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Guitar used in this recording: Paco Santiago Marín (Granada, 2006)
About JOSÉ ANTONIO ESCOBAR – Guitarist
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José Antonio Escobar ‘s biography:
“…The mastery, intelligence and sound of José Antonio on such diverse pieces undoubtedly position him among the outstanding guitarists of our time.“ (Le Cahiers de la Guitare, Paris, 2002)
“Finally José Antonio Escobar gave us Villa-Lobos’ 12 Etudes, demonstrating that he is one of the finest young players to have emerged from South America in recent years” (Robert Matthew-Walker, Musical Opinion, London, May 2007).
“Escobar is an expressive, mature artist who has transcended the nitty-gritty of technique and gets to the essence of the music.” (Jeffrey Rossman, Classical Voice of North Carolina, 2008).
“Guitar aficionados need to hear Escobar’s absolutely stunning playing.” (Göran Forsling, MusicWeb International, 2008)
“I cannot and should not miss the opportunity to speak in favor of one of the most remarkable
musicians devoting their talent to the guitar. His name is José Antonio Escobar…” (Angelo Gilardino, Suonare Magazine, Italy, 2012)
José Antonio Escobar (b. 1973), 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 with Franz Halasz. 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 Scheit (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 Carnegie Hall in New York, Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow, 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 Barcelona, 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.