Today I’m speaking with French guitar phenomenon Thomas Viloteau who’s approach to the instrument, its repertoire and its technique is reshaping the term ‘classical’ guitar, into something new, alive and forward thinking.

Viloteau began studying guitar at the age of 12 and worked with with some the most prolific guitarists and teachers in Europe including Alvaro Pierri, Roland Dyens and Judacael.

He won first prize at the GFA convention in 2006 and the Francisco Tarrega Competition in 2012 among others. After completing a doctorate at Eastman, his prestige and talent landed him a position at the Peabody Conservatory where he sits among the great guitarists and teachers, Manuel Barrueco and Julian Gray.

Thomas is featured on Tonebase and GSI and is one of many younger guitarists who have embraced the technological advantages of the web and social media.

We talk about his journey with guitar including his teachers, the need to take a break, his return to the guitar and school, working and surviving as a musician in this day and age, and a lot more.

https://www.tigadorecords.com/

https://www.tacticalguitaracademy.com/

https://www.tacticalguitarist.com/

Today I’m speaking with the inspiring and very talented guitarist, Jiji.

Applauded by the Calgary Herald as “…talented, sensitive…brilliant,” JIJI is an adventurous artist on both classical and electric guitar, playing a wide range of music from traditional and contemporary classical to free improvisation. Her impeccable musicianship combined with compelling stage presence and fascinating repertoire earned her First Prize at the 2016 Concert Artists Guild International Competition.

JIJI’s performances have been featured on PBS (On Stage at Curtis series), NPR’s From the Top, WHYY-TV and Hong Kong broadcast station RTHK’s The Works, among others. Her EP recording, Underglow, was released in May 2018, featuring music by Bach, Albeniz, Ginastera and Dyens, in addition to her own composition for electric guitar and electronics.

A passionate advocate of new music, JIJI has premiered a duo piece Talking Guitars by renowned composer, Paul Lansky, and recently commissioned Nina C. Young to write a new guitar piece scheduled for premiere during 2018-19.

She has also premiered works by many emerging composers including Gabriella Smith, Gulli Björnsson, and Andrew McIntosh.

In 2018 she accepted the position of Assistant Professor of Guitar at Arizona State University.

Find out more about her http://jijiguitar.com/

I had a chance to speak with grammy award winning guitarist, Jason Vieaux a couple of weeks ago in light of his upcoming release with the Escher String Quartet. Our interview was not quite as long as some of the others, but we were able to cover several really interest topics.

Grammy winner Jason Vieaux, “among the elite of today's classical guitarists” (Gramophone), is the guitarist that goes beyond the classical. His most recent solo album, Play, won the 2015 Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo.

Jason Vieaux has performed as soloist with over 100 orchestras in the U.S. and abroad. Additional recent and future highlights include performances at Caramoor Festival as Artist in Residence, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society the National Gallery of Art, San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre, Buenos Aires’ Teatro Colon, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, New York's 92Y, Ravinia Festival, and many other distinguished series. A first rate chamber musician and programmer, he frequently collaborates with artists such as the Escher Quartet, harpist Yolanda Kondonassis,accordion/bandoneon virtuoso Julien Labro, and violinist Anne Akiko Meyers. His passion for new music has fostered premieres by Jonathan Leshnoff, Avner Dorman, Jeff Beal, Dan Visconti, David Ludwig, Vivian Fung, José Luis Merlin, and more.

Vieaux’s latest CD release is a performance of Jonathan Leshnoff’s Guitar Concerto with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra (Naxos). He has two upcoming releases on Azica Records: a new album, Dance, with the Escher String Quartet (July 19, 2019), featuring works by
Boccherini, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, and Aaron Jay Kernis; as well as a new solo Bach album. Recent recordings include Jeff Beal’s “Six Sixteen” Guitar Concerto with the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra (BIS); Infusion (Azica) with accordionist/bandoneonist Julien Labro; Ginastera’s Guitar Sonata, which is featured on Ginastera: One Hundred (Oberlin Music) produced by harpist Yolanda Kondonassis; and Together (Azica), a duo album with Kondonassis. In 2012, the Jason Vieaux School of Classical Guitar was launched with ArtistWorks Inc., an interface that provides one on one online study with Vieaux for guitar students around the world. In 2011, he cofounded the guitar department at the Curtis Institute of Music, and in 2015 was invited to inaugurate the guitar program at the Eastern Music Festival. Vieaux has taught at the Cleveland Institute of Music since1997, heading the guitar department since 2001. He has received a Naumburg Foundation top prize, a Cleveland Institute of Music Distinguished Alumni Award, GFA International Guitar Competition FirstPrize, and a Salon di Virtuosi Career Grant. His primary teachers were Jeremy Sparks and John Holmquist. Vieaux was also the first classical musician to be featured on NPR’s “Tiny Desk” series.

You can find out more about his upcoming performances, appearances and recordings at jasonvieaux.com

I caught up with Jason in between his busy family schedule. He was gracious with his time and we were able to chat about his upcoming releases, and some other really good things like how his approach to recording has changed over the years, his teaching career, balancing family life with performing, and much more.