and making the guitarists sing prayers.

This music is part of the project Seis miradas por Latinoamerica, a tribute through my compositions to the six Latin American poets and writers who have obtained the Nobel Prize for Literature.

~ Javier Farías

La Noche, la Nada, la Vida,las Inmensas Viudas,y el Ambimano Tatuador de mundosque ÉL creó con sus ojosy tatuó con su mirada de girasol,creó con sus manos, la real y la del sueño,creó con su palabra, tatuaje de saliva sonora,mundos que al quedar ciegorescató del silencio con el caracol de sus oídosy de la tiniebla luminosacon su tacto de constelación apagada,con sus dedos enjoyados de números y colibríes.

La Noche, la Nada, la Vida,las Inmensas Viudasa la luz de los Oropensantes-luceros,Emisarios que se perdieron en el cielo de níquelSin desanillar su mensajey el Ambimano Tatuadorcegado por la lluvia de ojos de hilo.

The Night, Nothingness and Life,the Immense Widows,and the Two handed Tattooer of worldsthat HE created with his eyesand tattooed with his sunflower stare,created with his hands, one real and one a dream,created with his word, a tattoo of resounding saliva,worlds that he, though blinded,redeemed from the silence with the snail-curl of his earsand from the luminous murkwith his extinguished constellation touch,with his fingers bejeweled with numbers and hummingbirds.

The Night, Nothingness and Life,the Immense Widowsin the light of the Gold thinking-stars,Emissaries who lost their way in the nickel skywithout revealing their messageand the Two handed Tattooerblinded by the threadlike rain of eyes.

P R O G R A M N O T E S

I. La Noche, la Nada, la Vida (The Night, Nothingness and Life)

T E X T S & T R A N S L AT I O N S

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II. Castigo de las profundidades (Punishment of Profundities)

La tierra fue sometidaa castigo de profundidades.Después del incendio, las invisibles lluvias,el suelo trastornado, el huracán de lodo,las navajas del sol,el chichicaste en la carne viva…castigo de profundidadespor haber dado cabidaal primer bárbaro, no al último,a la primera bestia humana,al prime verdugoEn mi país forjado a miel.

The earth was subjectedto a punishment of profundities.After the conflagration, the invisible rains,the soil overturned, the hurricane of mud,the razors of the sun,the chichicaste nettle in the living flesh...a punishment of profunditiesfor having made roomfor the first barbarian, not the last,for the first human beast,for the first executionerin my country forged of honey.

III. No magia (No Magic)

Las aves vuelan enoquecidas,Sin saber a dónde dirigirse …Los vientos desatinadosTropiezan con el mar y lo desatan …

Hay árboles andando.Arboles nuevosllevados por las aguas.

Piedras andando.Reflejos de futuras ciudadesllevadas por las aguas.

Que no hay música?De eso te quejas, Cazador del Aire?

... música si, pero no magia ...

... poesía si, pero no magia ...

... pintura si, pero no magia ...

... escultura si, pero no magia ...

The birds fly driven madNot knowing where to take themselves …The bewildered windsStumble upon the sea and unravel it …

There are trees moving.New treescarried by waters.

Stones moving.Reflections of future citiescarried by waters.

There’s no music?Is that your complaint, Hunter of the Air?

... music yes, but no magic ...

... poetry yes, but no magic ...

... painting yes, but no magic ...

... sculpture yes, but no magic ...

T E X T S & T R A N S L AT I O N S

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IV. Cazadores celestes (The Celestial Hunters)

V. La cacería (The Hunt)

Instrumental movement

“El vuelo inmóvil de la poesía y sus desdoblamientosen canto ritual, danza guerrera, juego de palabras,coloquio de corazones endiosados, es nuestro secreto.Oír brotar almácigas de sílabas y transplantarlasde las salivaciones a la estrofa dorada,nuestro oficio de pensadores con música.Conocemos el pulso de las lluvias flagelantesen el dibujo calendárico y la caligrafía colorida,polícroma, de símbolos y adivinaciones astrológicas;pero postergados por el Mágico del Canto,no pasamos de ser hablacadáveresde lenguas perforadas con flechas de metáforas.”

¿A qué bejuco de silencio prenden campanillas,gotas de agua, escamas de peces, fragmentos de vidrio, trozos de madera, uñas de metal,en ensayos de nuevas lluvias sonoras,los Invisibles Espaldas del Mágico Visible,el del Copal de la Música, en su casa del Sur?¿Qué cañas agujerean, tostadas a fuego lento,en busca del patético trino?¿Qué piedras pulidas a tabacousan para aplanchar las pieles tamboreras?¿En qué licor de milenjos embeben la ocarina,la tortuga, el caracol, la piedrapara las teclas de las marimbas?Tácita la queja de músicos anónimos en las preguntasque vuelan hasta el oído de los Cazadores Celestes.

“The motionless flight of poetry and its unfoldingin ritual song, warrior dance, word play,conversation of deified hearts, this is our secret.To hear seedbeds of syllables sprout and transplant themwith salivations of the golden strophe, this is our role as thinkers with music.We know the pulse of the lashing rainsin the calendrical drawing and the colored, polychrome calligraphy of symbols and astrological prophecies;but, passed over by the Magician of Song,we can’t be more than word cadavers,our tongues perforated with metaphor arrows.”

Onto what vines of silence do they fasten bells,drops of water, fish scales, fragments of glass,pieces of wood, fingernails of metal,in tests of new resounding rains,those who are the Invisible Back of the Visible Magician,he of the Tree of Music, in his house of the South?What canes, toasted over low flame, do they piercein search of the pathetic trill?What stones polished with tobaccodo they use to iron the drum skins?In what millennial liquor do they soak the ocarina,the tortoise, the snail, the stonefor the keys of the marimbas?Silent is the lament of anonymous musicians in the questionsthat fly to the ear of the Celestial Hunters.

T E X T S & T R A N S L AT I O N S

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VI. Baile de las Quimeras (The Dance of the Chimeras)

Clarice Assad O Saci-Pererê The Saci-Pererê is a popular Brazilian mythological character I grew up reading about so much, I used to think he was real. Part of my fascination with Saci as a child is that he is a magical being. He is also a very interesting-looking creature: he is short, has only one leg but can move swiftly through the woods; he has dark, chocolate mocha skin, and wears a red, magic cap that enables him to be invisible, disappear, and reappear whenever he wishes.

Myth has it that Saci can be very evil if and when he wishes to, though mostly towards people who are not nice. So I guess that makes him a good guy in a way. Other rumors I’ve heard about Saci is that he loves to play pranks on people, and sports a loud and boisterous laughter of delight whenever something goes wrong. Another facet of this incredible creature is that he becomes a bird, who sings a beautiful, mournful song. As a bird, Saci is known as Matita-Perê.

I have written the concerto in standard form: medium, slow, fast. Each movement deals with a different Saci personality trait. The Magic Cap is about Saci’s playfulness, his child-like qualities, and love for harmless pranks. Matita Perê is about the bird he becomes and the song he sings before taking a long flight over a rocky mountain. The second movement connects to Dust Devil which depicts Saci’s evil, non-benign side.

The idea for the commissioning of this work came from Marc Teicholz, who has been an incredible source of inspiration for me throughout the creative process. O Saci-Pererê was commissioned by the Harris Guitar Foundation, and several people have played a crucial role in making tonight’s performance a reality. I would like to sincerely thank Marc Teicholz, Sérgio Assad, David Tanenbaum, L. John Harris, and Nicole Paiement. Huge thanks for the generous contributions towards the commission and all the musicians who are contributing with their talents to make the piece come to life.I am so grateful to all of you.

~ Clarice Assad

“Esta nuestra palabra, nuestra voz,Nuestro reto, nuestro manifiesto”

“¡Allá va …y nazca la Arquitectura intacta,amparo de las artes heridaspor el reflejo de las flechas en el agua,al dar caza a Cuatricielo, ídolo de lava transparenteque año con añoa la entrada de la primaveravolverá a ser herido,para que las artes, alimentos de los dioses, permanezcan entre los hombresy se llenen las plazasde músicos, pintores, escultores, poetas,grabadores, plumistas, jicareros,acróbatas, alfareros, talladores,orfebres, danzarines voladores,porque de ellos es la auroraprimaveral de este país forjado a miel!”

“This is our word, our voice,our challenge, our manifesto”

“There it goes …and the untouched Architecture is born,a shelter for the arts woundedby the arrow’s reflection in the water,in the chase of Four Heavens,idol of transparent lava, who from year to yearat the onset of springwill again be wounded, so that the arts,the nourishment of the gods,may remain among menand fill the plazaswith musicians, painters, sculptors, poets,engravers, clerks, gourd cutters,acrobats, potters, carvers,goldsmiths, flying dancers,for from them comes the springtime dawnof this country forged in honey!”

~ Translations by Robert Lebling

T E X T S & T R A N S L AT I O N S

P R O G R A M N O T E S

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Friday, January 15, 2016, 8 PMCaroline H. Hume Concert Hall

Emanuele BuonoFirst Prizewinner of the 2013 International Guitar Competition Maurizio Biasini

2 0 1 3 W I N N E R ’ S C O N C E R T

Saturday, January 16, 2016, 4 PMSol Joseph Recital Hall

The Harris Guitar Foundation is pleased to sponsor a showcase of historic guitars from the Harris Guitar Collection, co-hosted by L. John Harris and David Tanenbaum. Students from the SFCM guitar program will perform on guitars made by such historic luthiers as Antonio Torres, Santos Hernandez, Robert Bouchet, Hermann Hauser, and Francisco Simplicio; Mr. Harris will provide commentary on the instruments.

Student Performers

Joseph Ochoa, Joseph Ompoc, Bradly Pupa, Cristóbal Selamé, Chun Xie

Passacaille Alexandre Tansman (1897-1986) Andante e Rondò, Op. 2, No. 2 Dionisio Aguado (1784-1849) Suite No. 6 in D Minor Sylvius Leopold Weiss Fantasia (1687-1750) Allemande Courante Bourée Sarabande Menuet Giga

-Intermission-

Sonata No. 37 in A Major, Hob XVI: 22 Franz Joseph Haydn Allegro moderato (1732-1809) Andante Tempo di minuetto

Rossiniana No. 1, Op. 119 Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829)

T H E H A R R I S G U I TA R C O L L E C T I O N S H O W C A S E

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Saturday, January 16, 2016, 8 PMCaroline H. Hume Concert HallMusic by Italian and Swiss composers

J U R O R S ’ C O N C E R T

Nicola Evangelisti Osmósis for amplified guitar and electronicsThe piece is conceived as a continuous passing of sound elements from the guitar to electronics. The two “instruments” have different characteristics and independent paths, but in the flow of time more and more elements go from the guitar to the electronics in a sort of gradual and progressive identification, up to a point of maximum interpenetration.

~ Nicola Evangelisti

Preludio Hans Haug Alba (1900-1967)Passacaglia Ludovico Roncalli (1900-1967)

David Tanenbaum

Studio da concerto Giorgio Federico Ghedini (1892-1965) “translation”of Domenico Scarlatti’s Sonata, K.141 Maurizio Pisati (b. 1959)Osmòsis for guitar and electronics Nicola Evangelisti World premiere (b. 1964)

Walter Zanetti

Sonata, K. 261 Allegro Domenico Scarlatti Sonata, K. 69 Andante (1685-1757)Sonata, K. 386 PrestoSonata, K. 466 Andante moderatoSonata, K. 113 Vivo

Gérard Abiton

-Intermission-Quatre pièces brève Frank Martin Prélude (1890-1974) Air Plainte Comme une giguePajarillos no cantan Jacques Wildberger (1922-2006)

Stephan Schmidt

Marinaresca (Tempo di siciliana) Mario Castelnuovo-TedescoBolle di sapone (Allegretto grazioso) (1895-1968) Campane a valle (Largo ed arioso)Capriccio Diabolico, Op. 85

Marco Vinicio Carnicelli

P R O G R A M N O T E S

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C O M P E T I T I O N F I N A L S

Sunday, January 17, 2016, 2 PMCaroline H. Hume Concert Hall

Each finalist will perform:

Concierto de Aranjuez (1939) Joaquin Rodrigo Allegro con spirito (1901-1999) Adagio Allegro gentile

SFCM Alumni OrchestraNicole Paiement, conductor

Imbricatta in 10 asymmetrical layers (2015) Sérgio Assad World Premiere (b. 1952)

Commissioned by and dedicated to the International Guitar Competition Maurizio Biasini

A piece of the finalist’s choice

Sérgio Assad Imbricatta in 10 asymmetrical layersOne of the most commonly used musical forms throughout history is variation. Although the form was used since the 14th century, the first piece published in variation form was Diferencias, by the 16th century vihuelist Luis de Narvaez. Since then most composers have used the form, in pieces such as passacaglias, chaconnes, and theme with variations. All these variations share the common ground of introducing main material (a theme or harmonic frame) that is then explored through the development of the piece.

When I wrote the piece Imbricatta for the Biasini Guitar Competition, I came up with a theme to be worked in the variation form. Rather than following the normal path of introducing the theme followed by the variations, I used the concept of the verb “imbricate” to create a set of ten variations or episodes in different sizes and moods. “Imbricate” is a word that describes similar things or related ideas partly overlapping each other, like roofing shingles. So instead of starting with a theme, the first three variations of this piece are instead searching for a theme.

The ten variations are presented in a way that each one of the episodes generates material to be explored in the following one. The change of moods is quite strong, but the piece is held together with the use of a recognizable main theme. The complete main theme appears just twice, strategically inserted in variations 4 and 7. Although the melodic material is the same in those two variations, the contrasting harmony––both tonal and chromatic––adds individual characters, and a balanced proportion to the set. Variation 5 is the most elaborate of all, where a condensed treatment of the melodic material is presented in retrograde, creating an improvisatory feeling.

From variation 8 to the end, the overall harmonic concept becomes mostly chromatic, and new materials are introduced to be reworked as well. The piece closes with an increasing use of chordal harmony over the fragmented initial main theme, along with the new materials that were introduced in variation 8.

~ Sérgio Assad

P R O G R A M N O T E S

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Nadia Guth Biasini Nadia Guth Biasini, a historian who received her degree from Basel University in 1984, has been active as curator of various exhibitions (with catalogues) in Basel, related mainly to Jewish culture and history. She also heads several associations, including the Association for the Jewish Museum of Switzerland,which has been responsible for the museum since 1966. Since 2011 she has been responsible for the International Guitar Competition Maurizio Biasini – Concorso Chitarristico Internazionale (Bologna, Italy, 2011; Basel, Switzerland, 2013; San Francisco, 2016). This competition and festival promotes young guitarists at the outset of their careers as well as guitar music and

contemporary composers. Together with her husband, the Italian physicist Maurizio Biasini, she lived for many years abroad in England, Italy, and the USA.

David TanenbaumDavid Tanenbaum is the chair of the guitar department at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He is recognized today as one of the most eloquent proponents of the contemporary guitar repertoire and as a charismatic educator. Among the many works composed for him is Hans Werner Henze’s guitar concerto An eine Äolsharfe, which he performed throughout Europe and recorded with the composer conducting. Tanenbaum can be heard on more than 30 recordings on EMI, New Albion, Naxos, and other labels. His Nonesuch recording as soloist in John Adam’s Naive and Sentimental Music with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic was nominated for a 2002 Grammy as “Best

New Composition.” His most recent recording is the complete guitar works of Sofia Gubaidulina on the Naxos label.

P R E S I D E N T, H A R R I S G U I TA R F O U N D AT I O N

L. John HarrisBorn in Los Angeles, California, writer, artist, and filmmaker L. John Harris fell in love with the classical guitar as a young teen. He studied with Manuel Sanguesa, who would visit his native Spain every summer and return with wonderful new instruments to share with his students. This launched Harris’ life-long love of the instrument as a player, and later, as a collector. While studying art and creative writing at the University of California, Berkeley, Harris purchased his first serious concert guitar, a Paulino Bernabe. In addition to writing numerous books over the years, he co-produced films such as the Emmy-nominated PBS special Los Romeros: The Royal Family of the Guitar, released nationally

in 2001. His relationship to the Romero guitar clan helped Harris launch a series of events at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music called “Guitarrada,” with the additional support of the OMNI Foundation. With the growth of his private collection of classical and flamenco guitars, Harris formed The Harris Guitar Foundation (HGF) in 2012 to showcase the collection and integrate it into the guitar curriculum at SFCM. He serves as President of HGF and the collection’s curator, overseeing the rotating selection of guitars on display at SFCM. www.harrisguitarfoundation.org.

P R E S I D E N T, cciMB

A R T I S T I C D I R E C T O R , cciMB

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Emanuele Buono, guitar Emanuele Buono has established himself as one of the most active guitarists of his generation. Born in Turin, he began to study the classical guitar when he was very young. In 2005, at just 18 years of age, he received a first class honors degree from the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan. He continued his studies at the Francisco Tarrega Academy in Pordenone earning a master’s degree under the guidance of Stefano Viola and Paolo Pegoraro. Every year since 2007, he has attended international master classes given by Oscar Ghiglia at the Academia Musicale Chigiana di Siena, where he was twice awarded a certificate of merit and a scholarship. On September 27, 2008, at the XIII International Guitar Meeting of Alessandria, Buono was honored with the La Chitarra d’Oro award as best young concert performer of the year. He is the winner of the 2nd International Guitar Competition Maurizio

Biasini held in Basel (Switzerland, 2013) and of several other important international guitar competitions: Gargnano (Italy, 2008), Ruggero Chiesa of Camogli (Italy, 2008), Split (Croatia, 2009), gold medalist at the prestigious Parkening in Malibu (USA, 2009), Città di Seveso (Italy, 2010), Fernando Sor of Rome (Italy, 2010), Agustín Barrios of Nuoro (Italy, 2012), Gredos San Diego of Madrid (Spain, 2013), and Michele Pittaluga, Alessandria (Italy, 2013). Emanuele Buono has recorded for several labels and has been invited to debut in many prestigious concerts halls such as the de Falla Hall in Madrid, the Konzerthaus in Vienna, Carnegie Hall in New York, the Hermitage Theatre in St. Petersburg, and the Lysenko Hall in Kiev.

Nicole Paiement, conductor Nicole Paiement has gained an international reputation as a conductor and specialist of contemporary opera and contemporary music. Her recordings include many world premiere works and she has toured extensively in the U.S. and Asia. Paiement is the founder and artistic director for Opera Parallèle, a professional contemporary opera in San Francisco. With Opera Parallèle, she has conducted many new productions including the world premiere of Lou Harrison’s final version of Young Caesar; the commissioned chamber version of John Harbison’s The Great Gatsby; the West Coast premiere of John Rea’s re-orchestration of Berg’s Wozzeck, Philip Glass’ Orphée; Virgil Thomson’s Four Saints in Three Acts; the World Premiere of Luciano Chessa’s commissioned opera A Heavenly Act; and many others. Paiement has recently been appointed principal guest conductor at The Dallas Opera. She is

an active guest conductor both in the U.S. and abroad. Upcoming engagements include the Washington National Opera, Saratoga Opera and Glimmerglass. Paiement holds the Jean and Josette Deleage New Music Chair at SFCM and has been recognized with the Conservatory’s Sarlo Award for teaching excellence.

Cristóbal Selamé, guitarCristóbal Selamé is a talented Chilean guitarist studying at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music under the instruction of Sérgio Assad, where he was awarded a Sarlo Scholarship. Assad has described his playing as “inspired,” saying, “every note comes straight from his heart.” Selamé has previously studied at the Escuela Moderna de Musica with Jaime Calisto and in his native country at the Universidad de Chile with Luis Orlandini. He frequently performs in Chile and across the United States. Selamé has participated in master classes with world-renowned guitarists David Russell, Marcin Dylla, Alvaro Pierri, and Manuel Barrueco. Recent performances include a recital at the San Jorge Cathedral in Chile, a solo recital at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and a guitar ensemble performance celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Conservatory’s guitar department. He is working on a new album of

music by J.S Bach, Robert De Visee, Mauro Giuliani, Francisco Tarrega, and Agustin Barrios. He is honored to be the first undergraduate winner of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Guitar Concerto Competition.

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Marco Vinicio Carnicelli Marco Vinicio Carnicelli, winner of many national and international awards, has given public performances in various cities in Italy and abroad, both as soloist and in chamber ensembles, receiving excellent reviews. After his graduation from the Conservatory of Bari, he continued his musical studies with the great Venezuelan guitarist Alirio Diaz and the orchestra conductor M° Sergiu Celibidache. He premiered the Guitar Concert by the English composer Lennox Berkeley in Italy in 2009 as well as in Mexico in 2010, with Nicola Giuliani conducting the Orchestra Sinfonica di Bari, the Orquesta Sinfonica de Toluca, and the Orquesta Sinfonica de Guanajuato. Currently he is the chair of the guitar department at the N. Piccinni Conservatory of Bari in Italy.

Gérard Abiton Gérard Abiton currently teaches at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Paris and the Pôle Supérieur Paris-Bolougne in France. He is an exceptional classical guitarist and educator who is particularly attentive to the future of young guitarists in many countries (he co-founded the training course Rencontres avec l’Orchestre). He has received awards in numerous international competitions, including the International Guitar Competition of Radio-France (1981) and the International Competition of Musical Execution in Geneva, Switzerland (1981). He was also awarded the Musicians Artists’ Association Prize of Geneva for his remarkable interpretation of Quatre pieces brèves by composer Frank Martin. Abiton has performed and given master classes in more than 40 countries. His recordings include transcriptions of sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti, the complete oeuvre of Manuel Maria Ponce and Joaquin Turina, and work by other composers of the first half of the 20th century such as Federico Mompou, Federico Moreno Torroba, and Joaquín Rodrigo.

Marc Teicholz, guitarMarc Teicholz won first prize in the 1989 International Guitar Foundation of America competition. He has toured extensively throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Russia, receiving critical acclaim for his recitals and master classes. Teicholz also has toured Southeast Asia under the auspices of the U.S.I.A. Artistic Ambassador program and has appeared as a soloist with orchestras in Spain, Portugal, California, and Hawaii. He currently records for Naxos and Sugo records. Teicholz graduated magna cum laude from Yale University and received an M.M. from the Yale School of Music and a J.D. from the Boalt School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley. Teicholz is a member of the guitar faculty at SFCM.

F E S T I VA L A R T I S T S

T H E J U R Y

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T H E J U R Y

Walter Zanetti Walter Zanetti graduated from the Conservatory of Bologna and earned a master of music degree from the Ecole Normale de Musique A. Cortot in Paris. An excellent performer and winner of some of the most important international competitions for classic guitar, he is known as an experimenter and improviser who explores the combination of classical, electrical, and ethnic sounds. The eclecticism of Zanetti’s artistic work is illustrated by his CD Cantos Yoruba de Cuba, dedicated to Afro-Cuban music for solo guitar inspired by the sacred rhythms of Cuban Santería, the concert-installation Boîte à Musique, and his collaboration with composer and violinist Eyvind Kang. His latest CD, dedicated to original lute works by J. S. Bach, was recorded after a study period of baroque performance practice with Norwegian lutenist and theorbist Rolf Lisveland. Zanetti is currently a professor of guitar at the G. B. Martini Conservatory of Bologna.

Alberto Martelli jury president Alberto Martelli studied composition, choral music, and orchestral conducting at the G. B. Martini Conservatory in Bologna under the tutelage of masters Paolo Renosto, Aldo Clementi, Tito Gotti, and Bianca Furgeri. He attended international orchestral conducting courses and seminars in phenomenology of music by Sergiu Celibidache, and served as assistant to Eliahu Inbal and Hubert Soudant. He has conducted many orchestras in Italy and abroad, performing in prestigious halls and festivals, including the Rome Auditorium Parco della Musica, Gasteig München, Festival de Haute Savoie, and Festivals of Passau, Saõ Paulo, and Buenos Aires. In addition, he has conducted and recorded world premieres of contemporary works, including the ballet Sprint by Giorgio Gaslini, which was nominated for best contemporary ballet in 2000. He regularly performs Italian operas of the eighteenth

and nineteenth century in theaters throughout Europe. Martelli is artistic director of the musical association Conoscere la musica and professor of orchestral conducting at the A. Boito Conservatory of Parma, Italy.

Stephan Schmidt Stephan Schmidt is director of the Musikakademie Basel, Switzerland. After his studies with Luis Martin-Diego, Alberto Ponce, and Manuel Barrueco, he published the complete recordings of Ohana’s music for solo guitar that earned him several international awards. Well known for his performances of masterpieces by J.S. Bach and contemporary composers, such as Helmut Lachenmann and Brian Ferneyhough, his repertoire also includes collaborations with musicians of various styles and backgrounds, such as Pedro Bacan (flamenco guitar), Fred Frith (electric guitar), Ivan Monighetti (cello), Elisabeth Chojnacka (harpsichord), Juliane Banse (voice), Heinz Holliger (oboe), Mats Scheidegger (guitar), David Moss (voice), and many others. In 2013, he performed a new guitar concerto written for him by the composer Chaya Czernowin at the Lucerne Festival, Switzerland.

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Andrew Blanch, 24, Camperdown, AustraliaA prize-winning classical guitarist, Andrew Blanch earned a B.M. degree with first-class honors from the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, studying under Timothy Kain and Minh Le Hoang. Highlights of his career include playing solo in matinee and evening soirées at the Sydney Opera House’s Concert Hall as part of the ‘Encore’ series. In 2010 Blanch won first prize at the Sydney Eisteddfod Classical Guitar Competition and in 2013, he won fourth prize at the 15th International Guitar Competition of Sernancelhe, in Portugal. Recently, he won the inaugural Whitworth Roach Classical Music Competition 2015, open to all instruments. Blanch regularly performs with duo partner Callum Henshaw and is a founding member of the Llewellyn Guitar Quartet. He is currently undertaking a performance PhD at ANU.

Fabian Cardozo, 29, Tucamán, ArgentinaFabian Cardozo discovered the guitar at an early age and was first taught by his father. In 2005, he received a degree in music performance from the Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. He continued his studies at the Musik Akademie Basel, Switzerland, under the direction of Professor Pablo Marquez, receiving a master of arts in music performance (2010) and a master of arts in music pedagogy (2012). Cardozo has performed in Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Mexico, Spain, Germany, and Switzerland. He won third prize at the 2nd International Guitar Competition Maurizio Biasini in Basel (Switzerland, 2013), first prize at the Enrico Mercatali Chamber Music Competition (Italy, 2013), and many more. He currently lives in Basel, Switzerland, where he teaches guitar.

Clément Charpentier, 22, Nancy, France From Ludres, France, Clément Charpentier studied classical guitar from the early age of seven at the Ludres music school. He graduated from the Conservatoire régional du Grand Nancy in 2014, studying with Frédéric Ben Atler, and is currently continuing his studies at the Pôle Supérieur d’enseignement artistique Paris Boulogne, under the guidance of Gérard Abiton. In 2015, he gave guitar recitals in Paris and Baumes-les-Messieurs and won second prize at the National competition of Fontenay-sous-Bois (France). In addition to playing in a punk band, Charpentier has participated in electrical guitar courses of Stéphane Rambaud and Jacqueline Julien.

Andrea Ferrario, 32, Como, ItalyThe Italian guitarist Andrea Ferrario studied classical guitar at the Guiseppe Verdi Conservatory of Music in the studio of Francesco Diodovich, receiving a first-class honors degree in 2012. He was awarded a scholarship to continue his studies with Lorenzo Micheli at the Istituto Musicale Pareggiato of Aosta, where he earned an M.M. degree (summa cum laude) and a performing-artist diploma. He participated in master classes with Giulio Tampalini, Matteo Mela, Angelo Gilardino, Frédéric Zigante, Edoardo Catemario, Andrew Zohn, and Jeffrey McFadden. He won several prizes at international guitar competitions including first prize at the Giulio Rospigliosi International Guitar Competition (2009), and second prize at the Atella Classical Guitar Competition (2011), and was a prizewinner at the 4th Città di Lissone Music Competition. Currently he is a professor of guitar (pre-college) at the Conservatory of Aosta.

T H E S E M I - F I N A L I S T S

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Mak Grgic’, 28, Ljubljana, SloveniaMak Grgic began his classical guitar studies at the Ella Basic Conservatory of Music in Zagreb, Croatia. In 2010, he earned a B.M. degree in musical education from the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, where he studied under Alvaro Pierri, and in 2012 he received an M.M. degree from the University of Southern California-Thornton School of Music, where he studied with William Kanengiser. Grgic has performed with several orchestras such as the Maribor Opera Orchestra, the Spokane Symphony, St. Petersburg Symphony, and the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra. In addition, he co-founded DC8, Da Camera Society’s contemporary music ensemble. Currently, he is pursuing a D.M.A. at the University of Southern California with professors Scott Tennant and Brian Head.

Luis Guevara, 28, Santiago, ChileLuis Guevara began his guitar studies in 2002 at the Liceo of Experimental Arts with Marco Correa and continued his study with Ernesto Quezada at the Arts University of Chile, graduating in 2013. He has given concerts throughout the country, both as soloist and chamber musician. Guevara has won numerous awards in international classical guitar competitions including first prize and best interpretation of the compulsory work of Miguel Llobet at the IX International Classical Guitar Competition “Miguel Llobet” (Barcelona, Spain, 2012); prize for the best performer of the obligatory work of Jorge Fernandez Guerra at the 19th Warrior Foundation Guitar Competition (Madrid, Spain, 2012); and first prize at the International Guitar Competition Guitar Without Borders, (Chile, 2015).

Xavier Jara, 22, Robbinsdale, Minnesota, USAUnder the guidance of Alan Johnston, Xavier Jara began studying at the MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 2009, he won first prize in both the Schubert Club and Thursday Musical scholarship competitions. Subsequently he gave numerous recitals including a concert for Dr. Paul Wirth’s Salon se Leve concert series. In 2011, he won first prize in the senior division of the prestigious Guitar Foundation of America Competition, as well as first place in the youth division of the Indiana International Guitar Competition. The following year, he won first prize at the Andrés Segovia competition in Velbert, Germany, and the Sinaia International Guitar Competition in Romania. He recently graduated from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, where he studied with Olivier Chassain and Judicael Perroy.

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Vincent Kappes, 22, Echirolles, FranceAt age 10, Vincent Kappes began to play the classical guitar with Yvonne Talmon in Eybens, Paris. Following a B.M. degree from the Conservatory of Grenoble in 2012, he was accepted into the studio of Jeremy Jouve at the Conservatory of Aulnay-sous-Bois in his native country. Since 2014 he has been studying at the prestigious National Superior Music and Dance Conservatory of Paris (CNSMDP) with Ronald Dyens. Kappes won first prize at the national Fontenay-sous-Bois competition (2013) and second prize at the national competition René Bartolli, Level Honour ll (2006). In 2013 he performed solo concerts at the guitar festivals of Baumes les Messieurs and of Vervins “Guitare en Picardie,” as well as duo concerts with Thomas Czaba at the guitar festival of Baumes les Messieurs. In addition to the classical guitar, Kappes plays electric guitar, electric bass, and folk guitar.

Stephen Lochbaum, 34, Richmond, British Columbia, CanadaStephen Lochbaum began his classical music training later than most of his peers but achieved much in a short span of time. Within six years, he earned an M.M. degree from the University of Victoria under the guidance of Alexander Dunn, won the National Music Festival of Canada, and studied and performed alongside the legendary guitarist Pepe Romero. He has won first prize at several international guitar competitions, including the University of Louisville International Competition, the Middle Tennessee State University International Competition, and the Texas A&M University International Festival and Competition (2014), to name a few. In addition, Lochbaum is an established jazz guitarist appearing in numerous international jazz, tango, and flamenco festivals. Currently, Lochbaum is pursuing his doctoral studies at the University of North Texas, where he was awarded a teaching fellowship.

Damien Lancelle, 30, Maubeuge, France From Northern France, Damien Lancelle began studying the violin at the age of five. At age 12, he started playing the guitar and pursued his musical studies at the Conservatoire National de Région in Versailles with French guitar virtuoso Judicael Perroy. In 2006 he moved to Vienna to study under the guidance of Brigitte Zaczek at the University for Music and Performing Arts, from which he earned an M.A. degree. He is a prizewinner of numerous international guitar competitions, including the Guitar Forum Competition in Vienna and the Guitar Foundation of America’s Concert Artist Competition, and won first prize at the prestigious Heinsberg International Guitar Competition (2013). In addition to performing recitals as a soloist and concerts with orchestra, Lancelle dedicates himself actively to the arrangement and performance of chamber music with the ensemble Spirituosi.

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Jelena Ratkovic, 22, New York, New York, USAJelena Ratkovic received her Diplôme d’Études Musicales (Diploma of Musical Studies) from the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Départemental du Val de Bièvre – L’Haÿ les Roses (France) in 2010. Earning B.M and M.M. degrees from the Royal Conservatoire of the Hague under the guidance of Zoran Dukic, Ratkovic has participated in many guitar festivals and has won numerous awards at international competitions, including first prize at the Concours Internationaux de Musique et de Chant in France, second prize in 2007 and first prize in 2009 at the Scharpach Guitar Competition of the Twents Gitaar Festival in Enschede, Netherlands, and first prize in 2009 at the Youth Performer’s Competition of the International Guitar Festival in Rust, Austria. Her teachers include Leighann Narum, Meliset Abreu, Alice Artzt, Tania Chagnot, Stephen Aron, and Zoran Dukic.

Davide Giovanni Tomasi, 24, Pavia, Italy Davide Giovanni Tomasi graduated with highest honors in 2010 from the Guido Cantelli Conservatory in Novara, where he studied with Guido Fichtner. After completing an M.M. degree in 2012, he was accepted at the Chigiana Academy in Siena where he studied with Oscar Ghiglia and was awarded a certificate of merit. He has participated in master classes by Manuel Barrueco, Pavel Steidl, Paul Galbraith, and Zoran Dukic. Tomasi has won many prizes at important guitar competitions: the Szeged International Guitar Competition in Hungary, the XVIII Emilio Pujol International Guitar Competition in Italy, the 2nd International Guitar Competition in Groznjan in Croatia, and the IX Nikšic International Guitar Competition in Montenegro. He has performed in Italy, France, Germany, Croatia, Montenegro, and Austria in solo recitals, orchestra concertos, and chamber music concerts.

Marko Topchii, 24, Kiev, UkraineBorn into a musical family, Marko Topchii studied guitar under the direction of Volodymir Homenyuk and Boris Belskiy. In 2011, he earned an M.M. degree from the National Kotlyarevsky University of Arts in Kharkov, where he studied with Volodymir Dotsenko. He has participated in master classes by Marcin Dylla, Tania Chagnot, Carlo Marchione, Judicaël Perroy, Aniello Desiderio, Elena Galuzevskaya, and more. A winner of more than 50 awards in international competitions, Topchii won prizes at the 5th Concurso Internacional de Guitarra Clasica Gredos SanDiego (Spain, 2015), the 6th JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition (USA, 2014), and the prestigious International Robert J. Vidal Guitar Competition in Barbezieux (France 2011), to name a few. Currently, he is pursuing his doctorate degree at the Tchaikovsky National Academy of Music in Kiev, under the tutelage of Yuri Alexik.

T H E S E M I - F I N A L I S T S