CICGF^® 2025 Festival Profiles

[One of] two of the most important annual American classical guitar events
(Classical Guitar Magazine)

Jason Vieaux,biography

Jason Vieaux (USA), guitar - Head CIM Guitar Department

Grammy Award Winner

[Jason Vieaux is] perhaps the most precise and soulful classical guitarist of his generation.... (NPR)

Grammy-winner Jason Vieaux, “among the elite of today's classical guitarists” (Gramophone), is the guitarist that goes beyond the classical. NPR describes Vieaux as, “perhaps the most precise and soulful classical guitarist of his generation.” Among his extensive discography is the 2015 Grammy Award ...

Jonathan Leathwood, biography

Jonathan Leathwood (England), lecturer/guitarist

Jonathan Leathwood is a genius. (Classical Guitar)

Jonathan Leathwood is Teaching Professor at Denver University's College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences' Lamont School of Music. He is one of the few guitarists to perform on six-string and ten-string guitars, mixing modern and traditional works in his innovative programs. His last London concert led Classical Guitar to call him “a genius,” the Musical Times of London has written of his “remarkable talent and singular artistry”...

Matteo Mela, biography

Matteo Mela (Italy), guitar

Virtuoso guitarist and master musician extraordinaire

Classical guitarist Matteo Mela was born in 1971. Between 1991 and 1998 as a member of the Mela-Bandini Duo he won first prize in a number of prestigious chamber music competitions: Aram (Rome) 1992, F. Cilea Competition 1993, GMI 1994, Città di Gubbio, Città di Caltanissetta, and Perugia Classico Competitions 1995. In 2002 he formed with Lorenzo Micheli "SoloDuo," a guitar duo that has performed extensively throughout Europe, Asia, the US, Canada, and Latin America...

Lorenzo Micheli, biography

Lorenzo Micheli (Italy), guitar

First prize winner of the Guitar Foundation of America International Competition and many others.

Lorenzo Micheli has taken up a busy concert career throughout the world since winning first prize in some of the most prestigious international guitar competitions, including both the Alessandria and Guitar Foundation of America International Competitions. As a recitalist and orchestral soloist, he has performed in more than 600 concerts throughout Europe, in two hundred US and Canadian cities, and in Africa, Asia, Australia, and Latin America...

Kimberly Patterson, biography

Kimberly Patterson (USA), cello

[A] superb cellist... (Chicago Sun Times)

Hailed by the Chicago Sun Times as a “superb cellist,” Dr. Kimberly Patterson has earned recognition for her artistry as a solo, chamber, and orchestral musician. A Juilliard graduate, Dr. Patterson was the founding cellist for the Tesla Quartet, winners of the 2012 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition as well as prizewinners of the 2012 London International Quartet Competition and the 2013 Bordeaux International Quartet Competition. She has given chamber recitals in...

James Piorkowski, biography

James Piorkowski (USA), composer/guitarist

[E]xpressive and stupendous.... (The Gleaner, Kingston, Jamaica)

James Piorkowski's recitals have been heard in Spain, France, Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Jamaica, Canada, and throughout the United States. From 1982-2000, he was a member of the internationally acclaimed Buffalo Guitar Quartet. James Piorkowski is a SUNY Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the State University of New York at Fredonia, where he served as head of the guitar program for forty-one years...

Petra Polácková, biography

Petra Polácková (Czech Republic), Viennese and Modern guitars

[Her] playing was so technically secure and musically insightful, it was unimaginable that anything she played could possibly be difficult. (Cleveland Classical)

As a result of her extraordinary musicianship, consummate virtuosity, and numerous first place competition prizes, Petra Polácková has been invited to perform and lead master classes at many prestigious European and non-European guitar festivals...

Laura Snowden, biograpy

Laura Snowden (England), guitar and voice

"[She possesses] multi-dimensional gifts, imagination and fearless artistic sensibility," (Acoustic Guitar Magazin)

Laura Snowden’s eclectic musical output has ranged from playing on Lorne Balfe's soundtrack for Marvel film Black Widow to recording Lisa Streich’s guitar concerto Augenlider with the Deutsches Symphonie Orchester. Laura studied with Julian Bream, during which time she gave two concerts at Wigmore Hall featuring premieres of his recent commissions. This led to international......

Patrick Sutton, biography

Patrick Sutton (USA), guitar

Patrick Sutton's performance was absolutely beautiful. (Opus Colorado)

Dr. Patrick Sutton is an award-winning guitarist, chamber musician and recording artist from Evergreen, Colorado. He was a featured artist at the 2016 Guitar Foundation of America Convention. His eclectic performing and teaching career has taken him to conflict zones, three coasts of Africa, both ends of Vietnam, border towns, major cities, as well as myriad music societies, universities, and concert halls in-between...

Hao Yang, biography

Hao Yang (China), guitar

First Prize Winner of the 2024 Koblenz International Guitar Competition, recipient of the Clifton Foundation’s Emerging Artists Award, and a Winner of the 2021 Astral National Auditions.

Hao Yang has won top prizes in numerous competitions, including fourth prize in the Guitar Federation of America International Concert Artist Competition and first prize in the Youth Competition. She was awarded first prizes in both high school and college divisions at the Columbus State University International Guitar Competition, and...

2024 CICGF program book

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David W. Hershberger
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Glidden House
Les Delices
Pat Kilkenny
Rodgers Tuning Machines
The Plain Dealer
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CICGF® 2025 Festival Profiles

CICGF^® 2025 Festival Profiles