Annual Texas Guitar Competition and Festival

February 28 – March 2, 2013
UT Dallas Alexander Clark Center

This unique Texas competition, designed to showcase outstanding classical guitar students, will award approximately $8,000 in cash prizes to the winners. Over the three-day event, students can compete and attend master classes and concerts by internationally recognized guitarists. We have a youth competition for ages 11-18 as well as the main competition for college-level students.

International Concert Guitarist Finalists (In performance order):

Marko Topchii

Sonata Giocosa. Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1989)

Allegro moderato

Preludio from Lute Suite BWV 997 (a-moll). Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

Suburbio. Carlos Moscardini (b. 1959)

Sonata K301. Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)

Capriccio Diabolico. Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968)

Marko Topchii was born in Kiev, Ukraine. In 2011, he received a Master degree in Guitar from the Kharkiv National University of Arts (Ukraine), and he is continuing his postgraduate studies at the Tchaikovsky National Academy of Music. He actively gives recitals in Ukraine, Italy, Spain, Germany, France, India, Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania. In 2007, he won first prize in the 1st International Competition of Guitarists in the “National Philharmonic of Ukraine” (Ukraine) and was the youngest performer. Since then, he has gone on to win first prize at the following competitions: 2008 International Guitar Competition (Ukraine), 2009 International Guitar Competition (Ukraine), 2009 International Guitar Competition Heinsberg (Germany), 2009 European Classical Guitar Competition (Italy), 2010 Mottola Guitar Competition (Italy), 2011 Robert J. Vidal Guitar Competition (France), 2011 Guitar Competition of Sernancelhe (Portugal), 2011 Ligita Guitar Competition (Liechtenstein), 2011 Le Concours International de Guitare Ville d’Antony (France), 2011 Guitar Art Competition (Serbia) and 2012 Guitar Competition Ferdinando Carulli (Italy).

Matthias Lang

Lute Suite No.4. J. S. Bach (1685-1750)

Prelude

Introduction et Caprice, Op.23. Giulio Regondi (1822-1872)

Sonata Giocosa. J. Rodrigo (1901-1989)

I. Allegro Moderato

II. Andante Moderato

III. Allegro

The 29-year-old guitarist from Germany received his Diploma of Music Education and his Artist Diploma at the Hochschulefuer Musik Koeln in the class of Professor Hubert Kappel. He continued his studies at the Conservatoire Royal de Mons in Belgium with the Brazilian virtuoso Odair Assad, where he completed his Master’s degree. Matthias is currently enrolled as a doctorate student at the University of North Texas, where he studies under Professor Thomas Johnson and also teaches a guitar class as a Teaching Fellow. He has been awarded several prizes at various guitar competitions, and he is internationally active as a performer. Recently, Matthias played the “Concierto de Aranjuez” by Joaquin Rodrigo with the Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra. He won the second prize at the Texas A&M International Guitar Competition, and is the first guitarist in the history of the University of North Texas to win the UNT Concerto-Competition.

~ Intermission ~

Andras Csaki

Fantasia No. 1 in A major. Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)

Sonata Giocosa. J. Rodrigo (1901-1989)

Allegro moderato

Rossiniana No. 2. Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829)

Andras Csaki was born in Budapest, Hungary. Studying under Professor Jozsef Eotvos, Andras received his BA and MA from Franz Liszt University Budapest. In Fall 2012, he started at the University of Southern California studing under Professor Scott Tennant. Andras has won the following prizes: first prize in 2011 Almeria (Julian Arcas), 2010 India (Koskin), 2009 Alessandria (Pittaluga) and 2008 Tokyo; second prize in 2011 Benicassim (Tarrega), 2011 GFA and 2010 Koblenz.

Silviu Octavian Ciulei

La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin. Claude Debussy (1862-1918)

Grand Ouverture, Op.61. M. Giuliani (1781-1829)

Sonata Giocosa. J. Rodrigo (1901-1989)

I. Allegro Moderato

II. Andante Moderato

III. Allegro

Classical guitarist Silviu Octavian Ciulei was born in Constanta, Romania. He began his musical studies when he was 6 years old and attended the Queen Mary High School of Arts in Constanta. By age 13, he had won his first prize in guitar performance at the Romanian National Music Olympics and performed his first Concerto with the nationally acclaimed Black Sea Philharmonic Orchestra. Since coming to the United States in 2004, Silviu has won first prize in the Columbus Guitar Symposium and Competition, Beethoven Club Competition, Appalachian Guitar Festival and Competition, Indiana International Guitar Competition and Festival; second prize in the Texas Guitar Competition and Festival, East Carolina University Summer Guitar Festival and Competition, Mississippi Concerto Competition; and third prize at the Guitar Foundation of America International Concert Artist Competition and Schadt International String Concerto Competition. Silviu holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Middle Tennessee State Univeristy where he studied guitar performance with Dr. William Yelverton. He recently graduated with a Master of Music in Guitar Performance from Florida State University’s College of Music where he was awarded a graduate teaching assistantship and the graduate dean’s fellowship. Silviu is currently working on a Doctor of Music degree in guitar performance at Florida State University where he is a graduate teaching assistant to Professor Bruce Holzman.

International Concert Guitarist Competition:

First place $3000
Second place $2000
Third Place, $1000
Fourth Palce $500

plus merchandise from Savarez for all prize winners.

Youth Competition (both divisions have prizes):

First place $300
Second Place $200
Third Place $100

plus merchandise from Savarez and two free tickets to the Dallas Symphony for all prize winners in the youth competition.

You can now register online, visit your division’s guideline page for application process:

International Concert Guitarist Competition Guidelines (Registration is now closed for the Adult Competition)

Youth Competition Guidelines (Registration is now closed for the Adult Competition)

12th Annual Guitar Competition Schedule of events

Thursday, February 28 Semi-finals (Not open to the general public)

Eliot Fisk Master Class

7:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m

Jonsson Performance Hall

Friday. March 1 Finals

Master classes (Gustavo Costa and Chad Ibison)	1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m	Clark Center
Eliot Fisk Master Class	3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m	Clark Center
Pre-show: Collin College	7:00 p.m.	Clark Center
Competition finals	8:00 p.m.	Clark Center

Saturday, March 2 Youth Competition and Concerts

Youth Competition (both levels)	9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.	AH1 1.106 and 1.104
Guitar maker demonstrations	11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m	Jonsson Performance Hall
Gustavo Costa Concert	4:00 p.m	Clark Center
Pre-show: TAMIU International	7:00 p.m.	Clark Center
Eliot Fisk concert	8:00 p.m.	Clark Center

This years guest artists will be Gustavo Costa and Eliot Fisk

Gustavo Costa

Gustavo Costa
Saturday, March 2, at 4 p.m.
Free

Born in 1976, Gustavo Costa graduated from the Arts Institute of São Paulo State University in 1997. In 1998 he continued his studies under Prof. Franz Halász at the Hochschule für Musik Nürnberg-Augsburg, where he received the Meisterklasse-Diplom, Germany’s highest performance degree, with the distinction "Summa cum Laude." From 2001 to 2004, he studied guitar under Pablo Márquez and early music repertoire under Yasunori Imamura at the Strasbourg (France) Conservatory. He has taught guitar in the music department of São Paulo State University since 2007 when he received his Master’s Degree in Musicology. Costa was a member of the Brazilian Guitar Quartet in 2011 when the group won the Latin Grammy for its CD dedicated to Villa-Lobos.

Eliiot Fisk

Eliot Fisk
Saturday, March 2, at 8 p.m.
$25

A creative innovator linked to the great romantic tradition of the past, Eliot Fisk is one of the most exciting and unique guitarists. He has performed to dazzling critical and public acclaim in the great concert halls of the world. Hailed by Andres Segovia as "at the top line of our artistic world," Fisk returns to UT Dallas for a much anticipated encore performance. The New York Times proclaimed him to be a "fiery player" who "turns up heat on the classical guitar." He was awarded The Grand Cross of Isabel la Cátolica by King Juan Carlos I of Spain in 2006. The medal is one of the highest civilian honors awarded by the government of Spain. Fisk teaches at the New England Conservatory and will conduct master classes for students at the festival.

Winners will be announced after intermission of this concert.

Annual Texas Guitar Competition and Festival

Marko Topchii

Matthias Lang

~~~~~ Intermission ~~~~~

Andras Csaki

Silviu Octavian Ciulei

You can now register online, visit your division’s guideline page for application process:

12th Annual Guitar Competition Schedule of events

~ Intermission ~