Jose Antonio Escobar ~ World Of Guitar Addict

Jose Antonio Escobar

“...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)

José Antonio Escobar (b. 1973) is one of the most distinguished and versatile classical guitar soloists of his generation worldwide, drawing attention through a perfect balance between his intense musical expression and his vast knowledge of the various musical styles and periods. He was born in Santiago de Chile where he studied at the Conservatory of Music-University of Chile under Ernesto Quezada, graduating with Top Honors (Summa cum Laude). He later received his graduate degree (Meisterklassendiplom), after obtaining a scholarship from the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Chile to study under Franz Halasz, at the Hochschule für Musik in Augsburg, Germany, where he also worked as an assistant professor. In order to complement his studies he took courses and master classes in ancient music with renowned lutenists such as Hopkinson Smith, Eduardo Egüez and Juan Carlos Rivera.
He has performed in more than 30 countries in almost all of Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Asia. He has also performed as a soloist with notable orchestras in Europe and South America, as well as at major concert venues. He has recorded several times for the well-known Naxos label, and also for RTVE (Spanish Radio and Television), and he has produced several independent recordings as well. Currently, he is frequently invited to perform and give master classes at major festivals, music seminars and at prestigious universities worldwide.
Prizes & Awards
1st Prize at the Heitor Villa-Lobos International Competition in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1997.
1st Prize at the Alirio Diaz International Guitar Competition in Caracas, Venezuela, 1998.
1st Prize and Special Audience Prize at the prestigious Francisco Tárrega International Guitar Competition in Benicàssim, Spain, 2000
1st Prize at the Stotsenberg International Guitar Competition (currently Parkening International Guitar Competition) in Malibu, California, USA, 2001
1st Prize (2^nd no awarded) at the Julian Arcas International Guitar Competition in Almería, Spain, 2003
1st Prize at the Norba Caesarina International Guitar Competition, Cáceres, Spain, 2005.
2nd Prize – ALHAMBRA International Guitar Competition, Alcoy, Spain, 2002.
2nd Prize – FORUM GUITAR WIEN International Guitar Competition, Vienna, Austria, 2002.
2nd Prize – Concorso Internazionale di Chitarra Classica RUGGERO CHIESA, Camogli, Italy, 2004.
3th Prize – GFA International Guitar Competition, La Jolla, California, USA, 1997.
3th Prize – KARL SCHEIT International Guitar Competition, Vienna, Austria, 1998.
3th Prize – Concorso Internazionale de Chitarra Classica MICHELE PITTALUGA, Alessandria, Italy, 2003.