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José Antonio Escobar
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Who's taking you?
- Curation by: The Matrix
Who I Am & Where I Live
- Name: José Antonio Escobar
- City: Barcelona
- Country: Spain
My Life
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Bio:
José Antonio Escobar is one of the most distinguished and versatile classical guitar soloists of his generation. He is especially remarkable due to his perfect balance between his intense musical expression and his vast knowledge of the various musical styles and periods.
He was born in Santiago de Chile, where he graduated with Top Honors after studying at the Conservatory of Music-University of Chile. Immediately after graduating, he continued to perfect his studies at the Hochschule für Musik in Augsburg, Germany. Under the influence of his first master, the lutenist Ernesto Quezada, he became deeply interested in original ancient instruments from the guitar family. This motivated him to round out his studies by attending Early Music courses and master classes with renowned specialists such as Hopkinson Smith, Eduardo Egüez, and Juan Carlos Rivera.
While he is greatly interested in ancient music, he has always felt at home when interpreting 20th Century or contemporary music. This has led him to commission, premiere and record works by renowned composers as well as Chilean composers, in particular. He has also devoted some time to studying and interpreting music with popular and folk influences from Latin America. In this regard, he has worked in various projects both as a soloist and as part of Dúo Sudamericano, along with Javier Contreras, an outstanding Chilean composer and guitarist.
Throughout a period encompassing almost 10 years, he obtained more than fifteen prizes in the most prestigious International Guitar Competitions today, such as Francisco Tárrega (Spain), Alessandria (Italy), Alhambra (Spain), Guitar Foundation of America (USA), Julian Arcas (Spain), Karl Sheit (Austria), among many others.
As a soloist and chamber musician he has toured over 30 countries, covering almost all of Europe and the Americas, as well as some North African countries, the Near East, Asia and Oceania. He has also performed as a soloist with distinguished orchestras, namely Orquesta de Extremadura (Spain), Orchestra Filarmonica di Torino (Italy), St. Michel Strings (Finland), Hofer Symphoniker (Germany), and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Chile. He has also debuted in major concert halls such as the Brahms-Saal at the Vienna Musikverein, the Purcell Room at the Southbank Centre in London, the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco, Sala Cecilia Meireles in Rio de Janeiro, Teatro Monumental in Madrid, Teatro Teresa Carreño in Caracas, etc.
He has completed several recordings under the NAXOS and RTVE labels, receiving excellent reviews from specialized media. He has also worked on several independent recordings both as an artist and producer. He is currently living in Spain, and he is constantly invited to not only perform at recitals but also share his expertise by giving master classes and lectures at major music festivals, courses, seminars and workshops in prestigious universities around Europe and the Americas.
My Media
- Website: http://www.joseantonioescobar.cl
Click to Listen on Spotify
- (album/podcast 1): http://open.spotify.com/artist/1VrEMiFcSU18XOg9Q8Eqgl
- (album/podcast 2): http://open.spotify.com/artist/43cOz8JvrYVUnfcZm8r48I
More
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Quotes, Notes & Etc.
1st Prize at the HEITOR VILLA-LOBOS International Competition in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1997.
1st Prize at the ALIRIO DÍAZ International Guitar Competition in Caracas, Venezuela, 1998.
1st Prize and Special Audience Prize at the prestigious FRANCISCO TÁRREGA International Guitar Competition in Benicàssim, Spain, 2000
1st Prize at the STOTSENBERG International Guitar Competition (currently Parkening International Guitar Competition) in Malibu, California, USA, 2001
1st Prize (2nd no awarded) at the JULIAN ARCAS International Guitar Competition in Almería, Spain, 2003
1st Prize at the NORBA CAESARINA International Guitar Competition, Cáceres, Spain, 2005.
2nd Prize – ALHAMBRA International Guitar Competition, Alcoy, Spain, 2002.
2nd Prize – FORUM GUITAR WIEN International Guitar Competition, Vienna, Austria, 2002.
2nd Prize – Concorso Internazionale di Chitarra Classica RUGGERO CHIESA, Camogli, Italy, 2004.
3th Prize – GFA International Guitar Competition, La Jolla, California, USA, 1997.
3th Prize – KARL SCHEIT International Guitar Competition, Vienna, Austria, 1998.
3th Prize – Concorso Internazionale de Chitarra Classica MICHELE PITTALUGA, Alessandria, Italy, 2003.
► The matrix originated as an extension of a record shop opened to divulge the little known music of the people of the Recôncavo of Bahia, Brazil (per this interview with David Dye for U.S. National Public Radio and hence a sugarcane cutter as our logo), along with other great Brazilian music.
► But in order to provide pathways from around the world to these largely unknown artists, the matrix has to do likewise for all artists everywhere.
