CICGF^® Artists' Profiles

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

Jason Vieaux Biography

Jason Vieaux (USA), guitar - Co-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 ...

Colin Davin (USA), guitar - Co-Head CIM Guitar Deparment

Mr Davin is the real thing, a player with a virtuoso's technique, a deeply expressive musicianship, and a probing imagination. (American Record Guide)

Hailed for his "precision, musical intelligence, and passion” (Clevelandclassical), Colin Davin has emerged as one of today’s most dynamic young artists. Regarded as one of the most exciting talents of the classical guitar today, he has earned a reputation as a virtuoso guitarist and interpreter of great refinement...

SoloDuo Biography

SoloDuo (Italy), guitars

Unforgettable musicianship of the highest order. (The Washington Post)

SoloDuo have performed throughout Europe, Asia, the USA, Canada, and Latin America, and have been acclaimed everywhere – from New York’s Carnegie Hall to Seoul’s Sejong Chamber Hall, from Kiev’s Hall of Columns to Vienna’s Konzerthaus – as one of the best ensembles ever heard. About one of their performances, The Washington Post wrote: “the duo’s playing was nothing less than rapturous...”

Nigel North Biography

Nigel North, lute (England)

Gramophone Award Winner

Perhaps he is the greatest performer on the instrument of all time. (Birmingham Post)

Nigel North has for over thirty years developed a unique musical career which embraces activities as a renowned soloist, accompanist, scholar and teacher. A prolific recording artist, he has participated in over 200 recording projects including 20 solo CDs. Most recently his Naxos CDs of the solo lute works of John Dowland have gained him a garland of critical acclaim...

Daniel Lippel Biography

Daniel Lippel (USA), guitar

Guitarist Dan Lippel was simply brilliant.... (Boston Musical Intelligencer)

Guitarist Daniel Lippel is active as a soloist, chamber musician, and recording artist. Recent performances include a solo tour of Germany, recitals in Istanbul, Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia, and chamber music performances on Finland's Musica Nova Helsinki Festival, the Macau International Music Festival in China, and on the Mostly Mozart Festival at New York's Alice Tully Hall...

Petra Polácková Biography

Petra Polácková (Czech Republic), guitar

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

Since 2002 classical guitarist Petra Polácková has won numerous national and international guitar competitions. As a result of her competition successes she has been invited to perform at many of Europe’s most prestigious guitar festivals, including: Bonn, Vienna, Rust, Mikulov, Budapest, Madrid, Genéve, and Tel-Aviv, Jerusalem...

Lynn McGrath Biography

Lynn McGrath (USA), guitar with spoken word

[W]onderful timing, poise, wit, and grace… (Soundboard)

Classical guitarist Lynn McGrath is being heralded as a phenom. Blending expressive musicianship with her passion for Spanish Language, literature, and theater, she has shared the poetry and music of “Platero y Yo” with audiences on four continents in the role of both guitarist and theatrical narrator. She has brought the poetry of Nobel laureate Juan Ramón Jiménez to life...

Escher String Quartet (USA)

[E]loquent, full-blooded playing.... The four players offer a beautiful blend of individuality and accord. (BBC Music Magazine)

The Escher String Quartet has received acclaim for its expressive, nuanced performances that combine unusual textural clarity with a rich, blended sound. A former BBC New Generation Artist, the quartet has performed at the BBC Proms at Cadogan Hall and is a regular guest at Wigmore Hall...

Dashon Burton Biography

Dashon Burton (USA), bass baritone

Grammy Award Winner

The solo portions were sung by bass-baritone Dashon Burton, whose dark, velvety voice, perfect throughout his range, was suffused with emotion.... (The Reading Eagle)

Bass-baritone Dashon Burton has established a vibrant career in opera, recital, and with orchestra. In key elements of his repertoire — Bach’s St. John and St. Matthew Passions and the B minor Mass, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Beethoven 9, the Brahms Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, and Mozart’s Requiem...

Emily Levin Biography

Emily Levin (USA), Principal Harpist Dallas Symphony

Emily Levin was a standout. Levin...drew nuanced timbres and textures while making the mechanics of her instrument disappear. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

The Principal Harpist of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, she is the youngest principal harpist of a major American orchestra. A winner of the 2016 Astral Auditions, she has performed recitals throughout the United States including concerts for the American Harp Society, the Virginia Harp Center, and the...

Competition Information

James Stroud Classical Guitar Competition

$10,000.00 First Prize

The first annual James Stroud Classical Guitar Competition was founded to help create opportunities for the next generation of classical guitarists age 14-18 residing in the United States. Its founder's hope is that this competition will help further these students' artistic and musical pursuits of advanced music studies and professional music careers. Twelve to fifteen semi-finalists and four finalists will perform publicly and be evaluated by an international panel of judges during the 20th annual Cleveland International Classical Guitar Festival...

Kolya Panhuyzen Biography

Kolya Panhuyzen (Germany), guitar maker

Master German guitar maker Kolya Panhuyzen was exposed to the classical guitar at an early age. His father played the instrument, and his uncle, Edgar Mönch, was a highly respected luthier whose guitars were played by Julian Bream, Jorge Morel, and John Williams. It was in the Toronto workshop of Edgar Mönch, in 1967 that Panhuyzen built his first guitar. Eventually Panhuyzen established his own workshop in Toronto in 1974 and later set up a second shop in Germany in 1992...

Guitars International

Guitars International Exhibit of Fine Classical Guitars From Around The World

Celebrating Over Thirty Years of Musical Excellence

Established in 1990, Guitars International shows its guitars by appointment in its Cleveland, Ohio showroom; it also ships its guitars nationally for audition on seventy-two hours approval. Its goal is to match each client – student, teacher, concert artist, aficionado, or collector – with the classical guitar which will inspire the greatest artistry and joy...

Bella Corda Biography

Cleveland Bella Corda Guitar Ensemble (USA)

Childbloom

Five young students of classical guitarist Brian Kozak, Director of the Cleveland Childbloom Guitar Program, will perform. Mr. Kozak has taught guitar at Baldwin-Wallace College and Kent State University. He is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music and Baldwin-Wallace College with degrees in Classical Guitar Performance...

Suzuki Ensemble Biography

Cleveland Suzuki Guitar Ensemble (USA)

Music School Settlement

Five young students of classical guitarist Robert Gruca will perform. Robert Gruca is the founder and Director of the Suzuki Guitar Program at The Music Settlement of Cleveland. Mr. Gruca received his Master of Music degree from The Cleveland Institute of Music where he studied with classical guitarists John Holmquist and Jason Vieaux...

Mixon Hall

Additional Support Provided By:

The Augustine Foundation
Alpha Graphics
Azica Records
Bam l'Original Cases
ClevelandClassical.com
Cleveland Chamber Music Society
Cleveland Scene
David W. Hershberger
Friends of CICGF
Glidden House
Jonathan Wentworth Ltd.
Les Delices
Pat Kilkenny
Rodgers Tuning Machines
The Plain Dealer
This is Classical Guitar
Thompson Hine LLP
WCLV 104.9 FM
WCPN 90.3 FM

CICGF® Artists' Profiles

CICGF^® Artists' Profiles