Announcing our

INTERNATIONAL Concert ARTIST SERIES

2026/2027

  • ‍Rovshan Mamedkuliev has won more than 25 awards in national and international guitar competitions, including: First Prize and Special Prize for the best interpretation of the compositions of Leo Brouwer on the 10th International Guitar Competition “Hommage à Leo Brouwer” (Antony, France, 2009). In 2012 Rovshan won one of the most prestigious guitar competitions in the world - XXX Guitar Foundation of America (GFA) International Concert Artist Competition (Charleston, SC, USA). In that same year, he gave a solo concert in New York's Carnegie Hall and concertized in numerous cities throughout Germany and Spain launching his international career. In the 2013-2014 concert season after winning GFA's International Concert Artist Competition, Rovshan gave a solo concert tour (51 concerts) and masterclasses throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and Brazil. In 2017, Rovshan gave a solo concert in Amsterdam Concertgebouw.

    As a soloist Rovshan has performed with a wide variety of ensembles and orchestras including: l’Ensemble Orchestral de Valencia (Spain), Orchestre du Conservatoire National de Musique Superieur de Paris (France), Azerbaijani State Chamber Orchestra named after Kara Karaev, Nizhny Novgorod Philharmonic Symphonic Orchestra, State Symphony Orchestra of the Udmurt Republic.

    Rovshan Mamedkuliev was born in May 1986 in Baku, Azerbaijan. A couple years later, Rovshan and his family moved to Nizhny Novgorod (Russia), where at the age of 11 he started taking guitar lessons. From a very early age he showed an exceptional musical talent. In 2004 he was accepted to the Nizhny Novgorod Conservatoire where he studied with nationally recognized guitarist Aleksey Petropavlovsky. Throughout his study professors described Rovshan as having “an excellent ear, tenacious memory, a developed sense of rhythm and form and bright artistry".

    He completed his studies with Honors in 2009 and was invited to teach at Nizhny Novgorod Conservatoire. In 2014 Rovshan Mamedkuliev became associate professor of the classical guitar department in the Maimonides State Classical Academy (Moscow), and from 2023, professor at the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music (Moscow).

    Rovshan has premiered many new works for classical guitar, including Concerto №3 Antony for guitar and symphonic orchestra by Philippe Lemaigre (Antony, France, 2012) and Concerto Famalicao by Elena Lebedeva for guitar and chamber orchestra (Kostroma, Russia, 2008).

    Rovshan Mamedkuliev also performs his own arrangements. He released an arrangement of music by Russian composers («Masters of Russian Composition: Alexander Borodin and Anatoly Lyadov», MelBay Publications, USA, 2014) and an arrangement of the music by his native Azerbaijani composer (Fikret Amirov. 6 Miniatures, LACG Editions, USA, 2015).

    A number of works are recorded by Rovshan on CDs: his first professional CD Con Anima (Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, 2011), a Guitar Recital CD at the Laureate Series on the prestigious label Naxos(Toronto, Canada, 2012), a Solo CD Semi-Awake, Semi-Dream on Contrastes Records (Sevilla, Spain, 2015). In January of 2016 Rovshan Mamedkuliev recorded his second CD on Naxos.

    Website :https://mamedkuliev.com

  • https://mamedkuliev.com

  • $35 General Admission, Members $30, Students $10

Rovshan Mamedkuliev

Azerbaijan

Classical Guitar

Wednesday, September 23, 2026 - 7 PM

Our Lady’s Chapel, at St. Augustine Cathedral, 192 S. Stone

  • Those of you who were fortunate enough to attend Rafael Aguirre’s concert last year will be delighted to hear that he is returning this year! We are thrilled to be sponsoring his return, this year in a concert presented by the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Jose Luis Gomez conducting. Tickets are available now from the Tucson Symphony website or from their box office.

    We are making Maestro Aguirre’s visits a regular event: He will teach and play each of the next two years.!

    More about Rafael Aguirre:

    Rafael Aguirre is one of the most sought-after guitarists at an international level, having received 13 top First Prizes for his instrument such as the Tárrega Competition and also obtaining important awards in all instrumental categories such as the Pro Musicis in New York. He was named Associate of the Royal Academy of Music in London (ARAM), in recognition of his international career and he received the National Award “Cultura Viva” in Madrid. He has performed in 49 countries.

    This summer, Rafael became the first Spanish guitarist to perform as a soloist at the BBC Proms, at London's Royal Albert Hall, with the Spanish National Orchestra and David Afkham. And it was sold out!

    He has performed at esteemed venues, including the first performance of Concierto de Aranjuez in 23 years at Carnegie Hall, where he has performed 4 times, and two sold-out concerts in 2023 and 2026 at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam performing Aranjuez with the Castilla y León Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Thierry Fischer and the Tenerife Orchestra and Pablo González.

    With a solid classical training, the result of the inheritance of the tradition of Andrés Segovia and Narciso Yepes, Rafael Aguirre has multiple musical interests beyond recitals and performances with orchestra, performing with an ensemble of musicians from the Berlin Philharmonic, the pianist Lang Lang, the sopranos Fatma Said and Hera Hyesang Park, regularly with the cellist Nadège Rochat and many others. He is also committed to expanding the repertoire of his instrument, working with multiple living composers and also including in his performances flamenco, Latin American and Spanish popular music and even reaching pop and film music.

    With a repertoire of more than 30 concertos for guitar and orchestra, he has performed under the batons of many great conductors, including Tucson’s own music director, Jose Luis Gomez.


    He released his first album with a recital published by RTVE Música, which was followed by two more recitals for Naxos. With the German label KSGExaudio he published “Transcriptions”, with a program of music by Bach, Scarlatti, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Debussy, Ravel and Gershwin transcribed for guitar from original works for piano. His frequent collaboration with the cellist Nadège Rochat gave rise to “La Vida Breve” published by Ars Produktion. Two other projects presented him with Brazilian music (with the Anette Maiburg ensemble for the German label MDG) and fado (with the singer Filipa Tavares). He made the world premiere recording of Lorenzo Palomo's work “Fulgores” with the Castilla y León Symphony Orchestra, violinist Ana Valderrama and Maestro Jesús López Cobos, for the Naxos label. He recently recorded with soprano Fatma Said for the Warner Classics label, an album that was awarded with the BBC Music Magazine Awards, Gramophone Awards and Opus Klassik of Germany.

    As a result of this recording work, he has been pre-nominated for a Latin Grammy and has received enthusiastic reviews from the magazines Gramophone, The Strad and Crescendo Magazine, as well as appearing on the programming of international  TV and radio stations such as the BBC, NPR, CBS, NHK in Japan and KBS in Korea, CCTV in China, PBS in the USA, Radio Stephansdom in Vienna, Radio Berlin Brandenburg, HR Hessische Rundfunk, the Bayerische Rundfunk, NDR, MDR, Radio Nacional in Spain and The New Classical FM in Toronto.


    A native of Málaga (Spain), at the age of 16 he made his orchestral debut with the Málaga Youth Orchestra on a tour of Spain and Morocco. He was awarded a scholarship by the Junta de Andalucía and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Bonn to study in Germany with Professor Joaquín Clerch at the Hochschule Robert Schumann in Düsseldorf, where he graduated with honors. He later studied with Professor Michael Lewin at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

  • https://www.rafael-aguirre.com/home-1

  • Tickets available from the Tucson Symphony Orchestra

Rafael Aguirre

And

THE TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez

Saturday, October 10, 2026 - 2 PM & 7:30 PM

Sunday, October 11, 2026 - 2 PM

Catalina Foothills High School

  • ‍When two of the most decorated titans of the classical guitar joined forces in the 90s, the result was nothing short of a historical musical event. Aniello Desiderio and Zoran Dukić represent the pinnacle of contemporary guitar performance, blending Neapolitan fire and passion with Slavic precision to create a duo partnership defined by “spectacular virtuosity” and “profound maturity.”

    Combined, their trophy cabinets hold the world’s most prestigious honors, including double victories at the “Andrés Segovia” and Tárrega competitions, as well as the “Guerrero” International Competition in Madrid. Their collaboration brings together two distinct yet complementary musical philosophies, creating a concert experience that has left audiences on their feet from the end of the very first piece.

    Aniello Desiderio
    Desiderio belongs to a family of musicians; his father plays percussion instruments, and of his two younger brothers, Gaetano is a pianist and Gennaro is a violinist. A child prodigy, he started performing in public locally at the age of eight. Hailed since childhood as “il Fenomeno” and the “Orpheus of the guitar,” Desiderio is a Neapolitan virtuoso who graduated with honors from the Conservatory of Music in Alessandria.

    He is known for his intricate touch, speed and precision on the instrument, delivering "acrobatic arpeggios and scales of extraordinary brilliance", which has led to comparisons with Paganini. He is particularly renowned for his interpretations of Paganini, Scarlatti,  Carulli, and less well-known Italian composers.

    A regular soloist at Carnegie Hall and the Berlin Philharmonic, he has been a preferred collaborator for legends such as Lorin Maazel and John McLaughlin. His playing is characterized by a “genius” level of expression that earned him the “Artist in Residence Award” from German Radio DLF.

    Zoran Dukić
    Regarded as one of the most distinguished classical guitarists of our time, Dukić is a master of stylistic versatility. From his “tour de force” competition years to his deep dedication to the works of J.S. Bach and Piazzolla, his performances are noted for their “powerful inspiration” and the ability to reach a definitive and unique interpretation which makes fans of the instrument or even the expert music listeners familiar with the musical works, walk away with new-found appreciation for the art.

    He started to play guitar at the age of six and graduated from the Music Academy of Zagreb in his native Croatia. He completed his studies with Hubert Käppel at the Hochschule für Music in  Cologne,  Germany. He teaches at the Koninklijk Conservatorium in The Hague and is a visiting artist at Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. He was previously on faculty at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya in Barcelona as well as the Hochschule für Musik  in  Aachen.

    Zoran was the first non-Spaniard to be awarded the special prize for the best interpretation of Spanish music in Madrid, a testament to his “astounding mastery” of the instrument’s core repertoire.

    ‍Critical Acclaim
    The international press has been unanimous in its praise for these two masters: “Always the master of his instrument, Dukić demonstrated spectacular virtuosity over and over again together with a great maturity and powerful inspiration.”
    — Il Gazzettino, Italy

    “A guitarist of the century… il Fenomeno.”
    — Music Critics on Desiderio

    “A thrilling concert… the audience was on its feet already after the first piece… a phenomenal evening.”
    — Gevelsberger Zeitung, Germany

    ‍
    Both artists maintain a rigorous global touring schedule, appearing as soloists with the world’s leading orchestras, including the Virtuosi di Mosca, RSO Berliner, Vancouver Symphony, Oregon, and the Istanbul State Symphony, to name a few recent engagements, while invited back annually to Rhine Guitar Festival & Academy 2026 (formerly Koblenz). ‍

    Beyond the stage, they are two of the most sought-after educators in the world. Desiderio serves as a professor at the University of Music in Avellino and is invited for regular masterclasses at the Koblenz Festival, Mozarteum in Salzburg and many other universities and conservatories throughout Europe, while Dukić is often invited to similar prestigious festivals and continues to inspire the next generation through his extensive premiering of contemporary works by composers such as Takemitsu, Henze, and Gubaidulina.

    Together, Desiderio and Dukić offer a program that spans the history of the guitar—from the Baroque precision of Bach to the rhythmic intensity of South American Tangos—delivered with a level of technical authority that only two “masters of the century” can provide.

    Desiderio and Dukić are sponsored by D’Addario Strings and record with GuitarCoOp.

    ‍

  • Website: https://aranjuez-artists.com/artists/atozduo/

  • $44 General Admission, Members $38.50, Students $11

A to Z Guitar Duo 

Aniello Desiderio, Italy

and

Zoran Dukic, Croatia

Classical Guitar

Sunday, October 25, 2026 - 7 PM

Holsclaw Hall

Adam del Monte

Israel, USA

Flamenco and Classical Guitar

Matinee: Saturday, January 30, 2027 - 3 PM

2026 - Holsclaw Hall

  • ‍ Adam Del Monte, Flamenco and classical guitarist

    ‍ ‍

    Born near Tel Aviv, Israel, Adam del Monte’s young life was heavily influenced by spending much of his formative years in Granada, Spain where he had the opportunity to learn the art of flamenco from some of the true maestros of Spain: Pepe Habichuela, Gerardo Núñez and Paco Cortés. He studied flamenco and classical guitar in Spain, Israel and England.

    At the age of nineteen, he performed with the flamenco singer Enrique Morente and the Madrid Symphony Orchestra at the Teatro Real in Madrid and the Teatro Manuel de Falla in Granada. In 1997, he won the First Prize at the Stotsenberg International Classical Guitar Competition. The following year, he released his debut CD Viaje a Un Nuevo Mundo, which was highly praised by music critics.

    His first flamenco concert, called Ensueño Flamenco, was premiered on February 12, 1999, at the Jordan Hall in Boston. In 2000 he played the Concierto de Aranjuez with the LA Philharmonic and later that year performed twice at the Hollywood Bowl, once with his flamenco ensemble and once with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and classical Spanish dancer Lola Greco.

    He has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, playing the featured flamenco guitar part in the double Grammy Award-winning opera Ainadamar (2006) by Osvaldo Golijov. In this production, he performed alongside soprano Dawn Upshaw and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Robert Spano. Adam was a member of the Falla Guitar Trio from 2007 to 2012. He performed Ainadamar for the 60th anniversary of the Festival de Granada at the Alhambra Palace with the Granada Symphony Orchestra, and most recently in the nine performances at the Metropolitan Opera production in New York with Angel Blue.

    Adam del Monte composed his second flamenco guitar concerto, titled "Paisajes", which was both commissioned and debuted by the St. Monica Symphony. Following its premiere, del Monte has performed the concerto with the Moscow State Symphony at Tchaikovsky Hall and with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra in Caracas, Venezuela.

    He wrote the opera Llantos1492 as a tribute to his childhood spent in Spain. The flamenco opera Lantos 1492 was presented by the Tucson Guitar Society at the Tucson Desert Song Festival in Tucson on January 30, 2019. During the pandemic, del Monte composed and co-produced a piece for the Virtual Guitar Orchestra titled Relampinos. It involved 117 guitarists from around the world, including Ángel Romero and Eliot Fisk, creating the largest collaboration between flamenco and classical guitarists to date.  Post pandemic he and Slovenian guitarist Mak Grgić played duo concerts in Texas, California, Maryland, Las Vegas and other locations.  He also performed the Concierto de Aranjuez at Disney Hall with the California Philharmonic.

    He has a unique style that blends traditional flamenco with contemporary influences, and he often performs both as a solo artist and with various ensembles. In addition to his performing career, del Monte is recognized for his teaching, sharing his expertise in guitar techniques and musical expression. His work has garnered praise in the classical guitar community and beyond. Since 2000, he has been teaching classical and flamenco guitar at the University of Southern California. As a composer and performer, Del Monte has been involved in several film productions.

    Del Monte has published his first book on technique and scales development with Mel Bay Publications. The book is called Flamenco Scalathon.

    ‍ ‍

  • https://www.adamdelmonte.com/

  • $38.50 General Admission, Members $33, Students $11

Virgile Barthe

France

Classical Guitar

First Place Winner Guitar Foundation of America International Concert Artist Competition

Friday, February 12, 2027 - 7 PM

Holsclaw Hall

  • Virgile Barthe: First Place Winner, Guitar Foundation of America International Artist Competition

    Virgile Barthe is regarded as one of the most promising emerging artists on the classical guitar scene. He began his studies at the Toulouse Conservatory under the guidance of Benoît Albert before being admitted, at the age of 17, to the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. There, he is currently pursuing a master’s degree in the class of a Tucson favorite guest artist, Judicaël Perroy. He has also benefited from the mentorship of distinguished guitarists including Gabriel Bianco and Olivier Chassain.

    An award-winning musician, Barthe gained international recognition at an early age, earning major distinctions from the age of 16. In 2024, he was awarded First Prize at the prestigious Maurizio Biasini International Competition, appearing as a soloist with the Sinfonieorchester Basel. The following year, he secured top prizes at both the Koblenz International Guitar Competition (Germany) and the Guitar Foundation of America (GFA) International Concert Artist Competition (USA), two of the most esteemed competitions in the classical guitar world.

    Regularly invited to perform at leading international festivals, Virgile Barthe is acclaimed for the refinement of his musical interpretation and the breadth of his repertoire, which spans from the Baroque period to contemporary works. He also performs in a flute–guitar duo with flutist Lucie Fischer.

    Virgile is on this North American tour of more than 50 cities, which is among his prizes for earning the first-place award of the GFA competition.

    Virgile plays an Adrian Heinzelmann guitar with Knobloch strings

    Instagram @virgile_barthe

  • Instagram @virgile_barthe

  • $38.50 General Admission, Members $33, Students $11

David Russell

Scotland, Spain

Classical Guitar

Grammy Award Winner

Saturday, February 27, 2027 - 7 PM

Sunday, February 28, 2027 - 3 PM

Holsclaw Hall

  • ‍David Russell  is a superb guitarist whose musicianship and technical mastery over the instrument have made him not only a favorite of audiences around the world, but also a much beloved and influential teacher. His commitment to sharing his knowledge makes his masterclasses as fascinating to music lovers as they are to guitarists. (A note: his masterclasses the week preceding his Tucson concerts are free and open to the public, and we encourage people to come listen for a little, or a lot!)

    When David was five, his family moved from his hometown of Glasgow to Menorca, where he became interested in the guitar, imbibing the music of Andrés Segovia and Julian Bream among others. A list of his achievements is too long to print here, but includes such milestones as winning the Julian Bream Guitar Prize--not once, but twice--numerous international competitions, including the Andrés Segovia Competition, the José Ramírez Competition, and the Francisco Tárrega Competition. He was named a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in London in 1997. In 2005, he won a Grammy Award for best instrumental soloist in classical music for his CD Aire Latino, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Guitar Foundation of America in 2018. The significance of his impact is shown in many, more personal tributes, such as being made "adopted son" of Es Migjorn Gran, the town on Menorca where he grew up, or the homage from the music conservatory of Vigo, where he lives, which culminated with the opening of the new auditorium given the name "Auditorio David Russell." David was named honorary member of “Amigos de la Guitarra” - the oldest guitar society in Spain. The University of Arizona recognized his innumerable contributions to musical arts by awarding a Doctor in Music, Honoris Causa, in May 2014.

    David resides in Galicia, Spain with his wife María Jesús Rodríguez Riveiro, but they spend much of the year on tour around the world or  at work supervising with their charitable foundation which is active in India and Africa. Although he has a wide collection of instruments, he is most known for his association with Matthias Dammann guitars.

  • https://www.davidrussellguitar.com/

  • $38.50 General Admission, Members $33, Students $11

           Camille Ortiz, soprano           

    Hector Alfonso Torres, guitar      

Puerto Rico

Thursday, April 2, 2027 - 7 PM

Holsclaw Hall

  • Puerto Rican soprano Camille Ortiz has captivated audiences in opera and concert with her artistic versatility,  thriving equally as a baroque specialist and with standard repertoire, all the while championing new works. She was recently seen as Pamina in Seattle Opera’s Barrie Kosky production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute (Christine Brandes conducting; Erik Friedman directing). She has appeared with Opera Lafayette in a Kennedy Center debut, Boston Baroque (Martin Pearlman conducting), Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Chorale (Nicholas McGegan conducting), Portland Baroque Orchestra (John Butt conducting), Ars Lyrica Houston, Houston Early Music, The Newberry Consort, Portland Chamber Orchestra, Oregon Bach Festival (Jos van Veldhoven conducting), San Diego Early Music Society, Arizona Early Music, and Music Before 1800 Series (these last three on tour with Ars Lyrica), Opera Orlando, Eugene Opera, Gulfshore Opera, Dallas Bach Society, Festival of the Aegean in Greece, Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina (John Rutter conducting), and at Carnegie Hall with Midam International. ‍

    Camille is an avid recitalist and master teacher of Latin American art song and beyond, she has participated in residencies and festivals at prestigious universities and music programs. She currently is in the voice faculty at University of Oregon, School of Music and Dance.

    Website: www.camilleortizsoprano.com

    ‍ ‍

    Dr. Héctor Alfonso Torres González studied guitar at the Preparatory School of the Puerto Rico Music Conservatory and took his bachelor's degree at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, where he studied with the distinguished Puerto Rican guitarist Juan Sorroche. He then earned his master's degree at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with renowned guitarist René Izquierdo. He completed his Doctorate in Musical Arts at the University of North Texas, studying with the guitarist Thomas Johnson. While at UNT, he also studied early music under the Dutch recorder player and early music specialist Paul Leenhouts and served as teaching assistant for the UNT Baroque Orchestra. He studied basso continuo with harpsichordist Dr. Brad Bennight, and early plucked instruments with Arash Noori, and Daniel Swenberg from the Juilliard School.

    Currently Dr. Torres-González serves as an Associate Professor of Music at Tarrant County College in Fort Worth, Texas. He has concertized, both as a soloist and ensemble musician, and taught widely throughout the world. Recently, alongside baroque harpist Monika Ruusmaa, he was selected as one of Early Music America's 2021 Emerging Artists.

    As a chamber musician, he has toured China with his guitar trio, Trio Resonance, where they played in Beijing, Jinan, Suzhou, Dalian, and other cities. Distinguished by his versatility and sound, he frequently performs many styles of music, including early music, Latin music, and modern classical. As an early music performer, he regularly plays baroque guitar, theorbo, lute, and other period plucked instruments with different chamber groups and orchestras across the U.S, including the Texas Early Music Project, Austin Baroque Orchestra & Chorus, Ars Lyrica Houston, Lumedia Musicworks, La Follia, Mercury Chamber Orchestra, Fantasmi, Camerata del Sol, Red River Lyric Opera, Orchestra of New Spain, and his newly founded group Bambulaé Barrocá.

    Website: http://www.hectoralfonsotorres.com/

    ‍ ‍

  • http://www.camilleortizsoprano.com/

    http://www.hectoralfonsotorres.com/

  • $44 General Admission, Members $38.50, Students $11

previous Concerts

Holsclaw Hall

Located in the University of Arizona’s Fred Fox School of Music