Jorge Caballero, the youngest musician and the only guitarist to win the prestigious Naumburg International Competition, is known for his dazzling virtuosity, his intense musicality and his spellbinding performances. He is widely regarded as one of the finest guitarists of his generation. Allan Kozinn of the New York Times called him a "superb young guitarist" and praised his rare combination of "a deft, powerful technique and a soft-spoken interpretive persona."

“Soulful and virtually flawless,” hails the Portland Oregonian and the Boston Globe writes, “In warm, round tones, the notes of Bach cascaded from the guitar, every note correct and played without hesitation.” Classical guitarist, pedagogue and educator Isaac Bustos, enjoys an extensive performing career that has taken him to Canada, Central America, Europe and all over the US. Dr. Bustos has made several Radio and Television appearances and is in demand as clinician and master class teacher invited to perform in some of the most prestigious festivals including the Guitar Foundation of America Annual Convention, Portland Guitar Festival, St. Joseph International Guitar Festival, Southwest Guitar Festival, Brownsville Guitar Festival, Classical Minds Festival, Festival Internacional de Guitarra Monterrey, Festival Ramon Noble and Festival del Noreste in Mexico. Isaac has also appeared as soloist with the Orchestra of New Spain, The Baytown Symphony Orchestra, The Nicaraguan National Symphony Orchestra and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Maestro JoAnn Falletta.

 

 

As a soloist Laura has given widely acclaimed performances, offering profound and often daring programs in concert halls around the world, from the Alte Oper in Frankfurt, Germany to the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Canada to the Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, Spain. She’s also a regularly invited performer and teacher in International Guitar Festivals: Toronto, Canada; Ezstergom, Hungary; Gdansk, Poland; Cologne, Germany; and Volos, Greece – to name but a few.

Armenian guitarist Gohar Vardanyan has performed throughout the United States for numerous guitar societies, universities, and arts organizations, including the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, and the Grand Canyon, Sierra Nevada, and New England Guitar Societies. She has appeared on National Public Radio on the program "From the Top." Ms. Vardanyan has also performed with the Juilliard Opera Center and as a soloist with the Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra. Guitar International Magazine has described her as "the complete package," "with a musicality and emotional quality . . . that one would expect from someone much older than the young wunderkind. Not only is she able to draw you into her performances with engaging musical interpretations, but she has the technical facility that is required of any concert level guitarist." Her playing has been described as "passionate," "evocative," and "virtuosic."

Kevin Manderville is active as a solo recitalist, chamber musician, and member of the Tantalus Quartet. He has appeared in major cities and festivals throughout North America and Europe including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Guitar Foundation of America International Convention, the Iserlohn International Guitar Symposium, the 2nd Acadia International Guitar Festival, and the New York Guitar Seminar, among others. He has won prizes in several international competitions, including first prize at the Concours International de Guitare de Lachine and second prize at the Rantucci International Guitar Competition. His debut CD, titled Through the Centuries, was released in the fall of 2010 on Clear Note.

 

 

A multiple national and international prizewinner, Shawn performed live from Cologne in 2011 for Germany’s Radio WDR3 as part of the program Tonart. In 2010 he was winner of the Solistenauswahl (Concerto Competition) of the Hochschule für Musik Köln, Wuppertal, and performed as soloist with orchestra in the Great Hall of the Historische Stadthalle. Also an active chamber musician, Shawn recorded the CD Mosaique with the Gran Guitarra Quartet for the German label Classic Clips in 2009. As a teacher Shawn has been invited to give masterclasses at the International Guitar Symposium in Iserlohn, Germany since 2008.

Will has performed for some of the top names in guitar including; Tom Sheeley, Virginia Luque, Thomas Kirchhoff, Dale Kavanagh, Johannes Moller, Eduado Fernandez, Eliot Fisk and Oscar Ghiglia among many others. Will held the department chair at Lake Country Christian School for three years and is continuing his teaching career at The Guitar Studio in Fort Worth and as an Adjunct Professor of Instrumental Studies at Tarrant County College Northwest. He made his concert debut in Guitar Fort Worth’s Atrium Series in 2004. He is well-known at many international guitar festivals including the Acadia Guitar Festival in Nova Scotia, Canada and the Iserlohn International Guitar Symposium in Iserlohn, Germany. Will has also given solo baroque guitar performances and played continuo in The University of North Texas’ Collegium Musicum Baroque Orchestra, which performs operas, concerti and chambers works by the leading composers of the baroque. In December of 2008, Will took the presidential reins of Guitar Fort Worth and has continued to help provide performances and educational opportunities to the Fort Worth community. In 2011 Will was invited as a guest lecturer and master class teacher at the 2011 Hamilton International Guitar Festival and The Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. After completing a Masters in Music Performance degree at UNT, Will attended the Graduate Diploma program in Eliot Fisk's studio at prestigious The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. Will maintains an active performance schedule in the North Texas area.

Tim Phelan is a Canadian guitarist, conductor, composer and arranger based in Niagara. He made his CBC recording debut at the age of eighteen as concerto soloist with Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, and he has since been heard in solo, concerto and chamber music performances over CBC Radio and Television, Radio France, Radio Caribbean, and Cuban National Television and Radio. He has performed at four of the Toronto international guitar festivals, at Leo Brouwer’s festivals in Havana and Martinique, and he has given world-premiere performances of chamber works by Alan Hirsh, Michael Pepa and Alan Torok. Tim is a graduate of The University of Toronto, where he studied with renowned guitar pedagogue Eli Kassner; he has also studied with Alice Artzt, Leo Brouwer, John Mills, David Russell and George Sakellariou.

Emma Rush is based Hamilton where she maintains a busy teaching studio in additional to faculty appointments at Redeemer University and Mohawk College. She performs throughout North America and Europe and appears regularly at international guitar festivals (Iserlohn, Acadia, Sauble Beach). Emma Rush is the founder and artistic director of the successful Guitar Hamilton concert series and the Hamilton International Guitar Festival. In 2011 she was a top prize winner at the International Guitar Competition in Columbus, Georgia and the Great Lakes Guitar Competition in Rochester, NY, and the winner of the 2011 City of Hamilton Arts Award for Music. Recent engagements include the 20th International Guitar Festival in Iserlohn, Germany, the Guitar Fort Worth Masters Series, Texas, the Philadelphia Classical Guitar Sociaety, and a tour of the eastern provinces of Canada. Upcoming appearances include concerts in Canada, the United States, Germany, Spain, Mexico and Turkey.