International Guitar Festival

In the span of a decades-long career, Peruvian born guitarist and composer Jorge Caballero has accrued wide recognition as one of the most important guitarists in history, being the recipient of several international awards, and performing in recitals, chamber music and as a soloist around the world.

Critics from international newspapers and guitar publications have praised Mr. Caballero’s depth of musicality, as well as his technical mastery when tackling the unique difficulties of his concert repertoire. Aside from the standard guitar literature he performs –which spans centuries of music from the Renaissance until the present, Mr. Caballero is notorious for adapting and performing masterworks originally written for piano or orchestra, among which we find Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, Dvorak’s New World Symphony, Debussy’s Children’s Corner Suite and Alban Berg’s Piano Sonata Op. 1 to name a few. One critic in Italy referred to Mr. Caballero as “standing on top of the repertoire’s Mount Everest,” while the New York Times called him “a masterly guitarist” with “chameleonic timbres.”

Since his first solo recital at age thirteen, Mr. Caballero has given numerous concerts throughout the world, including performances at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and the Library of Congress, and as a soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, New York’s Chamber Ensemble and Turkey’s Presidential Symphony. He has also collaborated with the Mendelssohn and the Miró String Quartets, with Soprano Theresa Santiago and flautists Stefán Ragnar Höskuldsson and Carol Wincenc.

Born into a musical family, Mr. Caballero began his guitar studies at the age of ten at the Preparatory Division of the National Conservatory of Music in Lima, Peru with Eleodoro Mori, and years later, with Oscar Zamora. At age 12, he tied for First Prize at the Conservatory Guitar Competition, which included participants at the college-level division more than twice his age. The following year, he earned Second Prize at the Peruvian National Guitar Competition sponsored by Jeunesse Musicale, competing in the adult category. His first international award occurred in Montevideo, Uruguay, at the First Latin American Guitar Competition. He was 15. Additional awards include top prizes at the Luis Sigall International Competition, as well as the Tokyo and Alhambra guitar competitions.

In 1996, at the age of 19, he earned First Prize at the Walter W. Naumburg International Competition in New York City, a unique award for musicians often compared to the Pulitzer Prize. To this day, he is the youngest musician and only guitarist to have ever received this award.

As of 2021, Mr. Caballero has been appointed to the Guitar Faculty at the University of Toronto in Canada. He is also part-time faculty at Kean State University in the United States, and Honorary Professor at the National University of Music in Lima, Peru.

Critically acclaimed as a “highly accomplished and exciting player who gets the most out of the music he plays” (Classical Guitar Magazine), Mesut Özgen is also a composer whose works show the deep influence of traditional Turkish music. Özgen has performed and taught master classes throughout the United States, Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Turkey, Cuba, and Thailand. Among his recordings, Anatolian Fantasy CD features entirely his own compositions for solo and duo guitar, as well as chamber music with kemençe, voice, flute, and cello; Troubadour CD features solo classical guitar works inspired by Turkish, Spanish, Argentinean, and American folk traditions and was reviewed by the Acoustic Guitar magazine as "stunningly versatile and expressive throughout." His award-winning multimedia concert DVD New Dimensions in Classical Guitar includes premiere performances of new guitar works with visual accompaniments. It was reviewed by the Classical Guitar Magazine as "the finest music DVD ever to have come my way, remarkable achievement."

Özgen has been teaching at the Florida International University Wertheim School of Music as director of guitar studies since 2013. Previously he taught at the University of California, Santa Cruz from 1998-2013. He has performed as featured soloist in many international festivals around the world and premiered many solo works as well as concertos with orchestra. Özgen received Master of Music and Artist Diploma from Yale School of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts from Arizona State University, as well as an MD from Hacettepe University Medical School, Turkey.

Mary Akerman is a winner of the Guitar Foundation of America Competition and subsequently served on the GFA Board of Trustees for over ten years. She has performed/taught/adjudicated internationally and at many colleges and regional festivals, including the Columbus Guitar Symposium, the East Carolina Summer Guitar Workshop, the San Antonio Guitar Festival, and the GFA Festival. She is president of the Atlanta Guitar Guild.

Robert Teixeira lives in Charlotte, NC. and is currently on the faculty at Queens University of Charlotte and Central Piedmont Community College. He has recorded with his wife, cellist Tanja Bechtler and regularly performs with the chamber music group, The Bechtler Ensemble. His compositions and arrangements are available through Clear Note Publications.

Bob and Mary met while in graduate school at Florida State University and formed a duo in 2008. Since forming they have performed regularly for chamber music organizations, colleges and university programs, and through guitar festival invitations. Their CD, Music for Two Guitars is available through Clear Note Publications.

The Maharajah Flamenco Trio is an award-winning world music group that delivers a moving and dynamic expression of Flamenco Nuevo (New or "modern" Flamenco) by blending traditional Spanish rhythms with jazz, classical, and middle eastern music. 

Founded in 2011, Maharajah Flamenco Trio is the brainchild of Silviu Ciulei. After successfully leading flamenco bands in Spain, Romania, and later in the US, Silviu was looking to put something together in his new home, Florida. He wanted this group to be smaller than previous endeavors, more intimate, with more virtuosic players to fully accompany and realize his compositions. He met David Cobb by chance when both were hired to play a city festival in Tallahassee, FL. Both were intrigued by each other's playing style. Once Silviu met Ramin, he realized he had found the perfect players, and brought them together to create Maharajah Flamenco Trio. Not long after, they began to tour, playing theatres, universities, and music venues along the east coast, from the Dixie Theatre in Apalachicola, FL to The Shrine in Harlem, NY. They have appeared on television, as well as National Public Radio, college and internet radio, and in print. Through their educational outreach series, the trio visits universities around the US where they teach, perform and provide other community outreach events as part of their residency.  Recent engagements include performances/residencies at University of Rhode Island Guitar Festival, Western Washington University, University of Florida, Appleton Museum of Art, Wake Forest University, Guilford College, Aguado Concerts, New Muse Concert Series in Charleston, SC and Music for a Great Space (Greensboro, NC).  

In 2021 they released their second studio album titled “Felices Dias” (Happy Days) for which the trio won a Global Music Award. The album was released as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic which brought so much suffering and despair to the world. The whole theme of the album is to bring about happier days to new fans, old fans and people everywhere. Produced by multiple GRAMMY winning producer Jose Valentino who also plays multiple instruments on the record in a joint venture with Maharajah Productions, the album has already been received with high praise and great reviews. In 2013, they released their first studio album, Encuentro, a musical encounter that transports the listener around the world. Rich and finely nuanced, the album captures the diverse musical backgrounds and technical virtuosity of the trio to create a singular listening experience of unique and daring music. 

Silviu Ciulei, DM 

 Having begun his musical training at an early age, Romanian born guitarist Silviu Ciulei was soon winning prizes in some of the most prestigious national and international competitions, first in Europe and more recently in the United States. His interest in Flamenco was first awakened while on a family holiday in Spain. It was not long before he moved to Cadiz, Andalusia the heartland of flamenco. There he began several years of intense study, which he brought with him to Tequila, a group that gained national attention in his native Romania. He graduated with his Doctor of Music degree in classical guitar performance where he was Teaching Assistant to Bruce Holzman, Director of the Guitar Program at Florida State University's College of Music, one of the leading figures of guitar teaching in the US. Dr. Silviu Ciulei is currently on the faculty of the University of Florida where he is building a rapidly growing guitar program teaching a wide international array of talented students. Visit silviuciulei.com for more biographical information on Silviu.

David Cobb, MM 

Bassist David Cobb began his musical journey in the middle school brass section but was soon lured by the sound of strings and began teaching himself guitar and electric bass, expanding his classical background into the American styles centered around these instruments: blues, rock, jazz, and soul. A xenophile from an early age, David has always sought out sounds from around the world and his compositions and playing embody that journey. The feel of soul, a wealth of Latin American/Caribbean rhythms and melodic sensibilities from Africa, Western Asia, and Eastern Europe are reflected in his style. David earned his master's degree in musicology from Florida State University, with an emphasis in ethnomusicology. His master's thesis dealt with experiences of musical ecstasy, particularly the moments of duende in flamenco performance. He is currently an Adjunct Professor of Humanities at Palm Beach State College. 

Ramin Yazdanpanah, PhD 

Rounding out the rhythm section, percussionist Ramin Yazdanpanah’s sounds echo the Outback, the Silk Road, the Caribbean and his native Florida home. Ramin expresses the soulful and passionate rhythms of his Cuban-Iranian heritage on cajon, dumbek, and a variety of percussion from around the globe. His skill on the Australian didjeridoo (Yidaki) has redefined the possibilities of Flamenco. He has performed and recorded with numerous artists in numerous musical forms, ranging from classical, jazz and folk, to funk, Latin, and Hip-Hop, from the east coast to the west coast and beyond. Ramin received his Ph.D. in Intercultural Multilingual Education from Florida State University.

The unique cultural and musical backgrounds of these three musicians coalesces to create the high-energy and daring music of the Maharajah Flamenco Trio. 

Robert Trent was the conductor for the inaugural concert of the All-Virginia Guitar Ensemble. Dr. Trent is in his 29th year as Full Professor of Music (Guitar and Renaissance Lute studies) at Radford University where he serves as director of Graduate Music Studies, the Performance Degree and of Radford University’s Annual International Guitar Festival, and was named Radford University’s “Distinguished Creative Scholar” (2020) and “Dalton Eminent Scholar” (2021). Many of his students are performers, educators, producers, recording artists, and administrators at all levels in the U.S., Latin America, and in Asia.

Nationally, he serves on the Guitar Foundation of America’s “Soundboard Scholar Committee”. He is the first recipient of the degree Doctor of Musical Arts in guitar performance from the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University where he studied with Julian Gray, Manuel Barrueco, lutenist Ronn McFarlane, and singer John Shirley-Quirk. “His interpretations are dignified, formal, and carefully thought out, with a sense of structural integrity that informs every passing tone.” NEW YORK TIMES. “A SEASONED ARTIST STRUMS THE DEPTHS (headline) “.... he seemed most intent on using his sweet, crystalline sound to plumb the emotional depths of each work.” -PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

www.roberttrentguitarist.com