• GRAHAM WADE (England): “Joaquín Rodrigo: a life for guitar”

Summary: The importance and relevance of his music for guitar over his entire musical production.

• JULIO GIMENO (Spain): “12 Etudes by Heitor Villalobos”

Summary: The beginning of the twentieth century marked a new era for the guitar after a process that some call the Renaissance. In Spain, musicians and their timing could be ascribed to the so-called 98 generation as Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909) and Enrique Granados (1867-1916) played an important role in this "renaissance"even though they did not compose for guitar thanks to transcriptions made by Tarrega and Llobet. Also authors elsewhere guitarists began to approach the instrument, would be the case of Otorino Respighi and his variations or Gustav Mahler and his seventh symphony. The harmonization of Miguel Llobet of the Catalan song “Mestre”, written a few weeks after the death of his "maestro", Francisco Tarrega (1852-1909) and especially the composition of Falla “Homage to Debussy”, the whole process is accelerated and we are witnessing a genuine creative explosion in which dozens of composers are interested in the instrument, a situation that went beyond the guitarists of the era which could not be refused or were unable to harness a wealth of new compositions, some examples as significant as the Sonata by Antonio José, the Quatre pièces breves by Frank Martin, or Douze etudes by Heitor Villa-Lobos. In the composition, editing and publication of studies by Villa-Lobos match a series of peculiar circumstances which result is often dark in the correct understanding of the musical text. In our discussion will delve into the events surrounding the gestation and publication of the Douze etudes by Heitor Villa-Lobos with the aim of clarifying some of these issues.

28 October at 17h:

• MICAELA PITTALUGA (Italy): “History of the Alessandria Guitar Competition”

Summary: In his thirty-five year history, the contest has awarded many young guitarists who have had a splendid concert career: In the "golden list of the competition, we can find the most important guitarists of the new generation. We will present a video of the competition.

• JOSÉ L. RUIZ DEL PUERTO (Spain): "Modernity in the Spanish guitar"

Summary: From the late sixteenth century the guitar is known throughout Europe by the nickname of “Spanish Guitar”. Its glorious past, its history, its evolution, we draw a path that leads to the twentieth century in which the instrument achieves conquest of modernity and enjoy a true Golden Age. Instrument, language and time come together and fused so that the guitar becomes a perfect reflection of the aesthetics of a plurality convulsive century.

Graham WADE (England) Musicologist and founder of the EGTA.

A graduate of Jesus College, Cambridge, and Fellow of Trinity College of Music, London, Graham was formerly Head of Strings and professor of guitar at the City of Leeds College of Music and Tutor in Guitar to the Universities of Leeds and York. His publications include biographies of Andres Segovia, Joaquin Rodrigo and Gina Bachauer, books on guitar history, and aspects of musical form. An Advisory Editor and contributor to The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, he has been appointed as General Editor for a series of paperbacks on music for a leading American publisher. He has been an external examiner in guitar at the Royal Welsh College of Music, the Royal Scottish Academy of Music, the Dublin Conservatoire, and the Leeds College of Music, and has been an adjudicator for several international guitar competitions and music festivals in Germany, Ireland, Greece, and Spain, and the United Kingdom.

Graham Wade has written programme notes for Andres Segovia, Julian Bream, and John Williams, and liner notes for various leading record companies including Naxos, Deutsche Grammophon, EMI, ASV, Nimbus, Teldec, Chandos, Aurophon, etc.  Between 1990 and 1995 he was founder-editor of the European Guitar Teachers’ Association Journal (EGTA UK). He is internationally acknowledged as one of the foremost writers on the classical guitar.

From the 1960s onwards he fulfilled many performing engagements throughout England, as well as playing recitals in Spain, Scandinavia, Holland, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Canada, etc.

In 2002, Graham Wade was awarded the Schott Gold Medal for his contribution to Rodrigo studies. In 1986 he gave lectures on the Segovia course at the University of Southern California, and in 1994 was Guest Speaker at Cordoba Guitar Festival on the art of Andrés Segovia. In 1998 he spent some time at Brigham Young University, Utah, to research his biography of the pianist, Gina Bachauer. He has given seminars at universities and colleges world-wide including USA, Canada, Austria, Germany, Spain, Greece, Hungary, Holland, New Zealand, and the Czech Republic, as well as the Royal Academy of Music, Royal Scottish Academy of Music, Royal Welsh College of Music, Royal Northern College of Music, Trinity College of Music, London, the London School of Economics, the Institute Cervantes, Leeds University, and many British classical guitar societies, etc. He has tutored and lectured at many summer schools including Esztergom, Hungary, Ingesund, Sweden, Zwolle, Holland, Mikulov, Czech Republic, Cordoba Guitar Festival, Spain, Complutense University Summer School, Madrid, University of Southern California, Winona, Minnesota, Corfu Guitar Festival, Greece, and Derry Guitar Festival, and most British summer schools including Cannington, West Dean, EGTA conference, Burton Manor, Brant Broughton Summer School, Bath Festival, etc. His further travels and researches have taken him to Russia, China, Mongolia, India, Australia, North and West Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, South America and the Falkland Islands.

www.egta.co.uk/content/graham_wade1

Julio GIMENO (Spain) Musicologist and Professor at Dos Hermanas Conservatory.

Julio Gimeno García was born in Seville (Spain) in 1960. He earned a degree in guitar at Conservatorio Superior "Manuel Castillo" in Seville, where he studied under Maribel Álvarez, José Lázaro, América Martínez and Serafín Arriaza.

Gimeno has published several articles in international guitar journals and magazines like Roseta, Soundboard, Ocho Sonoro, Guitar and Lute Issues, etc. He has written different entries, texts, and articles for collective works as Enciclopedia de la guitarra (edited by Francisco Herrera), Sor Studies (Estudios sobre Fernando Sor, ICCMU Universidad Complutense de Madrid, edited by Luis Gàsser), and the books Francisco Tárrega y su época (2003), Antonio de Torres (2008), Julian Bream (2009) and Joaquín Rodrigo (2010) published by Festival de la Guitarra de Córdoba. His article “El estilo español de construcción de guitarras” is an important part in the catalogue Antonio de Torres y la guitarra andaluza (Cordoba, 2007). In 2004 Gimeno translated into Spanish José Luis Romanillos’ key text in historical guitar construction Antonio de Torres Guitar Maker - His Life and Work (Antonio de Torres, guitarrero, su vida y obra. Almeria, 2004).

Julio Gimeno is a member of the editorial board of Roseta, the journal of the Sociedad Española de la Guitarra, and a founder member of the A.G.A, the organization responsible for Guitarra.Artepulsado, the most important guitar site on the Net.

An in-demand teacher, he has presented courses and lectures at numerous festivals, universities, and conservatories, including the Cadiz and Caceres universities, Universidad Internacional de Andalucía, Festival de Córdoba, Semana de la Guitarra de Cartagena, Encuentro de Guitarra “Norba Caesarina” de Cáceres, and the main Spanish Conservatories and Teacher Training centers. In 2005 he gave two lectures as one of the participants in “Un ponte di note” (Ponte in Valtellina, Italy). In 2006 and 2010 Gimeno was a member of the jury in the international competition “Agustín Barrios” in Sardinia (Italy). In 2008 worked as the coordinator of the Jornadas sobre Julian Bream, a part of the Festival de la Guitarra de Córdoba. He has collaborated with important guitar publishing houses as Schott. For Bèrben he has provided the historical background and research in the new edition of Joan Manén’s Fantasía-Sonata. Along with Luis Briso de Montiano and Josep Mª Mangado he took part in the recovering, study, and recording of the guitar music contained in the manuscript collection Fondo Tobarra, all the work coordinated by Pedro Jesús Gómez.

Currently, Julio Gimeno is a guitar teacher at the Dos Hermanas (Seville) conservatory, and a professor in the Universidad de Extremadura postgraduation course conducted by Ricardo Gallén where he teaches Guitar History.

www.juliogimeno.com

Micaela Pittaluga (Italy), President of the International Guitar Competition "Michele Pittaluga" in Alessandria (Italy)

Daughter of Michele Pittaluga, the Founder of the Alessandria international guitar competition, Micaela Pittaluga is the President of the Pittaluga Competition and has been the head of the Organising committee since 1995. She studied performing arts, music and architecture (Degree in Architecture University of Florence) and is now devoted to holding the guitar competition every year and the guitar composition competition every two years. She officially represents the Alessandria competition at the annual meetings  of the WFIMC (World federation of International music competitions) , and for next three years she is elected as member of the Executive Committee.
Mrs Pittaluga travels widely taking part in guitar festivals, competitions and concerts, attending to the competition and to the promotion of the young prize-winners and guitar performers.
She was from 2003 to 2008 President of the board of Directors at the Vivaldi Conservatorium of Music in Alessandria and in her town she promotes musical events, like founder and co-artistic director of FARELAMUSIC@ cultural society. Micaela Pittaluga, PHF Rotary of Alessandria (Paul Harris fellow), isPresident incoming of the Alessandria Soroptimist Club, member of the Unifem Group (United Nations Development Fund for Women), and UNESCO club of Alessandria.

www.pittaluga.org

José Luis RUIZ DEL PUERTO (Spain), Soloist and Professor of the Conservatory “José Iturbi” in Valencia.

Considered one of the strongest landscape values within the contemporary Spanish guitar. His extensive dedication to the dissemination of Spanish music has earned him international recognition. The Classical Guitar magazine said of him: "It is a true Spanish cultural ambassador”. Has led to the creation of more than 30 new works for guitar. Premiered by the Orchestra of Valencia, the Concerto for guitar and orchestra Pla LLácer Episodes Concertantes, led by Manuel Galduf. Recently, in August 2009, successfully performed the world premiere of the Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra dedicated to the centenary of Francisco Tarrega: "Somni", by the composer Vicente Roncero, within the International Guitar Competition Francisco Tárrega Benicassim.

Born in Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo (Córdoba) was educated musically in Valencia. He studied guitar at the Conservatory of Music in that city with M ª Angeles Abad and Rosa Maria Gil Forest who finished brilliantly. He perfected his studies in Alicante, Paris and Salzburg with José Tomás, Alberto Ponce and Eliot Fisk respectively. He also gave master classes with performers such as David Russell, Manuel Barrueco, Jose Miguel Moreno and Roberto Aussel. He has recorded for radio and television in Romania, RNE, EGT record label and has participated in various musical productions.

He has performed in Spain, Mexico, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, Austria, Romania, England, Portugal, Ireland, Germany, Turkey, Russia and Morocco, performing in festivals and venues such as the VIth International Guitar Festival in Mexico City, Festival International Guitar Festival Bath International Guitar of London and Newcastle (England) International Music Festival Estoril (Portugal), International Festival of Contemporary Music of Alicante, the International Guitar Festival "Andrés Segovia" in Madrid, International Guitar Month Dublin (Ireland), Concert Season Grand Théatre de Bordeaux (France), International Guitar Festival "Andrés Segovia" de Linares, Festival Internacional de Guitarra de Hondarribia, Peniscola and Palencia, International Music Festival "Music to 5 Segles L 'Eliana, "International Guitar Workshop in Valencia, COMA Contemporary Music Festival 2000 at the Teatro Real de Madrid, International Guitar Festival at the Gran Teatro de Córdoba International Guitar Festival Lausanne (Switzerland), International Music Festival Contemporary ENSEMS at the Rialto Theater, Thalia Theater and Palau de la Música de Valencia, Fundación Juan March in Madrid, Théâtre Maison Bleu in Paris, George Enescu Museum in Bucharest and Cluj Napoca Philharmonic Hall (Romania), International Guitar Festival Rust (Austria)

He is professor of guitar at the Conservatory "José Iturbi" in Valencia, secretary of the Association "Amigos de la Guitarra" of Valencia, secretary of the "Cultural Association Trujamán" and a founding member and Artistic Director of the "International Conference on Guitar Valencia. "

www.ruizdelpuerto.com