French guitarist Thibault Cauvin captured the 1st prize in the 2004 San Francisco International Classical Guitar Competition. The only guitar competition of its kind in the world, the San Francisco event invites only those players who have placed first in one or more major international competitions during the past two years. A sold out audience at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor watched on November 20th, as all four finalists performed exquisitely and caused the judges to declare a tie for 2nd place between Marcin Dylla of Poland and Flavio Sala of Italy. 3rd place went to Anabel Montesinos of Spain and 4th place was eliminated. As the victor, Thibault Cauvin will return to San Francisco during the 2005-2006 concert season as the Omni Foundation for the Performing Arts Artist-In-Residence, performing in schools and businesses throughout the area. He was also awarded a recording contract with GSP Records. $16500 in prize money was distributed to the performers.

Contact: Richard Patterson 415 242 4500

SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL CLASSICAL GUITAR COMPETITION 2004
Finals (1st Round)
Friday, November 19, 2004
8:00 PM
Presentation Theater,
University of San Francisco, 2350 Turk

Finals (2nd Round)
Saturday, November 20, 2004
8:00 PM
Florence Gould Theater,
California Palace of the Legion of Honor, 100 34th Avenue, San Francisco

Finalists

Thibault Cauvin, France (1st prize)

Thibault Cauvin was born July 16th, 1984 in Bordeaux. Since the age of six years, he has dedicated himself to the study of classical guitar, under the direction of his father, the guitarist and composer, Philippe Cauvin.

Thibault has long begun a career as a concert soloist. He has furthered this goal by continuing his studies under Olivier Chassain at the National Conservatory of Bordeaux. There he earned the golden medal with the highest honors and he was awarded the Medal of Honor of the City of Bordeaux, with distinction. At the age of 17, he received the highest ranking in the entrance competition to the Superior National Conservatory in Paris where he is still studying . He improves also with Alvaro Pierri and Judicaël Perroy and he has master classes with Aniello Desiderio, Eduardo Isaac, Pavel Steidl, Roberto Aussel, Alex Garrobé, Thomas Muller-Pering...

In 2001, Thibault Cauvin played with the Orchestra of the conservatory of Bordeaux and in 2002 gave a tour with the Bernard Thomas' Orchestra of Paris in Portugal, Antilles Island and France. In 2003 he received " le prix des arts " of Rotary club of Bordeaux. He won a lot of prizes among the 1st prize at the prestigious Sotsenberg guitar competition in Los Angeles. And behind his first prize at the " Concours International de guitare Alexandre Lagoya " he received the " Prize of the Dominica Island " during a concert in the Dominica which was diffused in live by the Caribbean TV in the English Antilles. In January 2004, he went to the United States for a concert tour, one of them, in Los Angeles, has been diffused by the National Public Radio. Then in February, he gave a concert in Radio France, Paris, diffused and recorded for realizing a live CD in the " Déclic " collection.

At 20 years of age, Thibault is the only frenchman to have won eleven international competitions. He gave many concerts in prestigious halls and festivals in Europe (Radio France, Paris ; Royal Festival hall, London; Festival Andres Segovia, Madrid ; Bonner Meisterkonzerte, Bonn...), America, Canada, Turkey (International Ankara Music Festival, Ankara ; Aksanat Taksim, Istanbul), Marocco (Festival des Cordes Pincées, Rabat...) Australia and has a promising future ahead of him.

Anabel Montesinos, Spain (3rd place)

Anabel Montesinos was born in Reus (Tarragona) 18 years ago. She started her musical education in the Escuela Municipal de L'Hospitalet de L'Infant (Tarragona) at the age of six and was awarded a distinction for her elementary grade in 1996. At 10 she began studying with the concertist Vania del Mónaco, finishing in 2001. She was also coached by Manuel Gonzalez, a master of classical guitar between 1995 and 1996. In 1997 she began studying for her intermediate grade in the Conservatorio Superior de Música in Tarragona until 2001.

She is currently doing her advanced grade at the Conservatorio Superior de Música "Oscar Espla" in Alicante, Spain, taking master classes from the great concertist and teacher Ignacio Rodes. She started performing in public at a very early age, offering her first soloist concert at the age of 12. She has also received lessons from Manuel Barrueco and David Russell.

Anabel has given recitals in Spain, Poland and Italy and has participated as a guest in numerous important festivals, amongst which can be included those listed below:
3rd Festival of Young Musicians, Barcelona.
4th International Meeting of Classical Music, Jaén.
2nd International Festival of Music, Alcanar.
9th Gitarowy Festival, Lublin (Poland), as guest soloist with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Lublin.
13th Guitar Festival, Barcelona.
She has performed for radio and television in Spain as well as in Italy and Poland.

Flavio Sala, Italy (tie, 2nd place)

Flavio Sala, born in Bojano (CB) in 1983, began his classical guitar study under the guide of Adriano Oliva, when he was eight years old, immediately demonstrating a strong aptitude towards music.

In 1994, he entered the "Lorenzo Perosi" Conservatory in Campobasso, where he attended the course held by Pasqualino Garzia for eight years, at the end of which he graduated with full marks, first-class degree and honourable mention.

In 2001, after he attended successfully at various national and international contests ( Ancona, Barletta, Ercolano, Ortona), Flavio Sala won the XXVI edition of the "Gargnano International Competition". Within the "VII International Guitar Meeting", he made his debut as "Italian Best Young Talent" at the Alessandria Theatre.

With a unanimous vote, he won the First Prize of the prestigious Classical Guitar Competition "Michele Pittaluga" - Premio Città di Alessandria. Therefore, he will give concerts in Italy, Spain, Austria, Russia and U.S.A., as soloist as well as with orchestra.

Since 1998, he had been attending the International Master Classes of "Accademia Chigiana di Siena", held by Oscar Ghiglia, there obtaining every year the diploma for merit, the grant of the Foundation and the "Emma Contestabile" grant arranged for the best students. Recently, this same institution suggested engaging him for some concerts in Italy.

Encouraging and inspiring have been his meetings with Alirio Diaz, Mario Gangi and Paco de Lucia. He has also performed pieces by some contemporary composers, such as Giacomo Manzoni, who expressed encouraging critical comments about the interpretation of his pieces.
At present, he is improving himself with Pasqualino Garzia, Oscar Ghiglia and Frédéric Zigante. He plays an instrument built by the Italian guitar-maker Camillo Perrella.

Marcin Dylla, Poland  (tie, 2nd place)

Polish classical guitarist Marcin Dylla started playing when he was 8 years old, studying first at the Katowice Music Academy with Wanda Palacz, and thereafter training as a soloist with Oscar Ghiglia in Basel, Switzerland and with Sonja Prunnbauer at the Music Academy in Freiburg, Germany.

Since 1996, he has taken First Prize at no less than 14 major international guitar competitions, including Alessandria (Italy) in 2001 and the "Joaquin Rodrigo" competition (Spain) in 2002 .Marcin Dylla has given performances at major venues such as the Schubertsaal of the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Brahmssaal of the Vienna Musikverein, Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, the Hermitage Theatre in St. Petersburg and the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory Turin. He has performed with prominent orchestras such as the Turin Philharmonic, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic and the National Spanish Youth Orchestra of Madrid.

His experience as a solo performer was enriched by an Italian tour in 2001/2002, as a winner of the prestigious Alessandria guitar competition. At the 7th International Guitar Convention also in Alessandria in September 2002, Marcin Dylla received a coveted "chitarre d'oro" (gold guitar), awarded to young guitarists of particular promise. In May 2003, he took 1st Prize at the XXXVIII Markneukirchen International Music Competition/ Germany.


Anabel Montesinos, Spain (3rd place)

Anabel Montesinos was born in Reus (Tarragona) 18 years ago. She started her musical education in the Escuela Municipal de L'Hospitalet de L'Infant (Tarragona) at the age of six and was awarded a distinction for her elementary grade in 1996. At 10 she began studying with the concertist Vania del Mónaco, finishing in 2001. She was also coached by Manuel Gonzalez, a master of classical guitar between 1995 and 1996. In 1997 she began studying for her intermediate grade in the Conservatorio Superior de Música in Tarragona until 2001.

She is currently doing her advanced grade at the Conservatorio Superior de Música "Oscar Espla" in Alicante, Spain, taking master classes from the great concertist and teacher Ignacio Rodes. She started performing in public at a very early age, offering her first soloist concert at the age of 12. She has also received lessons from Manuel Barrueco and David Russell.

Anabel has given recitals in Spain, Poland and Italy and has participated as a guest in numerous important festivals, amongst which can be included those listed below:

3rd Festival of Young Musicians, Barcelona.
4th International Meeting of Classical Music, Jaén.
2nd International Festival of Music, Alcanar.
9th Gitarowy Festival, Lublin (Poland), as guest soloist with the Philharmonic Orch. of Lublin.
13th Guitar Festival, Barcelona.
She has performed for radio and television in Spain as well as in Italy and Poland.

JUDGES

Asgerdur Sigurdardottir

In the demanding and complex world of musical management and public relations, Asgerdur Sigurdardottir has developed a solid record and reputation for her skill and command of the music business. In 1993, she began exclusive representation for Manuel Barrueco and remains the force behind his busy international touring and recording schedule. For nine years, she organized and directed the Manuel Barrueco Masterclass at the Peabody Conservatory of Music and recently, Asgerdur oversaw arrangementsand contract negotiations for an extensive Manuel Barrueco and Al Di Meola tour of Europe.

In addition to representing Manuel, Asgerdur Sigurdardottir has committed her time to counseling and assisting exceptional young artists in launching their careers. She has represented Franco Platino, arranged a US tour for Ana Vidovic and is currently working with Lukasz Kuropaczewski - the young guitar sensation from Poland.

Asgerdur has produced and recorded CDs for both Manuel Barrueco and Franco Platino. In addition, she is coproducing a major international documentary on Manuel Barrueco, in collaboration with Michael Lawrence Films. The documentary, Manuel Barrueco: A Gift and a Life, will come out in 2005.

A former teacher with a degree in guitar, Asgerdur was a natural choice to become the president and CEO of the Baltimore Classical Guitar Society, which she has guided with much success over recent years

 Linda Wang

A native of New York City, now residing in California, LINDA WANG is among the premier young violinists of our time, consistently praised for her artistry, warm, singing tone and charismatic performances.

Since her debut with Zubin Mehta and the New York Philharmonic at the age of nine, Linda Wang has performed throughout the United States with orchestras in California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Oregon. South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. She has also been the guest soloist with Sir Georg Solti and the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival Orchestra, Salzburg Chamber Orchestra, Paris Sinfonietta, Germany's Sächsische Kammerphilharmonie Dresden and Philharmonisches Orchester des Vogtland and The Czech Republic's Southern Bohemian Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra, with whom she toured.

Linda Wangs solo concerts have taken her to New York Citys Carnegie Hall, Amsterdams Beurs van Berlage and the Berlin Schauspielhaus. Festival appearances include those of Aspen, Norfolk, Savannah, Canadas Orford Centre dArts, Mexicos San Miguel de Allende, Italys Festival of Two Worlds (Spoleto), Japans Okhust, Englands Aldeburgh Festival, the Holland Music Sessions and Austrias Salzburg Festival. Her current season is highlighted by her debut with the Philippines Philharmonic Orchestra.

Domestic and international audiences have seen Linda Wang's televised performances on PBS, Arts and Entertainment, Germany's ZDF and Japan's NHK, while radio broadcasts include NPR's "Performance Today, WQXR (New York City), WFMT (Chicago), KMozart and KKGO (Los Angeles), MDR (Germany), Leipzig Rundfunk and Deutschland Radio, Berlin.

Linda Wang studied at The Juilliard School (Pre-College Division) and the University of Southern California. Awarded a Fulbright Scholarship, she pursued advanced studies at the famed Salzburg Mozarteum. Her principal teachers have been Dorothy DeLay, Alice Schoenfeld and Ruggiero Ricci.

Linda Wang performs on two extraordinary violins, a 1767 J.B. Guadagnini and a 1714 Antonio Stradivari, on gracious loan from its owner. She also continues as a Touring Artist of the California Arts Council.

Dusan Bogdanovich

A richly gifted composer, improviser and guitarist, Dusan Bogdanovic has explored musical languages that are reflected in his style today- a unique synthesis of classical, jazz and ethnic music. As a soloist and in collaboration with other artists, Bogdanovic has toured extensively throughout Europe, Asia and the United States. His performing and recording activities include work with chamber groups of diverse stylistic orientations including The Falla Guitar Trio and jazz collaborations with James Newton, Milcho Leviev, Charlie Haden, Miroslav Tadic, Mark Nauseef, Anthony Cox and others. He has over fifty published compositions ranging from guitar and piano solo works to chamber and orchestral ensembles (Berben, GSP, Doberman-Yppan et al.), as well as close to twenty recordings ranging from Bach Trio Sonatas to contemporary works (Intuition, GSP, Doberman-Yppan, M.A. Recordings et al.).

Among his most recent commissions are a ballet- poeme Crow, premiered by the Pacific Dance Company at the Los Angeles Theater Center; Sevdalinka, written for the Newman- Oltman Guitar Duo with the Turtle Island Quartet, premiered at Merkin Hall, New York; Canticles, composed for the Gruber- Maklar Duo; a mix media piece To Where Does The One Return, for sixteen ceramic gongs in collaboration with sculptor Stephen Freedman, premiered in Hilo, Hawaii; Games, commissioned by the BluePrint Festival and dedicated to David Tanenbaum and Nicole Paiement; Byzantine Theme and Variations, premiered by James Smith with the Armadillo String Quartet, as well as works written for pianist Fabio Luz and numerous solo guitar compositions written for Alvaro Pierri, David Starobin, William Kanengiser, Scott Tennant, Eduardo Isaac, James Smith and others.

Bogdanovic was born in Yugoslavia in 1955. He completed his studies of composition and orchestration at the Geneva Conservatory with P. Wissmer and A. Ginastera and in guitar performance with M.L.São Marcos. Early in his career, he received the only First Prize at the Geneva Competition and gave a highly acclaimed debut recital in Carnegie Hall in 1977. He has taught at the Geneva Conservatory and the University of Southern California and is presently engaged by the San Francisco Conservatory.

His theoretical work for guitar, at Berben Editions, includes Polyrhythmic and Polymetric Studies, as well as a bilingual publication covering three- voice counterpoint and Renaissance improvisation with a structural analysis of motivic metamorphoses in composition and improvisation.

 Manuel Barrueco

Manuel Barrueco is recognized internationally as a leading figure in the guitar world today. His artistry has been continually described as that of a superb instrumentalist and an elegant musician, possessing a seductive sound and uncommon lyrical gifts.

His international tours take him to some of the most important musical centers in the world each season. Recent appearances have included New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, London, Munich, Madrid, Barcelona, Milan, Rome, Copenhagen, Athens, Seoul, Taipei, Singapore and Hong Kong. He also has completed nine tours of Japan.

In addition to his solo recitals this past season, he appeared with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, the Colorado Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony and the Auckland Philharmonia in New Zealand. He also toured in duo with recorder virtuoso Michala Petri and with famed jazz-fusion guitarist Al Di Meola.

Highlights of the upcoming season include a solo tour of Asia, a tour in Spain with the Belcea Quartet and a tour of Germany and Austria with the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra.

Manuel Barrueco has made well over a dozen recordings for EMI. Of his most recent, "¡Cuba!," was called "an extraordinary musical achievement" by the San Francisco Chronicle, while his recording of Joaquín Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez with conductor/tenor Plácido Domingo and the Philharmonia Orchestra, was mentioned as the best recording of that piece in Classic CD Magazine. His "Nylon & Steel," is a collection of duos with guitar greats: Al Di Meola, Steve Morse (Deep Purple) and Andy Summers (The Police), further demonstrating his outstanding versatility and imaginative programming. This past spring EMI Spain released a new album which contains the world premiere recordings of Roberto Sierra's

Folias and Concierto Barroco, and Arvo Pärt's Fratres.

Mr. Barrueco's commitment to contemporary music and to the expansion of the guitar repertoire has led him to collaborations with many distinguished composers such as Toru Takemitsu, Roberto Sierra, Steven Stucky and Arvo Pärt.

His performances have been broadcast by television stations such as NHK in Japan, Bayerische Rundfunk in Germany and RTVE in Spain. In the United States, he has been featured in a Lexus car commercial, "CBS Sunday Morning," A&E's "Breakfast with the Arts" and "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood."

Manuel Barrueco began playing the guitar at the age of eight and he attended the Esteban Salas Conservatory in his native Santiago de Cuba. He emigrated with his family to the United States in 1967, later completing his advanced studies at the Peabody Conservatory of Music.