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.
 

 Jorge Cardoso has performed concerts and lectured on classical guitar technique, interpretation, Latin American Music, Baroque Music, and Music Composition throughout the world. He has composed over 350 works for solo guitar, voice and guitar, as well as duos, trios, and string quartets. He has also transcribed and arranged an extensive body of South American folkloric music, music of the Spanish Renaissance and Baroque periods.

 

 "There are few of his generation that have such gifts" Pablo Casals.

"A rare genius, a born musician, an amazing young cellist" Dmitri Mitropoulos.

"de Saram is a Cello Phenomenon, one of the greatest cellists of our time" Kolnische Rundshau.
 

 Spanish guitarist, Susana Prieto, and Greek guitarist, Alexis Muzurakis, made their debut as the Duo Melis in 1999 at the International Guitar Festival of Volos (Greece). Since then they have performed in such prestigious halls as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Megaron in Athens and Merkin Concert Hall in New York. They have been invited to play concerts and give master classes at international guitar festivals in Europe and America. Since 2006 they have taught at the Conservatoire National de Region de Strasbourg in France.

 

 Eduardo Fernández is recognized as one of the leading guitarists of today. Reviews emphasize his "total technique" and the "poetic self-realization" of his playing. Reviews also describe him as "a thoughtful and thought-provoking artist"; or, as Soundboard said of his 1999 recital at the Guitar Foundation of America annual festival in Charleston, SC, Eduardo Fernandez is "one of the greatest guitarists alive."

 

 Lauded for his “exceptional artistry” by the New Yorker and for music-making described as “pure magic” by the Santa Barbara News-Press, Paul Galbraith won the Silver Medal at the Segovia International Guitar Competition at the age of 17. Andrés Segovia, who was present, called his playing "magnificent." This award helped launch an international career including engagements with some of the finest orchestras in Britain and Europe. In his unique playing style, his guitar (which has added high and low strings) is supported by a metal endpin that rests on a wooden resonance box.
 

 The Greek guitarist, Antigoni Goni, enjoys a truly international career. In the past year she has performed throughout the United States, Japan, Portugal, France, England, Germany, Russia and Greece. She is an Artist-In-Residence for San Francisco Performances, as well as Chairman of the Guitar Deparment at Juiliard Pre-College Division and a Professor of Guitar at the Royal Conservatory Brussels; in addition, she holds positions at Columbia University and the Royal Academy of Music.
 

 "The premiere of [Stephen Goss'] Oxen of the Sun was one of the events of the year." Colin Cooper, Classical Guitar Magazine

"The titles of [Oxen of the Sun's] seven sections give some idea of Stephen Goss's many interwoven inspirations for this rich composition, which were derived from not only musical sources. Jonathan Leathwood played a 6-string and a 10-string guitar simultaneously. One guitar was held in the regular playing position on his knee and the second was lying flat in front of him on a cushioned chair." Thérèse Wassily Saba, Classical Guitar Magazine, June 2003
 

 The American guitarist Douglas James has appeared as a classical guitarist throughout the United States as well as in Europe and Mexico. Soundboard magazine has noted his performances to be filled with "appealing intensity and obvious enthusiasm." The Arizona Daily Star described his Bach as "warm and ornate" and his Spanish pieces "downright sexy."
 

 Hubert Kappel is among the most influential teachers and guitarists of his generation. Born in Bensberg, Germany, he is the only German guitarist ever to win the International Interpretation Competition in Gargano, Italy.
 

 Canadian-born Dale Kavanagh is one of the guitar world¹s most gifted interpreters. Between 1986 and 1988 Ms. Kavanagh was a top prize-winner in Spain¹s³ Segovia Competition, Italy's Gargnano Competition, Switzerland's Neuchatel Competition and First and Special Prize winner in Finland's Scandinavian International Guitar Competition.
 

 "Jonathan Leathwood is a genius." Therese Wassily Saba, Classical Guitar [UK]

"To have early mastered the utmost technical demands of so difficult an instrument as the guitar is rare. To possess not only an infallible memory for its repertoire, but a depth of understanding at once intuitive and analytical, is rarer still. And to be able to communicate such understanding with an intensity that has audiences hanging upon every note is rarest of all. Speaking at once as a composer, critic and listener, I would say that Jonathan Leathwood has it all." Bayan Northcott, composer and critic [UK]
 

 "These performances definitely have a live feel, though there's no sense of the facile - only depth caught on the wing."  Wiiliam Yeomen, Review of Bach CD, Gramophone, May 2006

Daniel Lippel is an eclectic musician, active as a soloist and chamber musician. He lives in New York City, where he is a regular member of two prominent new music groups- the thirty player strong International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) and the quartet Flexible Music. His recording of solo works by Bach was listed among "Best New Releases from North America" in the May 2006 issue of The Gramophone, and he has also received enthusiastic press from American Record Guide and Guitar Review.

 

 "Perhaps he is the greatest performer on the instrument of all time." Stephen Daw, in the Birmingham Post (England)

"I remember going to a remarkable recital, one which I wish I had the ability to give: it was one of Nigel North's Bach recitals, and I was bowled over by how masterful and how musical it was. A real musical experience, something you don't always get from guitar and lute players and which, in general, is pretty rare." Julian Bream, London, September 2002, in a talk given to the Lute Society.
 

 Congratulations to Paul O'Dette whose collection of English lute music by Daniel Bacheler (Harmonia Mundi) was nominated for a 49^th ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARD for Best Instrumental Soloist performance (without orchestra).

Few instrumentalists establish themselves with such firm authority as Paul O'Dette has on the lute. He has been described as the clearest case of genius ever to touch his instrument. (Toronto Globe and Mail) One of the most influential figures in his field, O'Dette has helped define the technical and stylistic standards to which twenty-first-century performers of early music aspire.
 

 A native of New York, Stephen Robinson has been heralded by The New York Times for his "effortless virtuosity with intelligence and good taste," by The Tallahassee Democrat for his "sweet, pure sound, technique to burn and strong sense of musical and poetic phrasing," and by (Puerto Rico's) El Nuevo Dia as a "magnificent North American guitarist, full of virtuosity, magnificent technical precision, and a masterfully delivered diverse range of sound."
 

 The soprano, Liliana Rodriguez, was born in Cordoba, Argentina. As the lead vocalist of the Argentine folklore group, Grupo Azul, she has made various recordings, radio and television appearances and toured internationally. Lilian Rodriguez makes regular appearances with Esquina, the trio for contemporary tango, as well as performing in duo with guitarist Jorge Cardoso and in trio with guitarists Jorge Cardoso and Raphaella Smits. 
 

 Beloved by audiences around the world, David Russell continues to distinguish himself as one of the prodigious performers of our time. A musical virtuoso with a captivating stage presence, he is lauded for not only his technical mastery, but also his soft-spoken conviction. Despite his incredible success, he remains devoted to advancing the repertoire and future of the classical guitar.
 

 Recognized as a brilliant performer and elegant interpreter of romantic and modern music, Michael Cedric Smith appears frequently as a recitalist and in chamber music concerts in New York City and across the country. Mr. Smith has presented the world premiers of numerous works including: Five Preludes by Robert Starer and Concerto for Guitar by Ulf Grahn (both written for Michael Cedric Smith) and the New York premier of Son Sonara for flute and guitar by Tania Leon.

 

 She is called quite rightly "une Grande Musicienne." Praised by the New York Times as "uncommonly musical," Belgian classical guitarist Raphaella Smits was the first woman to be awarded the coveted First Prize in Spain's Certamen Internacional de Guitarra Francisco Tarrega Competition. Since then she has toured the world many times over.

 

 "Extraordinarily sensitive, with effortless command and an almost unbearable delicacy of touch, the duo's playing was nothing less than rapturous -- profound and unforgettable musicianship of the highest order." Stephen Brookes - The Washington Post, July 25, 2006

"Italian guitarists Lorenzo Micheli and Matteo Mela, SoloDuo, gave a stunning concert to a packed hall [in Fort Worth, Texas, August 2006]. The musical performance was both energetic and moving. The audience demanded many encores, making this the perfect finale to the entire festival." Valerie Hartzell, Soundboard, Vol. XXXIII, 1-2, '07
 

 Dutch classical guitar virtuoso Nathasja van Rosse is a dynamic young musician whose refined artistry has received world-wide critical acclaim. As a result of her magnificent performances, several composers have written and dedicated works to her.
 

 Ana Vidovic is an extraordinary talent of formidable gifts taking her place amongst the elite musicians of the world today. Though barely twenty three years of age, she has already won an impressive number of prizes and international competitions all over the world.
 

 "There are now many finger-perfect guitarists on tap but those of Vieaux's natural musicality are rare indeed; everything in the moulding of the phrases comes from within - you just can't programme sensitivity of this kind...an issue of the greatest distinction, by a player of whom we shall un-doubtedly hear many more good things." Gramophone

"The outstanding soloist of the evening, however, was Jason Vieaux.... His technique is flawless.... The middle movement, Larghetto, had a nuance of phrase that made the simple line ache with meaning.... It simply could not have been better." The Buffalo News
 

 In the world of the classical guitar, it is rare for a Chinese player to launch an international career, but Xuefei Yang has since childhood been a pioneering spirit. She was the first guitarist in China to enter a music school and later to graduate from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing with a B.A degree, the first guitarist from her country to study in the UK and the first guitarist ever to receive an international scholarship from the Associated Board of The Royal Schools of Music for her postgraduate study at Royal Academy of Music.