ANDREA GONZALEZ

Operaworld Magazine describes Andrea Gonzalez Caballero as “the female voice of the Spanish guitar” and BBC Music Magazine describes her as one of today’s “young rising stars of the classical guitar.”

Andrea is a winner of multiple prestigious international guitar competitions, receiving first prize at the “XL International Competition F. Sor” (Rome), and “XIII Alhambra International Guitar Competition” (Valencia), of which she was the youngest guitarist to receive first prize.

Andrea has appeared at international festivals and concert series around the world. Recent highlights include performances at Palau de la Música in Barcelona and the National Auditorium in Madrid, as well as performances with Sinfonietta Ratingen and Neue Philharmonie Westfalen in Germany.

Selected by the International Guitar Foundation of London to perform as a soloist in international music festivals such as the “London Guitar Festival”, she debuted in the UK offering concerts at venues like King’s Cross in London and Sage Gateshead in Newcastle.

Andrea’s Naxos CD containing the premiere of works by Britten, Albéniz and Tárrega, was received with great acclaim: “This album is a delicate, elegant and majestic musical word…” receiving the Golden Melomano distinction by Melomano Magazine.

In her effort to promote and expand the classical guitar repertoire, Andrea has premiered pieces composed by Sérgio Assad, Joaquín Clerch, Carlos Fernando López, and Dustin Carlson among others.

Her most recent projects include co-composing and performing part of the soundtrack in the film “No Man’s Land” and the release of the recording “EUSKARAZ” in collaboration with Grammy-winning composer and producer Carlos Fernando López.

Andrea studied at the Robert Schumann Musikhochschule in Düsseldorf, Germany, where she graduated with honors, before attending the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University where upon graduation she received the James Winship Lewis Memorial Prize. Currently, Andrea is completing her doctor of musical arts degree at the University of Miami.

Andrea Gonzalez's Website: https://andreagonzalezcaballero.com/

GRISHA GORYACHEV

A native of St. Petersburg, Russia, Grisha Goryachev is renowned for his extraordinary musical sensitivity and technical virtuosity in both classical and flamenco styles.

Grisha is one of very few guitarists in the world who is reviving the tradition of solo flamenco guitar in a concert setting, that was practiced by legendary flamenco masters such as Ramón Montoya and Sabicas. Grisha strives to keep alive older flamenco masterpieces that now exist only on records, by performing them in concerts. Instead of merely copying, he creates his own interpretations of these masterpieces, using dynamics and tone colors usually associated with classical guitar.

Grisha began playing guitar at the age of six, studying first with his father Dmitry, an acknowledged master teacher of the instrument. At nine years old, he started his performing career as a child prodigy. His numerous performances before large audiences in the most prestigious concert halls in the Soviet Union were highly praised.

Following a tour of Spain, Grisha was invited to play for flamenco legend Paco de Lucía, who soon after personally intervened in support of his application for an American visa, which was awarded in 1997 on the basis of “Extraordinary Ability.”

In May 2005, Grisha was awarded the prize for Best Performance of Spanish Music at the VI International Classical Guitar Competition "Julian Arcás" in Almería, Spain. In 2006 he became a fellow of the distinguished Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship, recognizing him as exceptional in his chosen field.

Grisha received his Bachelor, Master, and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where he studied under famous guitar virtuoso Eliot Fisk. His YouTube videos have collected over two million views, and he has recorded two CDs: Alma Flamenca and Homenaje a Sabicas.

Since his immigration to the United States, Grisha has toured extensively North American and abroad, as a performer, instructor, and a judge for many prominent festivals and venues. A firm believer in exposing the young generations to the beauty of classical and flamenco guitar, he likes to include outreach performances, master classes, and workshops at schools as part of his concert tours.

Grisha Goryachev's Website: https://www.grishaguitar.us/home